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Handrails Paint is worn off hand- rails by the crews alight- ing and boarding. Using a small brush, randomly touch the handrails with some gray or black paint. The brake shoes often show rust, and this can be simulated with a wash of rust paint applied with a small brush.


SD45s One of the keys to weathering is variation. For example, both of these SD45s are weathered, but No.3623 shows the effects of heavier weathering. The variation makes for more realistic consists.


ward position, some are used as trailing units, and a little soot on the nose, again from a low angle, looks very realistic.


Fuel Spills


If you study photos from the 1970s and earlier, and examine the fuel tanks, invariably you will see the effect of fuel spills on the fuel tanks. While those spills ap- pear dark or black, what you are seeing is not the color of the fuel, but the effects of dirt sticking to the wet or damp patches where fuel was spilled on the sides of the tanks. To simulate this, use the technique of dry-brushing. Take an old stiff-bristled paint- brush and dip the end in Engine Black. Then, wipe most of the paint off the brush by rubbing it on some cardboard until you barely see any trace of paint. Now, stroke the brush from the fuel fill- er location down the side of the fuel tank in vertical strokes. If you want more effect, repeat the pro- cess. It is easier to build up the effect than to try to subtract too much by repainting the fuel tank! The effect you want is not a black stripe, but a feathering of the paint from the center outward.


Grease and Oil on Truck Side Frames


While you have your paint- brush out dry-brushing the fuel tank, you can use that same tech- nique to simulate the effects of


66 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN


grease and oil on the trucks’ side- frames. For locomotives with fric- tion bearings, you would typically see the result of oil leaking out of the journal box covers. Make the effect random, so it looks like natural weathering rather than someone painting the effect on the surface.


Rusty Brake Shoes


To simulate the effect of rusty brake shoes, use the dry-brushing technique with Rust paint. As an alternative, you can do the same effect with a rust-colored wash.


Paint Wear on Handrails


Handrails on locomotives are painted a contrasting color for safety, typically white or yellow. These handrails get a lot of wear as crews climb on and off locomo- tives. Replicate this wear by ran- domly touching your dry brush with either Engine Black or Reef- er Gray at locations where a crew- member would grab when getting on or off a locomotive.


Brake Cylinder Pis- tons and Glad Hands


A small detail that adds a lot of visual interest is to paint the brake cylinder piston rod a sil- ver color, such as Platinum Mist, to simulate the polished piston rod on the brake cylinders. Use a very small pointed brush and just touch the surface of the pis-


ton rods to paint them. While you have the silver paint out, you can paint the glad hands on the ends of the air and signal lines if the model has those details.


FINISHING UP Protecting the Finish


After you are satisfied with your weathering effort, the final step is to protect the finish with an air- brushed layer of Testor’s Dullcote. Thin the Dullcote one-to-one with regular lacquer thinner, and then airbrush several thin coats over the model, especially those areas that you typically handle, such as the fuel tanks, trucks, and hood sides. Even though you have used solvent paints for the weathering layers, because these paints are so diluted, they are not as dura- ble as a factory paint finish. Also, the Dullcote will provide an even, realistic dull finish to the model. This is especially important if you are only going to give a locomotive a light weathering coat.


Cleaning Wheels and Windows


Now that you have completed the weathering, the only thing re- maining is to remove the mask- ing material from the windows and headlights and clean the wheel treads. The easiest way to clean any stray paint off the wheel treads is to put the loco- motive in a foam cradle and use


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