"Sleepers" are black (we called them railroad ties) because the wood was soaked in creosote, a preservative made from distilled coal tar. A majority of countries have banned the substance or severely restricted its use, so it's not surprising you didn't know why sleepers are typically black. The house I grew up in was only about 40 yards from a triple set of railroad tracks, so the sound and sight of freight trains passing by day and night was very familiar to me in the 1950s and 60s. So was the black stain I'd get on my bare feet from walking down the railroad tracks for a couple of miles to a little country store in the spring and summer. Nice work and good video. Thanks for sharing your hobby interest. It's inspiring to still see some younger people like yourself using their creativity to enjoy healthy pastimes like we did when I was growing up. I remember those days with great fondness. Enjoy them.
Yeah if you look at fresh ties next to the tracks 9/8 time out of 10 they are a dark black almost black. They're replacing the ties on the mainline near me and majority are black.
I think many of us get ahead of ourselves and we need to think about this project before laying track to boards. Doing this step at ones work station is much easier than leaning and stretching over the layout. As you doing it on a table close to you
Great video and technique. I'll have to try this on my layout (when I get that far). One point I'd mention is that if you are not making a diorama (no actual running of trains) or not using dead-rail, you will need to wipe the paint from the top of the rail BEFORE it dries completely. It's much easier to remove when it's still a bit wet. You can use scrap pieces of cork or a thin cloth wrapped around a block of wood to wipe it without scratching the tracks. (If it dries, you may need to scrape it with a knife or screwdriver, or use an abrasive pad (like a brite-boy)
The modeler who did the wp8thsub used a utility knife blade dragged over the rails backwards to get the dried paint off. I tried it and it worked like a charm, so I didn't worry about wiping the paint off while wet.
they are black because it makes weathering them easier ,,i always paint things black when im gonna weather them ,,I once wondered why black but ive known for years now ,,good video
When I get around to painting my track and roadbed, I'll start by airbrushing the cork roadbed a nice neutral grey color. I've got some acrylic rust colored paint for the rails and I'll use some brown for the sleepers. I will airbrush it all. Cheers from eastern TN
Wow! I want to now go back and rip up all my track and start over again. Amazing result! Also, since I'm working in N gauge, in addition to lighting, a good set of magnifying lenses is also critical. :)
That is pretty nice sir. Much less expensive than buying those Woodland Scenics rail painters. I guess the thing that worries me, on my own layout, is will I end up regretting painting the rails and ties as it "could" mess up my engines and rolling stock. I have stressed a lot over that.
I found some paint And done My lifelike And it looks Very good got to get some Grey paint to finish some of my other Ho Tracks. I Have N ScaleI don’t think I am gonna try to paint the Tracks.
Hand painting rails and ties, for me at least with a large layout, takes too long. I use a light coat of Rustoleum Camo Brown spray paint. You can cover a lot of track in a short amount of time. To remove the paint from the surface of the rails, I used a utility knife blade scraped backwards across the rail. That was recommended to me by a modeler who has nice layout. Viewers may want to consider spray pant to cover rails and ties quickly. After that you may want to apply washes of other colors to weather the track.
How did you clean the tops of the rails after painting? Did you wipe when it was still wet, or did you go over it with something after you were fully done? Looks amazing by the way!
Most other videos I've seen say to remove the paint BEFORE it dries completely. You can use a scrap piece of cork or a thin cloth wrapped around a block of wood.
Looks great! I'm using some cheaper acrylic paint, I think it looks decent enough but I'm worried that it might rub off onto the train wheels. Do you use any type of paint primer or hold of some sort to keep it from peeling off?
