| It seems almost savage to spend money on the best | | | | locomotive performance it to be compromised. Make |
| railroad stock and scenery and then make it look aged | | | | sure that all the running gear, like wheels, couplings and |
| and well used by just making "dirty". It is no good just | | | | pistons are clean. |
| doing the locomotives and rolling stock and not the | | | | It is not just the loco and rolling stock that needs |
| scenery or the other way around because it will not | | | | attention but the scenery as well and arguably this |
| look authentic and after all that is what we are trying | | | | represents a greater challenge. The same techniques |
| to achieve here. | | | | are used but you need to consider the seasons if you |
| Go to your hobby shop and ask for some Weathering | | | | intend to keep your layout current. |
| chalk, or you can simply buy colored chalk probably | | | | Scenery also needs to be consider in terms of the |
| from the same shop. Now comes the fun bit. | | | | direction of the trains because that is the dirty side. |
| You need to create several shades of chalk dust and | | | | Ask yourself when you last saw an event weathered |
| to do this just get some course sandpaper and make | | | | signal box. Next time you see a railroad have a look |
| separate piles of dust of a single colour. Then simply | | | | and see which side of everything is the dirtiest. All this |
| mix them together to get the desired color and brush it | | | | weathering comes under the heading of "system or |
| onto you models as you see fit. Do not use the same | | | | layout distressing." This doesn't sound good but it is |
| colour for everything because it will look contrived. | | | | what you should be trying to achieve. |
| When you are happy with what you have done spray | | | | Here is a tip on how to distress a building: |
| dull-coat onto the chalk dust to anchor it. | | | | Paint the initial base coat of your building with a lighter |
| You can weather, or age products, but they are not | | | | shade of paint. Let this dry. Then dab on some rubber |
| as much fun. They are quicker though and do contain | | | | cement in specific areas. These areas will appear |
| a built in fixer instead of using dull-coat. | | | | "distressed" and beat up when you're done. Let the |
| One of the advantages of using ready-made aging | | | | rubber cement dry. Now, without removing the rubber |
| product is the vast array of colors that will immediately | | | | cement, paint your darker, final coat onto your building. |
| meet your requirements. Colors you'll use most of, | | | | That's right, you're painting right over that dried rubber |
| such as black, burnt sienna, and rust are ready to use | | | | cement. Once your second coat has dried, gently peel |
| and actually are quite difficult to mix consistently for | | | | off the rubber cement. This takes the dark paint with it, |
| yourself. | | | | and reveals the lighter base coast underneath. |
| So there you have it, you have just started the | | | | Looking pretty distressed, isn't it? But you're not quite |
| process of making your trains and rolling stock look | | | | done yet. Next, brush the area with a wash made |
| authentic so now is the time for the aging of the | | | | from a mixture of thinned-out India ink and alcohol. Now |
| scenery. | | | | your building looks distressed! |
| So how does it run? | | | | Don't forget to add some soot to a few buildings. Soot |
| By the time a real train with 30 carriages or trucks | | | | builds up on smokestacks, over tunnel portals, and on |
| have traveled a thousand miles, the locomotive and | | | | engine houses, giving them a fine dusting of black. Soot |
| the rolling stock are going to be dusty at the very least, | | | | is all over the real world railroad, it gets everywhere! |
| but they still run well. So don't get the idea that your | | | | |