Weathering an HO Scale Ballast Car Unit Train 

I have to build my rolling stock since I model the turn of the 20th century. It's hard to find ready to roll rolling stock from the early 1900's, so I build Tichy Train Group models that have great detail and look great when finished. I've already built 2 ore cars, 1 40' 50 ton flatcar and a 40' 50 ton wood side gondola. All the models came out looking like more expensive models that you spend big bucks on. I also scratch build for HO scale and Lionel 027 which is O scale. Not too many modelers left that like to build their own buildings and rolling stock. I found this old pint can of Rustoleum rusty metal primer that works great for ore cars and is perfect for boxcar red. I also use it to paint the wheels for a rust color. That can of paint must be 40 years old. I thinned it with lacquer thinner to shoot it through my HF Avanti .3mm airbrush. Flowed perfectly. Cheers from eastern TN

I really appreciate how organized you are.

This is probably one of my favorite weathering videos I've found on youtube in quite some time. Excellent work on these cars, really liked how realistic they looked all together at the end too!

Awesome tips! Like your homemade wheel holder to paint the wheels.

A super conservative. I'm the same way. I save absolutely everything. I'm new to the hobby, but your videos have shown me the way. I appreciate the knowledge.

Well done! Models and video. Thank you for sharing this!

I plan on getting a couple of the ATSF cars for a project I'm working on and wasn't fully sure how to go about it until now this video will be extremely helpful in weathering them!

Another super coll technique is to paint a very light white layer for a sunbleached look- then, take a very thinned brown paint (with thinner that will break through the white layer) and dot it all over. Let it sit for about a minute, then take a brush and streak down. If you did it right, you will get nice rust spots that look like they have a brown trail below them from water damage.

I have close to two dozen, if not more, similar E&B Valley, Details West & the like ballast hopper kits from the late 80s-early 90s to make a unit ballast train. This video will be very helpful getting some variation between the cars.

Thanks for the tutorial! Gave me a couple tips. The cars look absolutely fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to make the video. I know it is time consuming to produce so Thank You! I’m getting brave enough to tackle my Scale Trains locomotives. 😉 To me black is a tricky color to fade just right.

Fantastic work Joey, really makes me want to weather some trains again.

Great video, thanks, cheers Peter

Looks Amazing Joey! Good idea on doing the steps

those came out really nice

That is quite a process, but those cars look great! Thanks for sharing.🇨🇦

Scraping the tip of a number 2 pencil with a razor makes perfect Road Grime also

Perfect. I just bought a whole bunch of these Bowser's last week. Great ideas. Thanks!

You’re very talented 👍

I really appreciate that you are teaching us something. I've used other stuff that you shared and I plan on saving this too. Thank you again, Chris

Grrreat Job! Like the weathering layers and the pencil trick! Like to have seen the reference photo. The wheel end points and truck journals will need to be cleaned for rolling purposes or the "brakes" will be on! 🙂

Looks great!

Video and step-by-step presentation was excellent. Suggestion: Obtain a sheet of styrene that is the same thickness as the wheel treads. Cut out two strips about an inch wide by maybe a foot long. Mark the long centerlines of each and then mark the centerlines every 3/4 inch. Drill out the 3/8 inch holes as you did for the wood holder. You should now be able to insert a row of wheelsets in one strip and then lay the other strip atop the opposite wheels of the wheelsets. The result will be the treads all masked off with the rest of the wheels, inside and out, free to paint as desired.

as always beautiful work. i know those little spray cans are kind of on the expensive side, I was getting ready to start a 42 car Tropicana train. A friend of mine turned me on to rust-oleum 279178 camouflage earth brown for the trucks and woodland scenics rusty rail TT4581 paint marker for the wheels. All in all it worked out really well and the slight difference in the wheel rust and the truck color especially after adding some weathering powders. Looking forward to the next one

Very well edited. Nice to have a video that moves right along.

I know shit about model trains but man, this looks awesome with the building next to it. What I would have done differently: keep one of the wagons "unweathered" and add a few dents left and right.

Excellent video. I will certainly want to try the pencil trick. Thank you!

Very nice! I like how you painted your wheels. 👍

Great job. Thanks for sharing.

My dude, I just found your channel and I'm loving it so far!

Very nice weathering!

Really good

Look great! Maybe you can "tag" a couple of the cars with some graffiti. Nice work!

Great job weathering. What product did you use for "dullcoat?"

11:38 is my favorite part of this video.

Great tutorial. I enjoyed your explanation of techniques and materials used. Could you tell me what kind of dullcote you used after each application of weathering, and whether you hand brushed or airbrushed the dullcote? Thanks

Newbie here. Do you let the oil later dry before applying the dull coat or can you apply dull coat when oil layer is wet? Thank you.

Awesome Man!!!! Curious as to what sun fading you'd use on a black hopper?

😲👍

Great tutorial, thanks. Especially the tip with the pencil on the trucks! Can I ask why you used Vallejo Hull Red for the interior and Tamiya Hull Red for the spatter? Do you notice any difference in them? I have the Vallejo Hull Red and some AK 3rd Gen Hull Red, and use them interchangeably depending on which is closer at hand.

I will be using your wheel mask method, the acrylic ones are trash.

Spring no rust

To further enhance the realism take the trip pin off too. JMHO 🤷‍♂

Truck gets dirty not rusty. . You do not want to run with rust on the trucks . So please get your facts right . I sent 40 years out there . Great job .

Looks great too bad they are HO 🤣