Improving Track at Chadwick Model Railway | 31. 

I don't know why I find these videos addictive, but I do. I rather think it is because it is always a pleasure to watch someone taking pains to do things properly. And Charlie comes across as such a calm, confident sort of bloke.

Grt channel. Easy to forget on the full size track contractors rarely clean up the ballast overspill... On a lot of track the ballast completely hides the sleepers.

I am going to die of old age before I take the pain to go to that much detail to paint the ties (sleepers) and rails. To each his own, I admire your patients.

You are a great model Railroader and very professional, I am from the USA and you have sparked my interest the way that you explain and do your work! I have been a Model Railroader for over 30 yrs. I will watch your technique from now on. Take care.

Very thoughtful comments which show your experience is model railroading. Good videos for everyone, include the "know it all's".

Came back to this video to help with thinking about track painting for my n gauge layout. Airbrushing is a new thing for me, so more research will be done. The paint choices are bewildering, as well. Thanks again, Charlie, for giving me further food for thought!👍

Yet another superb video. I had always wondered how point work should be masked prior to painting so many thanks for explaining how this is done...

Spent all Sunday afternoon brush painting rust on rails. A pain, only has to be done once but great satisfaction when I cleaned the rail head and it looked pretty good. I painted it with some £1.49 rustic brown artists acrylic from B&M Bargains with a little orange paint and rust pigment in.

Another super production pact with useful and helpful information.....highly recommended!

A thank you for all the how to - tutorials....I found them most helpful and interesting....

I’d be doing these mods before I install my points , it prevents getting overspill onto other track and having to clean up . I’ve made my self a cutting box out of an old shoe box that catches all dust and cuttings . Either way as with all modeling it’s up the individual

Charlie, why oh why did I not watch this video two years ago! Maybe throw away what I have done and start again now. Great tutorials, keep them coming. Thanks.

From a guy who's airbrushed for about 36 years (tshirts, automotive, murals, aircraft) get yourself a small pancake compressor at hardware store (like the sort used for nail guns and air staplers and such) and then use a separate regulator i control the pressure coming out the gun. Cheaper and more stable airflo. I enjoy the channel....I'm a novice modeler but master airbrushed so just offering a tip.

Hi Charlie, When I fasten track down to sub roadbed, I use Liquid nails for Foam Prohects in a calking gun. A small smear on my foam base nicely holds the foam roadbed down almost immediately. Now this smear has formed a rubbery film. Now I place the track down with small l1 inch brown nails and press them in with my fingers. They go thru the smear very nicely and really hold it down. The beauty is that you can easily pull the nails back up with your fingers and move the rail around. Bob

Really good to see how you do it. My method is almost the same but it is good to see an experienced modeler doing it, it gives me a bit of confidence. Loved the paint wheel, looking into it now. Thanks Charlie. Barry.Devon

Just about ready to start laying my track. So not only very good video but timely and hopefully will help me make a half decent layout. Thanks for your time making these videos.

I once used one of the wife`s bedding sheets to protect my backdrop from airbrush overspray ,worked quite well in my opinion I am now a bachelor ,which also worked out quite well in my opinion...LOL I did just discover your fine videos/tutorials and find them most interesting and very informative ,very well done sir !I`ve never seen that little device for painting tracks, would that work for N scale? As it is now, I just use a small paint brush ,which works very well and looks great,but time consuming(this must be done,as nothing worse than seeing that shiny nickel silver glaring out from the ballast.

Interesting Info, and some Great Ideas here, got my mind thinking . . . Thank you for your time and energies here.

Wow great videos and well produced. I wish these videos were here 5 years ago when I was trying to figure out how to do my N gauge layout.

I use Peco narrow gauge track 9mm for my Austrian model railroad in 1:87 scale . It's the Murtalbahn . And I use a brush for rust the rail .

When I am spray painting indoors I use an electric blower with long clothes dryer hose connected that I stick out of a window. Clears the air nicely. i

Very nice video! Thank you for taking the time to make it. One thing to do after ballasting the track is to use your airbrush and spray (more of a mist, actually) a line of oily black down the center of the track, over the ballast and all. Locomotives are like automobiles, they are constantly dripping something!

Just bought the rail painting kit. Thanks for the tip. Barry.Devon

Great video Charlie. I hate those little pimples on the Tie Bar as well! I am currently carrying out a full conversion to about 30 Peco N Gauge Code 55 points! This will include Central Tie Bar Seep Point motor operation, Dropper wire link between Stock/Switch rails, Cut (Isolated) Frog Vee and complete removal of the Peco Point Motor Plate Webs (Including Pimples!!).. Not much to do then!! lol. This is for my version of Ross-on-Wye Station. Keep up the good work, looking forward to the next video. ... Cheers Les.

