To Rogertra

[Billm10454]

I looked at the photos of your layout in photobucket. Nice layout. Could you tell me the colors of paint you used for the roads. Thanks

[rogertra]

I looked at the photos of your layout in photobucket. Nice layout. Could you tell me the colors of paint you used for the roads. Thanks

Thanks for the compliment.

Sorry, no can do as I mix paints to the shade that I need.

I did that for the roads, the sky and clouds, most everything.  Boxcar red freight cars are painted with various brands and slightly different shades of automotive primer, locos are sprayed with flat black from rattle cans, then sprayed with gloss coat, then Dullcoat and then weathered and given another light spray of Dullcoat.  Passenger diesels are simply CPR diesels re-lettered and other slight changes made.

I have very few "railroad" paints in my paint collection.  I find that the major magazine authors, those in MR included, seem to think that the only range of paints available are railroad colours, boy are they misguided.   

[Doneldon]

roger-

One of the advantages of model paint is that they have "scale" paint pigments so they cover with a much thinner coat of paint. Have you noticed if your details are obscured by your use of rattle can auto paints? I can't say as I have except in the case of wood where the regular paints seem to obscure the texture while model paints let it show through. Either effect might be desirablefor a given project so I keep both on hand. In a similar vein, Could you make your total paint coverage on steam engines a little thinner if you used gloss paint for the coat to which you will apply decals rather than flat paint followed by a separate gloss coat? I haven't tried this myself but I'm wondering if you have.

I think that many, if not most, of our modeling works just fine with regular paints. That's certainly true for scenery and general purpose paint needs. I reserve the pricey model paints for those times when I need the thinnest paint film possible or I need a specific color to match existing paint or prototype colors. Truth be told, I would prefer to use model paints exclusively but I can't ignore their cost and the convenience of auto and household spray cans.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    -- D

[rogertra]

Donaldon

To answer a few of your questions.

When I mention model railroad paints being the only ones used, I was referring to all the colours available in the ranges used by military modellers.  There are just as many as railroad colours yet model railroaders don't seem to use them "Because they're not railroad colours."  Doesn't make sense to me.

As for using matte rattle paint, I use that because it doesn't run as easily as the gloss paint.  I also apply it very lightly, usually over an already "undec" model which are, in the case of steam, are already black.  Ditto for diesels, I usually purchase diesels that are already primarily black, remove the lettering and give them a light dusting of matte black to blend all the paint together.  As I weather everything, the paint doesn't have to be an exact match, just close enough.

Wooden freight cars.  I don't think the matte primer rattle can paint makes any difference.   The wood detail on the freight cars is always too exagerated so it actually makes the detail more realistic.  You can easily tell a wooden freight car of mine from the usual viewing distance of around four feet.  Good enough.

As you mention, if I need to match a specific railroad colour, like CPR grey or Tuscan when repainting a diesel from which I've removed the CPR block lettering, then yes, I'll use a model railroad CPR paint.  However, if I'm repainting what will become Great Eastern Passenger cars, then I use a rattle can of GM Maroon, which is close enough.  And believe me, once the passenger cars have received a little weathering, close enough is really good enough.  I find it impossible to tell the difference between CPR passenger cars re-lettered for the Great Eastern and Great Eastern cars sprayed with GM maroon.

Also keep in mind that the railroad model magazines have advertisers and it's much better for the magazines to use Polly S or Floquil or Testor's paints on all their projects than it is to use the paints of some company that doesn't advertise in their pages.  I don't know if you remember the fuss created when Model Railroader magazine suggested the use of "stove black" to paint steam locomotives as it was cheaper and gave a nicer, slightly weathered looking black than model railroad paint?  Floquil, I think it was,  discontinued advertising in MR for a couple of years after that fiasco.

While we're on the topic of painting, I don't own an airbrush and see no need for one.  It bothers me when I see articles that say things like "I then airbrushed the wheels of the freight car with Floquil Rust."  What?  Use an airbrush to paint wheels?  Whatever happened to a paint brush?  By the time they've even loaded the paint brush, let alone cleaned it after, I've opened a bottle of paint, painted the wheels, resealed the bottle of paint, after cleaning the threads, cleaned my brush, installed the wheels and moved on to another project.  

Anyway, that's my approach and you can see, and judge, the results on my website and Photobucket page.

[Doneldon]

Roger-

Thank you for the added details. We're on pretty much the same wavelength.
Airbrushes. They have their place and I do use one but. You are absolutely right
about the foolishness of trying to airbrush everything. Your example of
airbrushing rust on wheels is one I've used myself
                                                                             -- D