It’s been awhile since I’ve done any rolling stock so I decided to do so in a way that added some local flavor. Ferrous Process and Trading (FP&T) is a scrap steel recycler and one of the larger industries on the layout. They have their own small fleet of gondolas with the odd reporting marks “ZVBX”. Here’s how I weathered the Athearn car above.
To create the dings and dents I applied thick CA gel with the blunt end of bamboo skewer and let it dry. These cars eventually fade from black to gray so I airbrushed the entire car Model Master Euro Gray and then painted the one re-letter panel black. The entire car was airbrushed with glosscoat and then the decals were applied. Next up was an airbrushing of acrylic flat. I didn’t use a solvent dulling agent because I’d be applying oils next. The entire car was given a thin wash of burnt umber artist oils with a 1″ wide soft brush using downward strokes. When that dried I hit it with Testors Dullcote. Finally, I sprayed it again with Dullcote and, while it was still wet, sprinkled brownish/black chalk onto the still wet Dullcote.