I also use rattle cans to paint my track, prior to installing it. Works good on the rails, but so far nothing seems to stick to the plastic ties for very long.
What a difference a week can make! Currently it’s gloomy and 41F.
Dave can run in this miserable weather. I’ll stick to my indoor layout and building models in this weather…
Warren Mumpower said:Warren,
Until you have to clean the thing. :( I'm a firm believer in rattle cans where ever possible. My yard that I just completed was painted before installation. It's just that when I built this layout the concept of weathering with rattle cans had yet to cross my feeble mind.
Right paint and right cleaning method makes spray gun cleaning easy. Apart from that, the more you do it the more practice you have. 
Cleaning is still cleaning… I’ll settle for setting the spray cans on the shelf. This is suppose to be play…not work!!
Warren,
I get the idea your track was not ballasted inside int he traditional ways of being held down with a 50/50 white glue water mixture. For me to take track up is a major destruction/contruction project. I’ve doen it for mods and realignments, but painting is easier in place. Just different ways of doing things. Staying interested and invovled is what counts.
As I intended to paint (weather) the rails from the beginning, the layout never got ballasted. That will be one of the last things done. Therefore nothing is glued in place. The track comes up with the removal of the Hillmans and a securing occasional paneling nail.
For cleaning the railheads, try a small orbital sander, such as a Black&Decker “Mouse.” You can get very fine sandpaper or non-maring scotchbrite pads for it, and the vibration of the sander does a fantastic job of tamping the ballast around the track. I haven’t had to resort to paint on the AMS track I’m using now–it’s slowly starting to turn less of a day-glow yellow–but I had some Aristo stuff that I painted when we first moved in and wanted it weathered in a hurry. (It was also only 60’ of track, so no great effort to brush paint.)
Later,
K
Just thought I’d add a winter picture to the other two above. This was taken yesterday morning. Only 2 more months until good weather… Pretty, but brrrrrrrrrrr…!
