Well, my articles are bucking the trend then.  The City of Miami - I modeled her inaugural run.  So everything was squeaky clean and new.  For Merit Badge Academy, we were building cars straight from the kit - so no weathering.  My tip this month was "fixing" a car, but the cr has not been weathered, unless you count the "repair" as weathering, but that was 1 car in 12 of my "fleet" of those cars.

I'm still trying to decide what weathering I like.  And I don't like it heavy on my cars - in fact, not much at all.  Now cars submitted for NRA judging have to be, or you won't get the points - but I build those special for that spot.

1.  Use a photo to go by. Also dont try to make the model look just like the photo. Weathering is constantly changing, it never stays the same.

2. Age is important. If im doing a car that is 6 years old, I try to find a photo of a car that has been in service for 6 years not 30.

I agree with Jim Six on this and want the cars to resemble cars in revenue service not cars ready to be scrapped. I have found a source for lots of freight cars in yards that shows them in service, it is http://steamerafreightcars.com/

There are also lots of individual photos as well. As of this time my fleet has not been weathered but it will be lightly weathered as I finish getting the details added and I become satisfied with the running characteristics as well as the level of detail. Weathering will be last. It is also important to consider the time period when weathering equipment, in the time period prior to the 60s labor was cheap and corporate pride was in vogue. Companies and employees kept up appearances as they all felt they had an image to uphold. Many folks had gone through the depression and still vividly remember needing to make things last. The planned obsolescence idea had not caught on in a big way yet.

One other thing to consider that is not prevalent today, jobs were often lifetime jobs. Jobs that people worked at for 40 or more years and they took pride in their work and in their company. Now both the employee and the company seem to be treated like a temporary thing that will not be here in a few years.

So for the time period I am looking at things were in better shape and much better cared for than the next decade following.

22

The main problem I see today is not bad weathering but way too many cars given the rust bucket treatment.  This makes for an interesting contest model but too many "rust buckets" can make the layout look funny.  

If you look at prototypical images or observe trains, most cars and locomotives have some wear, grime, and exposure to the elements but far from being rusted out.  Every now and then you will come upon a car that has seen better days.  

Three weathering rules I go by.

1.  Use images of prototypical cars and locomotives as a weathering guide.  

2.  Go lite on the weathering for the majority of your rolling stock and locomotives 

3. Have some rust buckets in your mix of rolling stock but keep the overall number low

Jim, thank you for your post and opening this topic...it is something that has been bugging me for some time now. If we value a model for its rustbucket weathering, perhaps we are missing the point. The weathering is icing on the cake, but not the main point. I am tired of seeing such poorly maintained contemporary equipment, and tired of the stereotype narrow gauge decrepit/derelict class of equipment that looks like it is ready to fall apart. Both genres are, in my mind, skewing what we see in the real world. Our layouts and overall impact are better served if we model the typical, rather than the extremes.

I also model an earlier era, and strive to create cars and locomotives that appear well used, but are also maintained. Back in earlier times, much pride and effort was reflected in the condition and appearance of equipment (locomotives in particular). I am afraid in the rush to the extreme weathering, many modelers will miss the fact that the current state is actually reflective of a decline in the industry.-and in the case of graffitti, the decline of society. It seems a bit ironic, this celebration of the demise of viable railroads that can field a train that isn't vandalized or under-maintained to the point it would be embarrassing to its owners.

I know rustbucket weathering is a very popular trend on MRH, but it's not my cup of tea...I salute the modeling skill and expertise by the artists who so effectively create the weathering in miniature, but find it rather sad that the prototypes being modeled have deteriorated to the extent they have. I am not criticizing any modelers, but sadly acknowledging how far railroading has slipped from its proud heritage.

Weathering is like people, some are new, some are in good condition, others have high mileage, and some are rust buckets. It's all good, we need them all.

Well it all depends on  what era you are modeling.

If i were to weather my cars  like they  were in the 60's  it would be wrong. As im modeling present day. So most of them will have  so  level of  weather, rust, (expect  aluminum body cars) and graffiti.

And of course  cars  in the steam era age, weren't so weathered, as people have pointed out. It just comes down to what era you model. 

Regards Phil

I weather models to my enjoyment which may be "over weathered" by realistic standards but quite frankly I don't care.  It's my railroad and I'll build what I want, run what I want, and weather how I see fit.

That said, I do not expect others to change how they do things because of my opinions but hope that they will do what they enjoy - including super realistic weathering or weathered to death.

I think there are some beautiful models and talented Artists out there with respect to weathering, regardless of the severity.

I wonder if some people initially trying out weathering are just a little overzealous with the paint / chalk etc when first getting started?   

It takes skill, time, patience and practice to model the prototype realistically.

 Some of the most convincing and realistic model rolling stock has "just that right" amount of subtle weathering.  

The other thing is to each there own.  

Personally, I don't care for out of the box shiny injected molded plastic anything, especially shiny ho scale people! lol  They're everywhere (and they don't even know it) 

As they say, there is a prototype for everything...

James

We discussed the model weathering of narrow gauge steamers and how some of those looked so bad as to be about to rupture the boiler. There is a lot of narrow gauge modeling, weathering, and running of steamers that look just as bad as the real ones abandoned at some of the old mines. Total rust buckets that wouldn't be safe to be fired up. Yet, they are plying the model rails. In my opinion some modeler's get the weathering right. Look at Verne Niner's weathering. Dusty and barely faded. Same for Dave Meeks. Just the right amount of weathering for a steamer in use in the desert, dusty! I like the colorful steamers found on Don Ball's Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad too. Those are beautiful!

I will follow suit. When I do the passenger steam engine it is going to shine. A little desert dust kicked up underneath will be enough. I want it to look like something the tourists want to ride. What is interesting is the prototype Morenci Southern had a steady revenue from tourists riding the line right from the opening. Tourist wanted to experience the "Corkscrew to America." The MS even bought special passenger cars trimmed in gold paint just for securing that revenue. Verne shared a photo with me of the #6 steamer, a Porter 0-6-0, obviously posed for the photo, that wasn't rusty. It was black and may have been washed before the photo. It looks well cared for.

Maybe the older equipment from the turn of the century was better cared for than today's equipment. It was probably better built too. A lot of things today are built by the lowest bidder. So, I'm sure the quality of materials and product pride isn't there today.

If you love the heavy weathering, ready for the scrap torch modeling, that is great! I won't begrudge you. I know a number of excellent modelers on MRH that do model from photographs of today's real rust bucket rolling stock. I'm sure it is a challenge for them to copy it. I can't put them down for their efforts. It just isn't for me.

For those of you modeling the "tagged" rolling stock I only have one thing to point out. You forgot to tag the railroad bridges and the big rocks in your cuts. If you are going to model tagging, then model it in all its forms.

Now back to our regularly scheduled feature.

Den