Weathering Maine Central and Conrail cabooses

Here is a project that has taken me several years. I started it before I even had an O scale layout but wanted to dip my foot into the O scale pool. The model was a MTH Maine Central #651 wide vision caboose that I had purchased at a train show. I had just finished weathering a D&H caboose and wanted to do this one, so I printed out some online reference pictures and got ready to begin. But, my wife went into labor so I set it on hold without having done a single thing. 

While Harrison was in the hospital I started a different project instead (which I will discuss in the future) and this got pushed aside until recently when I wanted something I could quickly complete. I dusted off the pictures, pulled out the model, and got to work.

I planned to completely disassemble it to remove the window glass, which for me is easier than masking it to protect it from the weathering effects. But, there were so many wires running between the trucks and the interior lights that I gave up and put it back together. So, the windows would get grungy. Based on the pictures I was using, that was prototypical.

The prototype pictures didn't show much rust or carbody damage in the early 1980s but it was filthy, and that is how I modeled it. I first gave everything a light spray of Tamiya flat finish to give the weathering some tooth, Then, I mixed a wash of raw umber oil paint and mineral spirits and went over everything with a soft 1" brush. I especially made sure to get inside the end porches. 

A few days later I went back with a smaller, stiffer brush and I focused on the ends where mud is thrown up from the wheels. I stippled on some paint and then smoothed it over with more mineral spirits. I also added more wash to the handrails, ladders, and other areas that needed it.

Next, I dabbled on some black paint anywhere that oil and grease might collect, like the grab irons and ladders. Grubby hands mean grubby cabooses. In general, I am careful to limit where I use black paint.

Focusing on the trucks, I first painted the faces of the wheels brown. Then they were drybrushed with various shades of brown and rusty orange. The couplers got the same treatment, using care not to gum them up. While those colors were out, I went over the smokejacks, brake wheels, and the underframe as well. Finally, the shiny silver axles were painted black to minimize their bulk. After that, I sealed everything with another spray of flat finish.

As I was putting that caboose away I remembered I had a similar, used Conrail MTH caboose that also needed some weathering. When I pulled it out, I was dismayed to find that the roof walks were broken. However, prototype pictures showed that by the late 1970s the real Conrail caboose had no roof walks either. Perhaps that was what the previous owner hand in mind?

I used files, chisel blades and nippers to remove any protruding spigots and then I filed in the holes left with some epoxy. A toothpick helped smooth it over and form to the contour of the roof (as best as could be done). Then, I repainted the roof black. It isn't perfect, but it is good enough.

For weathering, pictures from the 1980s showed the caboose also in good shape with little rust evidence. However, it too was filthy. So, I applied a wash of raw umber and let it dry overnight. The next day, I applied a wash of dark umber, which is a much darker color (as the name would apply). This really dirtied it up without making it look worn out. I finished it by drybrushing the smokejack to add rust highlights, as the heat from the smoke exhaust would burn off paint and then the steel would rust. 

I let both cars sit for a week to ensure all the paint had fully dried and then they were given a final coat of flat finish. I can't wait for a layout where I can actually run them!

Weathering O scale freight cars

When I modeled in HO I weathered almost all of my trains. When done carefully and consciously it makes them look more realistic, and I am not really concerned about their resale value. For my O scale (1:48) trains, I also have been weathering them. It is a bit unnerving to make them "uncollectible" but since I am generally paying only about $30-$50 a car I can live with the risk. 

However, I don't weather my tinplate trains or trains that are clearly "toy" proportioned because that would look out of place and ruin their cute, toyish appearance.

I frequently buy my O gauge cars used, so the first step is to look them over and repair broken or missing parts. Sometimes replacement parts are available, and sometimes I have to fabricate them myself. I then partially disassemble them and check for loose parts. Boxcar doors are secured shut (unless I am modeling an open-door car), detail parts like brake wheels that were left unpainted by the manufacturer are painted to match the body, and the car's weight is checked. Everything is given a wash in preparation for weathering.

The wheel faces are brush painted various shades of brown, and the backs and axles are painted flat black to hide their shine and reduce their bulk. Truck sideframe are painted flat black and then highlighted with drybrushed orange rust and brown dirt. The couplers are carefully drybrushed brown so as to not gum them up. The car underframes are sprayed flat black followed by various short bursts of brown and rusty orange. 

The car bodies are given a flat finish and then weathered with oil paint washes and drybrushing to match prototype pictures. Finally, everything is reassembled.

It all takes time, but I enjoy the process. And, after having put 3-5 extra hours into a railcar I can justify its price tag.

I don't have a lot of cars right now, but they are already taking up a lot of space. Each car is 8x the size of its HO equivalent, and that adds up. So, I am slowly adding to my collection one or two cars at a time. I started collecting several years before I started on my layout to spread out the cost. 

On a related note, the O Gauge Magazine's online forum sometimes features pictures by a guy named Steve who goes by the handle "SIRT." In his signature block is a link to his photo albums containing hundreds of pictures of weathered three rail, O gauge cars. They are inspirational for someone weathering in any scale, but more than that they show that you can make really credible looking models from three-rail trains.