I decided on a whim to paint the rails with flat black (cleaning the tops of the rails to protect the wheels from gunk) and I really can’t say that it looks all that much better. I have a mix of brass and stainless code 332 track.
I find that wiping mineral spirits on the top surface of the rail just before spraying the paint greatly aids in subsequent removal from the same surface.
What say the rest of y’all. Is it worth the bother?
I have a mix of 332 AC and LGB-all used and mostly dirty…thinking of painting when I redo the layout hopefully in the fall…it’s all sectional (some 5 footers and many curves)…so while I’m at it, I may unbend all curves and solder, then re-bend with Train-Li to fit whatever trackplan I (or y’all) can come up with!
Paint? Sounds too much like work. 
Natural weathering seems to work for me…
I agree about the natural weathering. Sadly, Stainless weathers at an abysmally slow rate.
Any chemical weathering possible? Paint just seems too uniform…
Here’s what I ended up doing with my track, using exterior grade latex house paints…
First, brush a chocolatey brown on the ties. Nothing fancy, just slap it on fast – tops and ends. Doesn’t matter if the coverage isn’t complete.
Next, I dry-brush the ties with a light brown, just to bring out the woodgrain texture molded into the plastic.
Steps 1 and 2 are done with a 1" disposable brush.
Step 3, I use a cheap, round artist brush to paint some very dark rust brown onto the rails. When this has dried I use a razor blade or knife to skim the paint off the top of the rails, and finish by scrubbing the rails with scotch-brite.
Definitely worth it (IMHO) but I think you went wrong using flat black. A medium flat brown or a dark camo brown would have worked better. same section of track before and after -
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/vehicles/dlvtrk2sm.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/7-8n2%20projects/rail-tractor/tractor-train4.jpg)
-Brian
I paint my SS track using a variation of method Marty Cozad posted several years ago. I use a mix of Krylon Ruddy Brown primer and spatter it with flat back to darken it a bit. I documented the whole process on my website, but here are some selected pics. [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-05.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-05s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-07.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-07s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-08.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-08s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-10.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-10s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] Track that was already down was painted in place… [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-20.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-20s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] I’ve also tried weathering the ballast with Kevin Strong’s rust solution… [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/WxBal-1-1280.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/WxBal-1-640.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] Weathering the ballast looks great, but doesn’t last. The track still looks good 3 years later. EDIT: Fixed broken links.
I appreciate the input, but the color is still too red for my taste. The era I am trying to model is the late steam/early dismal era. Back then, there was a lot of oil on the track, giving it a grimy black, sometimes spotted with green from all the oil that dripped off the journals. That is the track I remember from my youth. Even today, track is not rust colored, unless abandoned. Go take a look at the nearest mainline, or even branchline. You won’t fine rust colored rails. Both from www.railpictures.net
(http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/8/5/8/8858.1218174665.jpg)
(http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/8/5/2/8852.1218175214.jpg)
Note in the first pic, how the sides of the rail are grimy black, and in the second, the rail is almost gray in color.
I use a exterior latex paint color “coal” on the inside track. I put it on in a sporadic pattern of thickness and coverage over the mixture of rail that has weathered or not weathered. I have all brass track. With the ballast I am happy with the coverage. I’ll come back and touch up any spots that scratch or wear off with a charcoal grey. I clean the top of the rails with a LGB track cleaning block and over the years it has formed a nice dark branch line rail coverage. The outside is colored by nature.
Give the a can of the Rustoleum Camo Dark Earth a try (at most home depots). Its a very matte, not quite black/brown. I use it a lot for a under carriage weathering base coat like on the boxcab here. The top is a flat black for comparison.
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/boxcab/boxcab33c.jpg)
-Brian
more rusty rail shots -
(http://i.pbase.com/g4/62/564462/2/61777423.vShH4h2c.jpg)
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/118/312378330_4bc072e502.jpg?v=1165852857)
Steve,
I don’t like the rail too red either but the red/brown primer color makes a good base to start from. Below is a link to an old thread on painting rail. My post is about the third one down. There are several other techniques there too. Take your pick. 
http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29271
Steve - I respect your color opinion, but consider the differences in color film from the late 40’s and early 50’s compared to film and digital today. No doubt in the yards and station areas, the all sides were nearly black from oil, but out on the main I would think it would be a bit less. I was born in the early 50’s and didn’t start hanging around railroad tracks until the late 60’s, and that was on barely used branch lines - so what do I know 
In your modern photo the color is a combination of the red/orange rust color and dirt that is toning it down. I think Richard has it nailed as far as color goes, but I’m lazy and don’t want to spray that many colors. I used an old spike for a color guide when darkening the red primer. Like Richard suggests, my colors wary due to the amount of black over spray I add… [url=
(www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-12.jpg)
]
(http://www.cvsry.com/images/wtrack-12s.jpg)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color]
Steve,
I have a mix of LGB and Aristo Brass track outside for over 2 years now. And with mother nature the track actualy took on a realistic weathering on its own.
Todd
Lots of great tips, for my indoor storage / work area, I just tried the Camo Brown, and it looks great.
Somehow my indoor storage tracks and workbench is slowly growing to swallow the entire room…
Here’s active UP, ex-MoPac, track here in town long Missouri River. Best input I can give on track color is, “it kinda depends”. Note, this rail was new in 2008. Browse through photos in here http://www.railpictures.net/ and it appears that there are regional tendencies in what color rails become.
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa309/FSW4picts/Maintenance%20train/IMG_2130.jpg)
But then, rust itself ranges from orange to brown.
One for more rusty color http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352949
Grimy black http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352935
Purple??? http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352475
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352952
Brown on the inside, almost olive on the outside http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352446
Brownish rust http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352471
Reddish rust http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352470
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352952
Ranges from a reddish brown to an almost greenish brown http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352477
Pick something at random and run with it http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352933
I’d use PollyScale/Floquil Roof Brown for these http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352929
Toward the browner end of rust spectrum http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352921
Grimy black again http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352899
And most astonishingly, some SP locos which are not.
Flat brown rails with reddish clips http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352889
And finally, grimy black web with rusty sides of head http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352868
We have even active tracks around here which look like that.
p.s. I want that critter in 1/24 scale. How it would be paid for is an inscrutable mystery. And just for fun, leave it those colors and slap a WP logo on cab side
If you can’t decide on a rail color, there is always this way of dealing with it, http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352462
Forrest Scott Wood said:Cool I have some of that,seriously from all those pictures, you can have what ever blows your skit up.
If you can't decide on a rail color, there is always this way of dealing with it, http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=352462
