Model Railroad Blog

I put the wrap on Federal Cold Storage to be placed in the crook of the “L” on the LAJ layout (the corner if you will).  Getting the first structure under my belt gives me some momentum.  Built to the “reasonable representation” standard it wasn’t intended to be an exact replica of the prototype. Walthers RJ Frost was used as the basis.

 A few of the techniques:

• For the overall base coat I laid down a foundation of Rustoleum textured paint (rattle can).  This was followed by Rustoleum light gray primer.  Finally, I lightly fogged on white primer allowing a hint of the gray to show through.
• The light blue columns were an airbrush dusting of Model Master “Azure” applied lightly enough that some of the white underneath would still show through.
• I flipped the kit canopy upside down exposing the flat side and applied Builders in Scale corrugated roofing adhered with 3M Super 77 and few drops here and there of CA.  The metal was then sprayed with Rustoleum light gray primer.  Weathering was with an India ink wash (1 teaspoon of ink per pint of alcohol) applied with a soft brush using strokes parallel to the corrugations.
• Guy wires are .015″ music wire.
• The loading ramp corner protector was painted with Rustoleum Earth Brown camo. paint, one of my favorite colors for dark rust
• Cracks on the loading ramp face were simulated by very, very lightly dragging a Crayola black pencil about.  Several India ink washes were applied to the face afterwards (2 teaspoons of ink/pint)
• To create the rust streaks on the platform face, I lightly dropped a few specks of brown weathering chalk at the top of the ramp, put on a latex glove, and then wiped the chalk downward with my finger
• Four of the doors were blocked in with cinder block (photo wallpaper using photos of actual block).  If you want to use the file below, print it out 1.3″ tall so the blocks are the right size.  Use gloss photo paper and seal with with Krylon “Preserve It” (Matte)

• The two steel rollup doors were photos as well

• The sign on top was a photo edited screen capture of the prototype sign using Google Streetview.

It’s our ongoing quest, how do we create something that  looks like a “model of a railroad” NOT a “model railroad”, not a toy train set.  The answer lies in studying prototype photos, I mean really studying them and trying to get a handle on what we’re looking at.  It’s not easy and it’s not something where spending money will help solve. The most difficult aspect is often determining what color we’re looking at and how we re-create it.

The image above was taken on South Maywood facing east.  Let’s break it down and come up with a plan of attack.

A and B:  Chain link fences are everywhere.  The eye knows what they’re supposed to look like and it certainly knows when we get it wrong.  They are a “mutha” to model accurately and one of the most common tip offs that a photo is of a model not the prototype.   Note the fineness of the prototype mesh and rusted posts.   The only way to really do this right is to use wedding “thule” aka bridal veil material (very inexpensive and found at stores such as JoAnn Fabrics).  The mesh comes in gray, and rusty brown as well as white.  Since you are building from scratch, you have the opportunity to get the post diameter right.  Assuming they are two inches in diameter,  .022″ wire would be correct.

C:  The trash.  Note the color (mostly white), the size, and how it accumulates against barriers such as fences, and the volume.  I’ve found the tissue that is stuffed in gift bags to work well for white paper trash.  Simply copy the photo as to size and distribution.

D:  The soil and ballast.  This is a tough one.  What the heck is that color and how do you copy it?  A sub-conscious tip off that we are looking at a toy is overly uniform color.  Note the subtle color transitions from muddy tan to muddy gray.  Note the fineness of the soil.  First off, to dial this in I’d practice on a scrap first.  I typically use Arizona Rock and Mineral products.  I think I’d use their “Low Desert Soil” as a base but this is a larger size aggregate so you’ll need to run it through a wire strainer first.  They also make blends called “industrial dirt” and “asphalt”.  I’d experiment with mixing these into a variety of small batches of the low desert soil as well as sprinkling it on as on overlay.

Other things to note: the pale gray of the faded ties, the soil covering most of the ties, the stains on the asphalt behind the fence, the broken asphalt at the bottom edge of the photo (this is the shoulder of S. Maywood).

One of the things I love about model railroading is that it is such a level playing field.  Exceptional results are available to everybody that is committed to putting in the time, study, and practice, and commitment.  You can’t buy the solutions to the challenges in this post and those solutions are as available to the young student and retiree on a fixed income as they are to a person of means.