Nice to see you using double slips, I use them, but am amazed at how many modellers frown upon the use of them.

Another excellent video Charlie, many thanks. One of the big advantages of the bottle type airbrush is you can buy additional bottles cheaply. You can mix a colour and simply leave it in the bottle, suitably marked and sealed with bluetack or something. I love the little bottle with the wheel, what a great idea :) Ian

Wonderful little small wheel and bottle for rusting the tracks. Beats painting with a brush. Who sells this, and what is it called?

Morning Charlie hope your ok. Just caught up with your latest video on track 😊 Another great tutorial things are making good progress. Thanks Stevie.

Excellent as usual Charlie. Im a professional drone pilot, editing all my own footage. I know the time and effort involved in working on something fit for showing. A lot of work required from you but very much appreciated by all the peeps who watch you're fantastic videos. Just waiting on a change in the weather here in NI. Then Ill be able to erect my 2nd hand steel shed, 30ft x 20ft. Half of which will be my layout that has been in planning for a very long time. Retired from the sea Ill have plenty of time to get it just right. Watching your efforts has really spurred me on to get my finger out. Thank you very much

Another awesome video thanks for showing us!!😃😃

We need more realist videos like this, not just people showing off their dcc sound locos! this is stuff that REALLY matters for realism, i didnt even know you could buy that bottle with brush on the end, what an epic idea, im defo going to do this with my peco N gauge setrack, also chadwick yes get yourself a tin of servisol super10 im an electrical engineer and use this stuff near on daily, the contact from the rails to the wheels will be massively improved, it also serves the purpose of cleaning the pickups 100% properly. also absolutely epic for motor brushes and such.

Enjoyed your video and I have made notes of your various tips. Cheers Greg

Charlie, please, please, let me know where you got that little gem of a paint roller pot thingy from. It looks brilliant and 'just the ticket'. Hope you get to see this comment as is it a long time since you did this vid.

Nice video Charlie, big difference with the track weathered. I think an airbrush is the way to go with track painting but that's just my preference. Michael

Thanks again Charlie, another good tip video, looks so realistic.

I used the Rusty Rails painter. It did go on pretty good. However the cheap acrylic paint peels over the years and gums up your flanges and switch points. Ruined about $700 of Unitrack. Next time I would use the Paint Pens from Weathering Colors or Woodland Scenic.

The bottle with the little wheel sure works great coloring the sides of the rails. Who makes it and is it still available? THANK YOU..

I've never seen that rail painter wheel work so well. Great video as usual. I did notice a wayward blob of solder on the outside of the ballasted track. Not like you Charlie. Geoff. W.

Hi Charlie I think the way in which you do your video's just makes you want to keep watching, this was another great video and I love the little bottle with the tiny roller on the end for rusting your track takes a lot of the hard work away, I think I will be getting one . Could you send me a link for your other channel, and thanks for sharing with us. Regards George...

Another great video. Thank you.

Nice video tutorial, bloke. Enjoy your videos quite a bit. Crack on, mate! W Rusty Lane in eastern Tennessee (Witherington Place Railroad)

Hi Charlie, as always - a great video. it may be an age thing (mine not yours) but I don't see the link to that little rail painter wheel.......

Great video Charlie! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the demo with the rail painter. I've been wondering how well they performed; its use is coming up on the schedule and, thanks, I can begin with confidence. Thanks.

Hi Charlie, I appreciate the quick response to my question and I thank you for the information. I've got a list of stuff I need to buy so I'll be getting one of these paint rollers real soon or as soon as the wife says I can. Anyway, thanks again for the info and the video. Bill G. Linwood Kansas, USA

I assume that I as it is acrylic, I can use a very fine paint brushes for weathering the track? Also if using paint brushes (if possible) do I do it before I ballast the track on the foam sheet?

Do you isolate the crossing frog and have a changeover switch for polarity? You said you were using tortoise motors, they should have built in changeover switches. This would alleviate the need to worry to much about masking your switch rails. It also stops shorts and makes your locos run smoothly without breaks in current. I have found over the years with Peco points that the tiny metal contacts that make the connection between the stock rails and blades wear out easily and are prone to damage, rendering the point useless. Its more work but well worth it. It is essential on home made and kit built points.

Wonderful video..THANK YOU..

