Monday 22 May 2017

Adding miles in miniature


I love freight cars. They instantly convey a sense of purpose on a model railway by depicting what railways were designed for in the first place, moving objects from point A to B over long distances. But how do you add miles to a model in miniature? There's really only one way, and that is to dirty them up. Over the weekend, I managed to weather a few more wagons on my roster using the same method I explained in my previous review on easy Rustall weathering methods. Rather than write another step-by-step post, I thought I'd just share some before and after shots that demonstrate how some subtle weathering can create the illusion that our shiny, well detailed models have actually covered some miles in service.

Next I turned to the Auscision Models NCTY steel wagons. Great looking models, but they can't stay that clean forever.

I scuffed the white cradles a bit where the steel coils would sit, using a silver paint pen to simulate steel scrapes.

Using the same method, the end result is by far more believable, yet subtle enough to appreciate the nice blue paint job.

When the next coil steel load arrived back at Philden, the NCTY wagon was looking a lot more well-travelled. The road grime in the well of the wagon and especially around the side ribbing is convincing enough for me to believe that the shipment has just been railed in from Port Kembla.

Philden Yard now looks a little more convincing with some weathered wagons waiting to be unloaded.

Weathering some freight wagons may not be everyone's idea of a dirty weekend, but it was a fun project to enjoy over a rainy weekend. I now only have my fleet of cement hoppers to be weathered for my freight car roster to look well-travelled.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit Philden. I hope you'll book a return ticket soon. Cheers, Phil