Too New Look on all these GPs

[OkieRick]

I bought a Bachmann DCC GP40 loco last week.  It's a Blue / Yellow Santa Fe, nice looking GP.

But they all suffer from the same sickness...they don't look real.  Well they do, just not the wheels or trucks - looks more like a kid with new braces.


             


I have a few bottles of brush on powders for tinting, aging, rusting, etc., but not enough to put a few years looks on these.

I've used gun bluing on my NS track to help make it look real - works petty well.  But I'm afraid of bluing the loco.  I know I could buy new trucks but I read today's paper.  There is a recession going on.

Ideas?
Rick

[Tylerf]

I personally prefer to kill the shiny look with dullcote and powders. Wheels can be easily and cheaply detailed and painted to a less shiny shiny silver to a better grungy gray. And it all depends on how much weathering you want to do to it.

[Yampa Bob]

This picture from the Ron Lehmer collection might give you an idea, perhaps a gray primer.

http://www.calcoastrails.com/cgi/photo_show.php?id=213

More pictures.

http://www.calcoastrails.com/cgi/photo_index.php?group=ATSF+YLW

[pdlethbridge]

brushing a thinned wash of black over the trucks will bring out the details and darken them up. test the color on something before doing this. A touch of rust, dirt and grime here and there will add flavor.

[Yampa Bob]

Flavor? Do you eat the trucks?

[pdlethbridge]

And to think I was going to add a sprig of parsley?

[OkieRick]

Thanks!

I have photos to work from and plenty of wipes and powders and paints to cover the trucks.  If the wheels show I'll blue them.  Fortunately I bought a GP39A and dummy of ebay a couple months ago.  The motorized A unit gave out so I have plenty of aluminum looking trucks to test color.

I'm reserving the B unit dummy to use with the GP40 DCC.  Soundtraxx makes a TSU-1000 EMD 645 Sound & DCC decoder on a swap-out circuit board.  The B or dummy will have to hold the speakers.

Rick