Good track work technique you have there. I use Peco code 83 on my American layout ( you could run my channel if you like!). The only thing I did differentmy was to use a small pair of snips to remove the "lump" on the tie bar and I filled the holes for the point motors with modelling filler. Keith

Hi Charlie! I really appreciate all of the top quality videos you put out. Well done indeed! I really like the way you work with the full cork sheets, just removing the unwanted bits later.... I was curious as to where you source your cork sheets from, as I’d very much like to give that method a go myself?

when adding the rail paint where did you get the bottle with the wheel on it or did you make the bottle brilliant job

Thank you. Very helpful.

Thank you again for an another instructive video!!! Cheers, Onno.

Hi Charlie, Great video, I agree about track pins.. I have only used them on my fiddleyard so it's easy to change if I want, All my scenic area has the track glued down (I use copydex myself) I think peco is the best for rtr track really, Especially with the new bullhead stuff, Sooner or later they will have the range to cover all era's. I am using code 75 in the fiddleyard and bullhead for the scenic side which is currently all handbuilt. Code 100 certainly provides the best solution for rigidity and the better running of older stock. I like that rail painter but the alternative option is to mask off all the sleepers and then airbrush the sides but that is much more of a pain.. I won't tell you how I know that lol! Cheers, Michael

Hi Charlie Fell over your channel by accident & have been enjoying them...especially the backscene episode - really cracked me up. On your improving track video you put in a link to the track painter you used. I've been on Osborn models website but there's no track painter like yours; they do advertise a Woodlands Scenics job which is similar to a felt tip pen! Do you know who manufactures the roller type you possess?

Great tips and trick on track work, thanks for the video

Hi Charlie, well I wish I'd seen your videos before I had started. Lol! You would be horrified at my track work efforts. Very informative as always and as usual a lot learnt. Again, thanks for taking the time to make these how to videos. Cheers Jerry

It's funny watching your videos Charlie... because I do pretty much what you do already... so sometimes I feel like I'm watching myself 25 years into the future!! I do pretty all the things you mention in this video, soldering droppers to the underside of the track, glueing track down instead of pinning it, cutting off the pull tabs on points, spraying track before ballasting, etc. Differences are that I use code 75 track (but mine is a home layout) and spread out the sleepers to a more prototypical spacing. As regards the airbrushing thinner... have a look out for 99% Isopropanol Alcohol... 'IPA'. When you airbrush, you need to thin the paint down so it flows through the airbrush without clogging it up, but not so thin that it 'splatters' against the thing being painted. IPA is pefect because it evaporates quickly, so when mixed to the skimmed milk consistancy, you'll only have the paint hitting the model becvause the paint has evaporated. IPA is also useful for removing numbers/names on locos, as you can see I did here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fkzQ9gsxklE.html It's also perfect for stripping models if you're doing a full repaint. Get a spaghetti tube with a seal-able lid, place your model in it, fill the tube with IPA and pour a small cup of water in it. Neat, the 99% IPA will take ages to work on the model... drop a bit of water in it and it drops to about 95% which will activate it. Leave it in for an hour or two and give it a scrub with a toothbrush to get the top layers of paint and any tampo-printed transfers off it... leave it for another hour or two and more scrubbing with the toothbrush will remove the rest. Don't worry about leaving it in too long... the times I gave above are about the shortest time to get the paint off... but I've left models to soak all day without harming the model in any way. Also, IPA won't attack glazing either, so you can place the bodyshell with the glazing still attached... which serves an even better purpose... ...the IPA softens the glue used to secure the glazing in place... glazing that could be cracked if you tried to remove it. Really enjoying your videos Charlie! Dave

Another lesson learned Charlie, I have gone through lots of track testing and making sure its all as I want it, I have however started some ballasting but hold on, time to get some sleeper grime for my airbrush and rust for the track. Where do I ghet one of those track brushes on a bottle I ask. If I get one of these I may even become a Charlie Bishop star pupil he he. regards, Geoff.

Like your narrative....very easy viewing and informative......regards fred ..ps thanks for your subscription

Thanks for showing this, Charlie. Obviously not your first modified points, but doing a double slip first made me cringe! Do you need to switch the points before cutting off the lumps so the tie bars don’t protrude?

Hi there, thanxs a lot. What’s the brand of the divice with the paint container and brush? Greetings from the Netherlands.

Do you have a source for the rail painting tool? Thanks for another wonderful video. Cheers

Another very informative video, many thanks for producing & posting them. One question that I may have missed from your earlier videos, how do you go about fitting the fishplates, both insulated & non-insulated?

