8.1. Getting the Right of Way Right

Modeling the early 1930s, at least in a believable way, is new to me, so I did a fair bit of research to help me figure out what I should be doing. When it came to trackwork, I was met with some surprises. Had I gone about the trackwork in the usual way, it would have looked as if I was modeling a Class I railroad. By contrast, reference images of smaller-railroad track in the 1930s looked primitive and even sloppy.

For one thing, the ballast looked more like dirt, applied unevenly and inconsistently. For another, ties for the most part were pale in color, suggesting they were old, and tie spacing was all over the map. Also note the distinct lack of roadbed profile—everything is nearly dead flat.

To model the track, I start by painting it. Ordinarily I'd hit it with rattle-can spray paint, but my random modeling tendencies preclude that, and I'd sold my airbrush; thus the track had to be painted by brush. After considerable trial and error, I learned to use three coats of pant: first, Floquil; next, flat latex craft paint; finally, Floquil again. I tried all manner of variations, and this emerged as the only viable formula to get the track painted thoroughly and consistently (below left). I'll use any old generic dark browns.

Next, I apply grey washes (thinned latex paint) with a fan brush, liberally and unevenly (above right). I go extra-hard on the washes because ballasting tends to diminish them. Using an India ink wash, I stain random ties to create the effect of individuality (below left).

I paint the rails with a couple of custom-mixed rust colors (above right); my shaky hands aren't a big problem with this, since the tie plates need rusting up, too.

Ballasting is a tedious, gentle art. A soft brush is essential, but it can leave ridges and other marks (above left); I've found I can simply pat these down with my finger (above right). As a consequence of my research, I'm using a custom blend of ballast I'd made up many years ago, so I've long since forgotten what's in it. However, it's quite fine, albeit inconsistent in fineness, and is ideal for reproducing the effects seen in the reference images.

I bond the ballast in the usual manner, starting with rubbing alcohol. I apply it along the rails (above left); this creates the fewest disturbances in the ballast surface, and has the added benefit of washing stray grains off the rails. I'll keep dribbling on the alcohol until capillary action has drawn it into all of the ballast. I use white glue thinned a little more than normal—2:1 water to glue instead of the usual 50-50. And I apply it in the same manner as the alcohol (above right). Sometimes I wind up with puddles of excess glue, especially around turnouts, so I'll draw it off with the edge of a paper towel (below left). A small fan blowing gently across the wet ballast greatly accelerates drying (below right).

While the glue is still wet, I'll tease any excess ballast out of flangeways with a small brush (below left).

Once the ballast has set, I'll clean the rails by first scraping an X-Acto blade across the rail heads (above right), then scrubbing it with a rust eraser (a.k.a. a Brite Boy, below left).

The track is then ready for weathering. I apply tiny amounts of grey and rust-colored dry pigments with a soft brush (above right and below left). Restraint is required—a little goes a long way. The final step is to paint guard rails with a dark rust color (below right). Yes, you need to do this every time you clean the track!

The finished effect:

Since there are no close-up color reference images from the 1920s and 30s, it's all down to what's personally pleasing.

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