There are a number of annotated maps circling in the LAJ community calling out which industries received what type of cars, where they were spotted etc. I believe most of this information came from retired employees. One note that stood out was a business on The Horn Lead called Western Cleanser. The notes state they received “two bay hoppers at spot 3, and a boxcar at spot 1”. I thought this could be a good industry for the layout so I picked up a Kadee PS-2 hopper complete with scale couplers. It’s truly an exceptional model.
Start With Studying a Photo
The next step was to study photos of similarly colored prototypes and that’s where things got tricky. The signature feature of the car sides was a color pattern that was clearly not uniform but in the most subtle of ways. These subdued patterns can be the most difficult to model. Here’s a breakdown of how I did things.
The Car Sides
Let’s start with the car sides. The central theme being to use the lightest of touches.
-It’s important to note that I did not apply Dullcote until the last step.
-I created a very thin wash of Tamiya XF-20 “Medium Grey” (about four drops of paint in an airbrush cup full of thinner). I loaded a “fine tip” in my airbrush (Paache Model H). Before moving to the model, I did a test spray on simarly colored scrap. Satisfied the wash wasn’t too dark, I sprayed the car sides using vertical strokes on the panels and tried to stay off the ribs as much as possible. Let this dry for an hour or so.
-Next was a wash of Burnt Umber artists oils. Pour some mineral spits in an old metal lid. Put a dab of paint on a scrap of styrene. Tap a half inch wide, soft, square-tipped brush in the paint and then dip the brush in the mineral spirits. Draw the brush vertically down across the car sides. You want the mix to be very thin. Keep an eye on your work for fifteen minutes or so to see if any odd pools or swirls shoe up. If they do, wick them up by lightly tapping the area with a clean brush. Let everything dry for three days or so.
-Finally, we need contrast along the ribs. Take a black artists pencil, give it a super sharp point, and draw ultra-thin lines along the ribs.
-Seal with Dullcote
The Roof
-Take a tiny, ragged, brush and dip it inBragdon “Soot Black” weathering powder. Tap your chalk-laden brush on a paper towel to knock most of the black off and then lightly work some of the weathering powder around the hinges.
-Using your black artists pencil, and a straight edge, lightly draw over the weld seams
-The fade was created by the frosting chemical reaction of alcohol and Dullcote. Spray the roof with Dullcote and let it dry for fifteen minutes or so. Tap a small, square tipped brush in rubbing alcohol and draw it across the roof. As it dries, you’ll see the frosting appear. If you don’t like your result apply more Dullcote and the frosting will disappear.
Trucks
Using an airbrush, I gave them a base coat of Model Master “Dark Earth”. Any earth tone will work though. When that dried, I took a ratty brush and worked in Bragdon Soot Black to create shadows.
Hopper Doors
It’s not clear from the photo but the hopper doors have a more prounced, slightly orangish look. I created a small 50/50 mix of Bragdon “Weathered Brown” and “Medium Rust” and applied it with an old brush using a stabbing motion.
Wrapping Up
The central theme for creating this look is to use the lightest of touches and washes. You can always bring an effect up if it’s not noticeable but if you go too far, there’s no turning back and you can end up with a ruined model.