Weathering A CNW Alco

CNW RS-3 no. 1616 warms up on a cold morning in Tracy, MN in preparation for its run to Sleepy Eye. Follow along as I walk you through how the unit was weathered.

The starting point for any weathering project is to have a plan going in and being acutely aware of the landmines along the way. The largest landmine? Taking the weathering too far, not knowing when to stop.

For this unit, the two key steps were accenting the panel lines and subtly fading the side panels.

Step 1: Before applying any dulling agent or washes, the first step is to accent all of the panel lines and vents with Tamiya panel line paint. It needs a glossy surface to wick into the crevices which is why this needs to be the first step.

Step 2: The fade. This is applied using a super dilute gray wash applied with an airbrush. I prefer Tamiya paints. Pour some Tamiya thinner in a paint bottle. Next, pick a slate gray of your choice (I used XF-19 "Sky Grey"). Dip a paintbrush handle into the gray and then swirl it into the thinner. Repeat until you see a hint of color in the thinner. The key is to make sure you make the wash super thin. Test it on a scrap. If your wash isn't too dark, apply it over the model. If it is too dark, add more thinner to the mix. When you have the right wash mix, apply it across the surface with an airbrush.

Now for the roof. This is done with Bragdon weathering chalks, specifically FF-69 "Weathered Brown". Take a soft, flat-tipped brush, pick up some powder with the bristles, and work it downward across the roof (i.e. not left to right, not the long direction).

Finally, the large vents need contrast and color. Create a 50/50 mix of Bragdon Weathered Brown and "FF-64 Soot Black". Take a small, ratty brush, and work it into the grill until the color builds up.

For the trucks:

-Airbrush on a base coat of Tamiya XF-63 German Grey. Many of us in this group use a Paasche Model H (not that expensive) airbrush.

-Take a ratty brush and really grind in Bragdon weathering powder FF-69 "Weathered Brown".

-Next, Apply Bragdon FF-64 "Soot Black" but don't apply as much. This gives you contrast.

-Finally, apply Bragdon FF-66 "Dust Bowl Brown" to the journals.

That's it. I didn't even seal it with Dullcote.

The couplers are Kadee #158's with the (unsightly) magnetic trip pin cut off.