The Weathered Cars shown on this page are the Work of Mike Morrison, of Palmer Alaska. Mike has developed some “different techniques” which he shares with us in his explanations and I think that we will all agree that his work is superb. If you wish to contact Mike to discuss some of his modeling techniques you can e-mail him at leahcimnosirromster@gmail.com
ARR 11506 Mechanical Refer started as a standard Athearn car painted orange and lettered for the ARR. The wheels, brake wheel and chain, parts of the roof, and any thing else I felt might show and accumulate rust were painted rust. The trucks were painted flat black to get rid of the "plastic" look. The car was washed using black Crayola water colors you can buy at the dime store. Crayola paints are cheap and easy to manipulate or take off using a damp Q-tip once they are dried. When I got the coverage I wanted, I sprayed the car with Testors dullcote. Next I applied a light rust color using powdered light rust color chalk. I use AIM chalks because they are self adhering and if I don't like what I have, I can remove it with water. The chalk turned the original paint an orange-reddish color which matched photos I was working from. When I was satisfied, I sprayed the car with dullcote to secure the finish.
WM 60495 Covered Hoppers is an Athearn car lettered for WM. The couplers, wheels, brake lines and ladder rungs were painted rust, the trucks were painted flat black and dusted with a light rust using AIM chalk. I applied the "reflective" marks using Woodland Scenics yellow stripe dry transfers. I then sprayed the car with a dullcote and applied a light rust using AIM chalk. Working from top to bottom I "pulled" the extra downward. After working the chalk I sprayed the car again with dullcote. I then applied the graffiti decals using solve-a-set to set it in place. To finish the car I again applied dullcote to seal all the work in place.
BNSF 405947 Covered Hopper is an Athearn car lettered for BNSF. The couplers, wheels, brake lines and ladder rungs were painted rust, the trucks were painted flat black and dusted with a light rust using AIM chalk. I applied the "reflective" marks using Woodland Scenics yellow stripe dry transfers. I then sprayed the car with dullcote, then using AIM chalks I applied a light brown “pulling” it downward followed with dullcote, then a gray to get the effect of spillage and grime followed by dullcote. I then applied the graffiti decals using solve-a-set to set it in place. To finish the car I again applied dull coat to seal all the work in place.
ARR 14317 Bulkhead Flat was an Athearn car lettered for the SP which I patched out with flat black and replaced with ARR reporting marks. The couplers, wheels, break lines and ladder rungs were painted rust, the trucks were painted flat black and dusted with a light rust using AIM chalk. I applied the "reflective" marks using Woodland Scenics yellow stripe dry transfers. The deck of the car was painted different shades of grey, brown, and black to simulate old wood and wear and tear. The graffiti decals came next, followed with a spray of dullcote to secure the work. I then weathered the car with brown and black AIM chalks and more dull coat.
The truck is a Walthers model, which I repainted white to get rid of it looking plastic. I next made blocks out of balsa wood and glued them all down. The steel load and heavy duty forks were made from scrap plastic and parts from an old model. All parts where repainted and glued. The tie down are painted rubber bands to simulate straps. The problem with using rubber bands is that they will dry out over time and break which doesn’t bother me because they capture the look I’m looking for and when they break I’ll replace them. It has been suggested that I use dental floss and I will try that on my next load.
CRDX 5993 Box Car which I completely repainted. The car was a hand me down from my neighbor and I think it is an Athearn Genesis because of the level of detail some of which had sustained severe damaged. This car was kind of an experiment that turned out very well. The trucks were painted flat black. Using water thinned acrylic paint, the car sides were painted interior green. After the paint dried, I sprayed some “Goof-Off” in a small container and used a Q-tip to remove the green paint on the upper portion of the car. As Goof Off is a strong stuff I did one panel at a time. When completed, I washed the car in soap and water to neutralize any residual Goof-Off still on the car. What I was left with was an old rusty looking car that was losing its paint. If I were to do this again, I would start with a reddish-brown or oxide colored car to get a better effect. Graffiti decals and reporting marks came next followed with a coat of dullcote. The chalking effect on the Georgia Pacific was done with white AIM white chalk.
My Inspiration for this car came from seeing a patched out and repaired one that I saw in Vermont. The car was a faded oxide with blood red maroon primer applied to the newly welded seams, and patches, and heavily weathered.
I started with an Intermountain car right out of the box. First I applied a coat of dull coat, followed by painting the trucks flat black and the wheels a rust color. I used Tamiya Weathering Master Dry Brush Effects weathering chalk exclusively on this model. I love these chalks because they wash up and can be manipulated with water. They go on easy as pie and are super easy to manipulate once they are on the model. First I used gray chalk and covered the entire top, then "pulled" the gray down the sides. After another shot of dull coat came a sand colored chalk. I applied it the same way as the gray chalk. I found that when using these chalks on a dark surface, if you apply the lighter color first, then the darker, you achieve a real sense of depth to the accumulated grime and dirt and it really pops out. This technique can work both ways concerning light on dark, dark on light, so experimenting often produces good results. The UP covered hopper below is a prime example of this.
Next I painted the patches and new weld seams with British Red. After letting that dry I highlighted all the leading edges with the Tamiya white chalk to bring out any details in the surface features of the car. Once both sides where done, I “tagged” it with hand painted graffiti. The big MS, ML was done with acrylic paint. I drew out the design with a mechanical pencil, then painted it in. When painting graffiti, I use acrylic paints diluted with water just enough so the paint puddles but not as thin as a wash. Just thin enough so the paint loosens up and so I can manipulate it within the lines then let it dry. The paint dries perfectly flat to the surface and does not leave bush strokes. With lighter colors such as white it may take more coats, but not seeing brush strokes is worth the effort. Woodland Scenics dry transfer yellow lines were used to simulate reflective safety stripes. I applied one last coat of dull coat to seal everything.
UP 77579 Covered Hopper
This is an Intermountain car that came right out of the box. I started off with a coat of dull coat followed by painting the trucks flat black and wheels a rust color. I used Tamiya Weathering Master Dry Brush Effects weathering chalk exclusively on this model. First, I used the gray chalk and covered the entire top then "pulled" the gray down the sides. After another coat of dull coat I applied the dark rust colored chalk then "pulled" it down the sides followed by dull coat and white colored chalk to simulate some spillage. The home made graffiti was done the same way as on the ATSF covered hopper above. I drew out the "wish" and the skulls and used acrylic paints to fill in between the lines. The opposite side has the "Motor League hates you". I don't know where the idea came from for this one but I liked the way it came out. Woodland Snicks dry transfer yellow lines were used to simulate reflective safety stripes. One last coat of dull coat finished it off.
