Painting track and sleepers

Having finally fettled out new club O Gauge track , it’s time for painting and ballast . can anyone point me to posts on track painting etc , or has anyone recommendations . The line is based on late era steam and early diesels , GWR south Wales direct line

Thanks

Dave

Having finally fettled out new club O Gauge track , it’s time for painting and ballast . can anyone point me to posts on track painting etc , or has anyone recommendations . The line is based on late era steam and early diesels , GWR south Wales direct line

Thanks

Dave

Hi Dave, there is a glut of information about track weathering, with lots of different methods.

Try looking on YouTube for Dean Park station (Dave47) and New Junction. Both of these guys have posted recently about track colouring. Dean park uses an airbrush, whilst new junction tried a few washes. Cheeky tek is also a good one to look up.

Dougal.

My approach is;

Install track, test running & electrics. I use C&L on stained wooden sleepers, and Peco.

Airbrush rails & chairs, point rodding, etc., with a mid-rusty colour

Ballast - varies from running lines to sidings, stone is good but expensive, ash is cheap but not suitable for fast running. I use Javis fine, but I’d like to find a sieve to take out the bigger bits. Each individual “rock” should be something like 2” across, which is around a millimetre in 7mm - you might want to consider 4mm ballast. I use latex glue watered down, as it doesn’t give the granite a green tinge. About a tenner for 2.5 litres, will do a big layout! Worth spraying a mist of water with a drop of washing up liquid in it to wet everything before dropping on the glue. If you know anyone who uses hair colourant, it’s supplied with a very handy polythene dropper bottle.

Add oil stains & other patch colours where needed (dropper, brush, airbrush or powders)

Paint fishplates greasy brown-black. Ditto any point rodding joints, stools, cranks etc.

Paint any trip hazards white, ends of third rail, some rodding, etc.

Gently overspray with “track muck colour” to bring it together and tone down anything too obvious, but gently so the differences show through.

Clean tops of rails. Try not to clean the tops of checkrails.

Lots of books on the subject. Also, search some of the layout threads on here, I’m sure the owners will respond to a “how did you do...?” request.

Best

Simon

On final cleaning of the rail, try to clean the inside top edge of the rails to improve the continuity of current collection. 

Simon would trip hazards be white pre WW2? I can't say I've seen anything in photos.

What colour should I paint the peco sleepers ?

Brown Black ?

My memory is that in summer such sleepers had quite a light colour often white where the creosote had disappeared ,

Take a look at Joey Ricard's video at:

http://youtu.be/DrHmPf62A_g

I've used this method on my layout with some success. Pictures over on my thread.

Simon would trip hazards be white pre WW2? I can't say I've seen anything in photos.

Perhaps not. Can’t recall any specific examples, though given the prevalence of oil & gas lighting, and thus areas which were lit poorly if at all, you’d think there was good reason...

Best

Simon

Remember White was almost Cream back in those days, as pure White as we know it today from tins and pots had not matured.

White lead is “very” white, but the oils & binders rapidly oxidised to make the paint appear cream.

Best

Simon

I read a book a while back about a guy who worked as a shunter, pre war.

Dangerous game, particularly at night.

I suspect stubbed toes were the least of your worries, as tripping & falling in front of a rake of wagons, and subsequent serious injury, or worse, were a constant risk. Men were indeed men in those days, and easily replaced...

Best

Simon

When men were men and sheep were afraid