Nov 16 2008
How To - Paint Your Rails
How To - Paint Your Rails
Why Paint Your Rails?
Painting model railroad rails can be tricky. Why bother? Well painted rails can raise the realism of your entire model railroad. Few things look more foolish than bright shiny rails running through a mountain or industrial scene.
You are modeling metal rails that are constantly exposed to outdoor weather, rust, and heavy use. They simply would NOT be shiny. Most rails start to rust or darken within hours after original manufacturing. Rail tops can be shiny due to use, but rail sides are almost never shiny in the real world.
The human eye is attracted to high contrast and straight lines. Your shiny rails stand out next to stony ballast or nearby grasses. You want to draw the viewer’s attention toward your trains and other scenes and away from the trackage.
Getting Started - Overall View
Most railroads have a place and a time. This effects the type of rails used and how the rails look. Heavily traveled “main” lines use heavyweight rail, that is usually well worn, and well maintained. Lightly traveled sidings, or branch lines may have lighter weight rail, that is poorly maintained.
Masking the Ties
You do want to paint the rails but you probably don’t want to paint the ties the same color. The easiest way to prevent this is to “mask off” the ties and leave the rail exposed. Use (blue) painter’s masking tape to cover the ties. Cover both sides of the ties, so the paint doesn’t spray in between. Your accuracy and effort here will save hours of cleaning and scraping later on. Leave the sides of the rails exposed. You may have to cut the masking tape with a sharp craft knife like an Xacto ™ #11 BEFORE putting it on the ties. It’s O.K. to do a few inches at a time. Take your time and get it right. If you are using track to power your train (and most people do) you might want to use removable auto pin-stripe masking tape for the top of the rails. (Do not use “pin stripe tape”, it sticks permanently.)
Selecting Paint Colors
Most track turns a rusty brown color. Some track is darker and some is lighter. Select colors that fit into your railroad scene.
Selecting Paints
There are many excellent paints available for hand brushing or air brushing. If you are not using either of those techniques you might want to to use automotive or military colors in spray cans.
Applying Paint
Test your can of spray paint on several layers of newspaper first. Get a feel for the pattern of paint created and the proper distance from the item being sprayed. Try for a several layers of light mist rather than a single thick coating.
Place plenty of old newspapers out to protect your work area. Do not work where there is a breeze or heater duct blowing. If you need fresh air in your painting area put the fan in an open window pointing out doors. Lay out all your track sections. Where thin plastic gloves and use tweezers or needle nose pliers to hold or move your track pieces during spraying.
Gently put a misty thin layer of paint on your rails from one side. Wait until the paint is dry to the touch. Put a gentle misty thin layer of paint on your rails from the other side. Let it dry thoroughly. Using another color, add some shadow, variations or character to your rail. Using even less paint than the first time gently mist some of the tracks sections with more paint. Allow them to dry thoroughly. Inspect each piece, and touch up with a very fine mist of paint if the rails need more coverage. Some modelers will use 4 or 5 super-thin coats of related, though different, colors. Allow paint to dry hard and cure thoroughly. Wait an extra day to be sure. The next step will involve some rough handling and the paint must be dry.
Remove Masking
While wearing gloves, remove the masking tapes. Set them aside where you won’t bump them. Amazingly some may still have wet paint. Carefully inspect the track and see if you have paint colors where you need them. If not, mask the piece again, and repeat the painting process as needed.
Cleaning the Track
Clean the track of the adhesive from the masking tape. Use a track cleaning block (high grit eraser). Clean the ties, by using a lint free cloth. Be careful not to remove paint from the sides of the rails. If some of the glue or tape is very stubborn, then hold a straight needle in the needle nose pliers and gently scrape off the glue or tape. Use a magnifier or magnifying goggles if it helps.
Success!
Your careful preparation, painting, and cleaning will be rewarded when you install your track. It will be a thing of beauty and a joy to run your trains on. It should fit perfectly within your railroad scene.
Have fun!
Trainguy
