I've been looking at old pictures of boxcars. Color pictures only. Certain weathering aspects were apparent especially in one picture showing a string of 40 foot cars on a siding. The weathering was different on every car but some things were the same. The sun had beached out the color of the cars and a dull, flat oxide color was left. So I thought that I should do this to every boxcar I have by a spray of dullcote and some bragdon powders. It came out looking very real. I was happy. But because I model the New Haven I stopped at my McGinnis boxcars. I looked in my NH book and found a picture from 1958 of a McGinnis paint job. It was the red-orange new image color and the same as my boxcar. It was bright and shinny with no weathering at all. So I decided to leave my car the same. So I was thinking that there are a lot of clued as to how a car should be weathered. Since I was modeling the New Haven in 1962 then I must weather my cars based on that point in time. What I mean is if the car was built in 1955 then the degree of weathering should be less then if the car was built in 1947. Also I must consider if the car looks like the original paint job or has it been repainted. One thing I like about my era is no tagging. I hate that look. So am I making any sense here?
Candy.........
Yes you are making sense.
There are all manner of things that happen to cars that make them look different nearly a single day after painting and put into service.
Put them near a concrete plant or a flour mill and they are instantly different.
What ever looks good to you is acceptable.
see ya
Bob
" Put them near a concrete plant or a flour mill and they are instantly different. "
I once tried to bake a cake and I looked instantly different ;)
Candy...
funny stuff
see ya
Bob
At least you have some color photos to guide you. I haven't found many (any?) color pics of 36' wooden boxcars from my era of early 20th century.
How about a pic of your weathering efforts?
Quote from: Mike Engler on July 09, 2014, 06:42:20 PM
At least you have some color photos to guide you. I haven't found many (any?) color pics of 36' wooden boxcars from my era of early 20th century.
How about a pic of your weathering efforts?
Picture for you
Boy, that gal knows how to research and find the good pictures!
I just hope that she don't go diggin' in the Ledbetter's background! :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Thanks. Just what I needed- it falls into the category of heavily weathered. I'm curious about the steel ends- is that some type of conversion or upgrade that was done on the old wooden cars, or were they made that way? Someone will know, and also approximately what year it was done.
Mike....
The car shown is most likely not a conversion. Steel sub frames and various parts came into popularity in the 1890's with some experimentation as early as the 1860's. Wood sides and interiors remained into the 1940's and wood interiors showed up for at least another 30 years on various equipment. Ease of shoring off loads was made easy with wooden interiors.
Two arguments worked for the continuation of wood sides and that is low cost for wood and the insulation capabilities of the wood.
Metal ends became popular for issues of overall structural strength of the car and resistance to end damage.
Sub frame materials were almost completely metal by 1900 and in 1902 45% of new car orders for freight cars was all metal. The national metal car fleet had grown to about 150,000 cars in that same year.
Some of these cars rolled around through WWII but the over work and deferred maintenance of the war caused most of the exterior wood sheathed cars to disappear within a few years of the end of the war.
Some wooden cars lagged around in non interchange service for some time later and MOW cars ignored all of the rules.
see ya
Bob
Quote from: gnatshop on July 09, 2014, 09:14:05 PM
Boy, that gal knows how to research and find the good pictures!
:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Yeah, but Bob knows all that stuff- he didn't even have to research it!
I have just begun to weather rail cars. I'm trying to ease into it. Here is my first two.
I have an, Athearn, 40 foot boxcar that says it was new 7-55. Then on the other end it says it was rebuilt 8-55. How is that possible?
BTW they also left the B out of rebuilt. ( reuilt )
Candy...
There could be any number of stenciling errors that could have happened. I'll bet that if more Athearn cars were carefully inspected we could find all manner of weirdness.
Athearn had it's ups and downs over the years. Overall their product quality was pretty good but stuff happens.
Actually this is sort of fun collectable stuff,
see ya
Bob
Quote from: Mike Engler on July 10, 2014, 12:28:07 PM
Quote from: gnatshop on July 09, 2014, 09:14:05 PM
Boy, that gal knows how to research and find the good pictures! :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
Yeah, but Bob knows all that stuff- he didn't even have to research it!
I'm shuttin' my mouth - I ain't touchin' that comparison!