Great video Charlie, I'm almost at the track painting stage so nice to see how you do it. I will be removing the point knobs etc too as it improves the look of the track a lot. Can I ask where you got the little wheel and bottle for painting from. Regards Paul

Charlie, I stumbled on to your videos and like everyone else, Love Them! You do a great job of explaining but not rambling on. Way to many ramble on turning a five minute video into twenty. Your wheel/bottle painter caught my attention as it did for many others. I think I looked at all your replies, (And I can't believe you respond to every comment. WOW!) but I may have missed it but where did you get that painter? Thanks for the great videos. At some point I am going to have to venture to your other web sites. Gary

OK, Charlie, Please make one turntable video with HO/OO scales. Thanks! Gopal Daga/India

Great video!, Really detailed.

excellent tutorial video subscribed right away

One question. Your points appear to be Electrofrogs. I assume you modified them re: the wiring underneath. Why do you then feel the need to protect the point blades from paint as the stock and closure rails are electrically connected underneath?

Hi Charlie, im late to the party im afrid, could you please point me into the direction of the nifty wheel device for painting the rail sides? Thanks

Back watching or rewatching some vids. I always wondered does your wife watch your vids? I hope not... As she'll find out the things you borrow from her or the laundry cubbard lol

Did you make the little bottle and felt wheel arrangement for the track painting device?

Hi Charlie, Great to watch, nice little gadget you used after the spraying of the track sleepers, then you used the little glass jar to rust the rails which was a really good little tool, What is the name of that tool and where would i likely to find one, and was that just powder rust in the jar to give your track that look or did you add thinners to it of any kind... 👍 as always Charlie. Thanks for you little Hints and Tips. 👍

Just FYI, there are other brands of track, too. I prefer Peco, myself :-) But there's also Shinohara, Walthers, Micro Engineering, and Atlas. Atlas is the American equivalent to Hornby, but I mentioned it for completeness. The others that I mentioned are rather high quality, as is Peco.

Why do I feel like I'm going to wake up someday and the headlines going to be jelly roll collapses with a fatal heart attack. I hope Jelly Roll can get in better physical shape cuz we like him and his music!

Another brilliant video I do enjoy these

Great video Charlie, the burning question now is where did you get that rail painting gadget from, awesome piece of kit

Hi Charlie (Chadwick TMD) I would like to Get one of those jars with the Nozzle and wheel similar to the one you are using to paint the sides of the track but I don't know where to get one? Do you know where I can get one?

Do you use droppers on every section of track and insulated fishplates everywhere?

How much would it cost including postage to Australia, the track rust bottle!!

Hi Charlie, nice informative videos showing the easy way to get awkward jobs done!, thanks. But where do you get the paint wheel tool from and what is its proper name? Regards, Eve.

Hi Charlie, When painting the side of the rail do you paint both sides or just the side you can see? Great video, thanks for sharing. Regards John.

Hi Charlie, do you still have a link to where I can buy one of those track painting dispensers with the little wheel on them ? Many thanks Andy

How did you clean the top of the rail after painting Charlie

your videos are very nice and addictive. great work. it help me make my very small 2 x 4 n scale layout. one suggestion please reduce the volume of your intro camera shutter sound, its very loud compare to your voice so it kind of irritates and is very loud when watching videos in playlist.

Great video, can I ask where you could get a ready made paint wheel with jar like the one used in this video? Or it a diy only job? If so could I have a list of the parts needed please thanks

Interesting, Keep up the good work :)

Do you need to protect both blades on a set of points, or does the shut side have a close enough seal to protect the contacts?

Charlie - what would you recommend to allow for expansion /contraction of track in a location where the temperature is not readily controllable such as in a garage, shed or loft space. Enjoyed the video.

Hi Charlie you say you use evo stik yo fix track but what do you use to fix the cork base cover. I'm just about to lay a new baseboard down and was going to cover the whole board in cook?

Best video on youtube, learned so much here thank you! do these rules apply to peco n gauge setrack as well?

Will Peco code 100 match up to Atlas code 100? Thanks for your time and videos.

Hi. I've been trying to look up under the description the bottle with the padded wheel to apply paint to side of rail. Can't find it. Please help. Many thanks

Hi Charlie. Loved the vid. I was just wondering: what was the equipment you used to paint the side of the rails and where/ how did you get it? Thanks.

Great rail painting gadget Charlie, did you make it, or did you buy it?

Hi Charlie, Loved this video but I have a question. Where did you find that little rolling brush pain applicator? That is the neatest tool. Thanks Bill G Linwood Kansas USA

Another top tutorial Charlie.....I hope your wife doesn’t see these videos....she’ll go nuts knowing you’re using the bedding lol. A bit late but re the seams on the backscene.....did you use a wallpaper seam roller? You may have gotten a perfect join - anyway still looks awesome and no-one ever sees or notices the small mistakes until you mention them!

Any clues where I can purchase the rusty rail painter as the original supplier via the link says its no longer stocked. TIA

hello Chadwick Im Going to be at the model Railway Club