# bright shiny rail



## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

after all these years I think I may have found a color I personally like to paint my mainline rail. 
Burl Rice got me thinking about it on one of his threads. 
I've tried using flat black, red primer, mix of others. 
BUT 
Camo flat brown did the trick. 
Its not black , but it has the used steel look. 
photos later 
I just have not liked the redish tin of "rust" colors 
Its raining now.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

I wondered why my ears were burning...


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## SteveF (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't like the monotone of just one color, so I borrowed a page from Krylon and do the following: 

First, I put on a basecoat of flat black, wait for it to dry thoroughly, then mist a fine spray of water on the rail, and follow it with the same cammo brown that Marty suggested. The cammo brown will not stick where the water is, so you get a random mix of the two colors. I like it, it looks more "rusty." 

Film at 11, as they say.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By NTCGRR on 04/10/2008 2:23 PM
after all these years I think I may have found a color I personally like to paint my mainline rail. 
Burl Rice got me thinking about it on one of his threads. 
I've tried using flat black, red primer, mix of others. 
BUT 
Camo flat brown did the trick. 
Its not black , but it has the used steel look. 
photos later 
I just have not liked the redish tin of "rust" colors 
Its raining now.




OK..., so let's see if I've got this straight... /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blush.gif 

With batteries you can be lazy and not clean the track..., but then you do have to paint it. Sounds like a fair trade-off to me. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Paint rails?/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blink.gif Ok I will hold the can and push the button. You move the rails back and forth. 

You guys keep him bussy, I'll call the "HOME"


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

good one Todd 
Its makes photos more "real"


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

why paint rails when you can use steel ones and replace them eventually as they wear down like the real ones?


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Marty, 

Do you have any photos? I might have to do that before I lay my track.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By SE18 on 04/11/2008 6:31 AM
why paint rails when you can use steel ones and replace them eventually as they wear down like the real ones?




Agh - don't try it! My understanding is that the rusting will continue until all you have is a little pile of dust, not a rail! 

Marty - I found some darker brown primer, probably a little lighter than your camo brown, but certainly better than the bright red primers. I used to spray the rails before putting them in the track bases - then oyu get the contrast between the ties and the steel rails.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Trains on 04/11/2008 7:10 AM 
Marty, 
Do you have any photos? I might have to do that before I lay my track. 



The rail in the foreground is painted with one coat of Krylon camo brown only, just as Marty describes. It's been there a few years, and so is a little dusty. 

The rail in the back received a base of camo brown plus a little red oxide primer.


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## llynrice (Jan 2, 2008)

Last year I replaced about 150 feet of brass code 332 track with a mixture of aluminum, nickel silver and stainless steel Sunset Valley code 250 track and weathered all of it with the camoflage brown. I really does look great and seems to have held up OK over the winter. 

Actually, brass track eventually oxidizes to quite a believable dark brown and I never have painted any of the brass. The aluminum, stainless steel and nickel silver code 250 track just does not offer that advantage and the camoflage paint is how I got around it. 

Llyn


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Where you guys finding the 1/29 th scale paint rollers to paint your track. Ozark Minatures?/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's a string from awhile back in which I (among others) described how I paint my track. 
http://archive.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29271 
You might find it interesting.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

Guys, I am not sure about this. One of the basic rules of life I have noticed is that once you paint something, sooner or later, you have to paint it again. I will take my stainless track, that all I have to do is run trains on it. No cleaning, no painting, no repainting, and no drips runs or errors. Done deal. 
Paul


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By bottino on 04/14/2008 7:53 AM
Guys, I am not sure about this. One of the basic rules of life I have noticed is that once you paint something, sooner or later, you have to paint it again. I will take my stainless track, that all I have to do is run trains on it. No cleaning, no painting, no repainting, and no drips runs or errors. Done deal. 
Paul





Some of you guys seem to have confused painting track with improving its efficiency. It's is not about operations, it about appearance. Some of use aren't happy with unrealistic shiny brass/ss/aluminum track -- that's why we paint.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By pdk on 04/14/2008 11:38 AM
Posted By bottino on 04/14/2008 7:53 AM 
Guys, I am not sure about this. One of the basic rules of life I have noticed is that once you paint something, sooner or later, you have to paint it again. I will take my stainless track, that all I have to do is run trains on it. No cleaning, no painting, no repainting, and no drips runs or errors. Done deal. 
Paul

Some of you guys seem to have confused painting track with improving its efficiency. It's is not about operations, it about appearance. Some of use aren't happy with unrealistic shiny brass/ss/aluminum track -- that's why we paint. 





Our brass hasn't shined in years (except the surface where it is cleaned). Hence, no need to paint even for aesthetics.


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

I use aluminum rail and have found that it takes and retains paint quite nicely. Rail that was painted using the techniques described in the link I provided above has held up almost without blemish through four winters. There are a couple of small spots where I scratched the rail myself but none due to age or weather. The plastic ties shed paint much more than the rail but I like the rather tattered look the they assume so no problem there for me. 

As to brass rail I have to agree with Todd at least for outdoors. A previous RR I had laid with LGB brass track discolored to a nice brown color after only a couple of years and really didn't need painting. 

I don't know about stainless except I would imagine that a good primer would be essential if the paint is to adhere. It's not called "stainless" for nothing. It might even need to be etched a bit on the rail sides.


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## DTI356 (Jan 3, 2008)

Marty, 

For my indoor layout I've been using Rust-O-leum Camoflage "Earth Brown". 
I really like the look and color. 
Here's a picture. 










Brian B. 
DT&I 1980ish


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

You're right, it DOES look good. Every time you paint it. 
I am not going there. 
Paul


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Brain, it does look great, so does your cars. 
I ONLY paint my rail at the start ,,,ONCE. Then later it does turn on its own. 
The only reason I'm painting the reworked section,,,,again,,, is that there is a mix of colors that I don't like.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

SS can look good also: 










Regards, Greg


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By DTI356 on 04/14/2008 6:47 PM
Marty, 
For my indoor layout I've been using Rust-O-leum Camoflage "Earth Brown". 
I really like the look and color. 


Brian B. 
DT&I 1980ish




I agree. That's good looking rail.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Hard to perfectly imitate real rust if it ain't real rust. This rail's been outside 3 years now


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## CJGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Brian, 
in your photo, is the canadian national boxcar stock from usa trains?


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## DTI356 (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks guys, 

Sean, 
Yes, it's a stock USA Trains car.....except the couplers. 

Brian B. 
DT&I 1980ish


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## cmjdisanto (Jan 6, 2008)

Either way, painted or bright shinny new, never really gave much thought about the look. But I will tell you that I was as surprised as all get out in what I found with the track we have down. I went out to tighten things up in the garden today, it rained for 3 days here, and I found the track was rusted. This is brass rail I'm talking about and the same rail I had in KC. Even the rail clamps were rusted. Never knew brass would rust. Petina yes but rust? The rail has never been coverered with any leaves or other organic matter either. Even the stuff on my trestle is rusted./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blink.gif 
So I guess I had a good thing handed to me without even trying. Marty, you could always send ALL your track here and I'll let it sit out for a season to get that look you're wanting./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## Guest (Apr 24, 2008)

well, patina and rust are the same thing. oxidation of metall. 
might it bee, that you run a lot of steel or iron weels? - if yes it could be, that your rails have a fine cover of (now rusty) irondust on them.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By cmjdisanto on 04/23/2008 6:50 PM 
I found the track was rusted. This is brass rail I'm talking about and the same rail I had in KC. Even the rail clamps were rusted. Never knew brass would rust. "




Got me stumped. How about a photo?


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