Besides, I ain't got no dog in this hunt!
Just makin' a general comment and tryin' to be nice (yeah, I know you can't believe that!! :o :o :o )
Candy, those boxcars look great. I hope to have nothing but weathered cars operating on my layout if I ever get to that point. Everytime I get close to doing some fine tuning, I rip the whole thing up!
Nice work! :)
John
Nice weathering Candy. I have started doing some of mine using those powder things( can't remember name and too lazy to go to the train room). Did it when we were done in FL last Feb. Sat out on the patio and watched the pelicans and weathered cars and locos. Jim
Nice start on the weathering Candy. One thing to add is the splash-up onto the lower boards, 1/4 - 1/3 of the car bottom. Just like the house foundation, the lower part of freight cars also gets a lot more grungier (is that a word?). And if you're in a dusty location, it might show more lighter colors at the bottom.
8)
Quote from: oldbloodhound on July 11, 2014, 06:55:02 PM
Nice start on the weathering Candy. One thing to add is the splash-up onto the lower boards, 1/4 - 1/3 of the car bottom. Just like the house foundation, the lower part of freight cars also gets a lot more grungier (is that a word?). And if you're in a dusty location, it might show more lighter colors at the bottom.
8)
A bit of rust will be next. And a dirty bottom. ::)
Quote from: Candy on July 11, 2014, 07:15:34 PM
Quote from: oldbloodhound on July 11, 2014, 06:55:02 PM
Nice start on the weathering Candy. One thing to add is the splash-up onto the lower boards, 1/4 - 1/3 of the car bottom. Just like the house foundation, the lower part of freight cars also gets a lot more grungier (is that a word?). And if you're in a dusty location, it might show more lighter colors at the bottom.
8)
A bit of rust will be next. And a dirty bottom. ::)
'Gnat?
Have a look at these boxcars. They are beautifully weathered. I see that black is an important weathering color. But as weathered as these cars are there is no rust that I can see. I think this is important to a realistic look. I'm using these cars as a guide in weathering my boxcars
Quote from: BandOGuy on July 11, 2014, 07:46:14 PM
Quote from: Candy on July 11, 2014, 07:15:34 PM
A bit of rust will be next. And a dirty bottom. ::)
'Gnat?
I'll admit to the dirty bottom, but I'll leave leave the rest of the weathering to our lady guru!
She knows how to do the research!
Great photo of some CB&Q boxcars, Candy. Also note that the original color of the four closest ones, was bright red like this locomotive. How they have weathered!
Jeff
Jeff....
I think Burlington originally called that Chinese Red.
They printed pocket calendars and a few company passenger passes had them printed as backgrounds.
see ya
Bob
I thought the Burlington was green
Burlington Northern (1970 merger of CB&Q,NP,GN, and SP&S) was green and black with white lettering, Candy. Bob is correct (as usual), Chinese red and grey were the colors for the locomotives, with white lettering after 1958 (?). Before that the F units were white with red trim, and the Geeps/switchers black.
Jeff
What do you think of this?
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on July 19, 2014, 12:16:32 PM
Burlington Northern (1970 merger of CB&Q,NP,GN, and SP&S) was green and black with white lettering, Candy. Bob is correct (as usual), Chinese red and grey were the colors for the locomotives, with white lettering after 1958 (?). Before that the F units were white with red trim, and the Geeps/switchers black.
Jeff
Yes that middle one was the color I was thinking of
Candy....
It took me a while of scrounging around for this one........... I had packed away much of the Burlington stuff my dad saved for me while was on my all expense paid trip to Viet Nam.
The green that you are referring to was a freight hauling color that was in the 70's after the merge. The BN logo and name was chosen in mid 1969 but not put into locomotive use for a year or two after the merge.
The Chinese red was chosen in the later 50's and was in service until the merger. The red locos were used mostly for freight but as the stainless F and E units aged they used them occasionally for passenger service. Recall that passenger service ended for all lines in 1971 or 2 with the turnover to Amtrak.
Below are pictures of two red locos shown on pocket calendars of the early 60's I have duplicates of some of these so if someone wanted one I can send it to you. I saved these from years 1959 to about 1965. They are all different but show what the Burlington was up to at the time.
see ya
Bob
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/81-210714150638.jpeg)