Introduction to weathering

Hi all,

Firstly I'd like to show you some hoppers that I have weathered.

In many real life examples, wagons are rarely the same when it comes to rust and weathering. Some may stay relatively unscathed, whilst others seem to deteriorate considerably.

Obviously, those working close to the sea will always rust. Those working inland tend not to rust as much, however the hot unforgiving Australian sun fades the paint. Please note, what the wagons carry will always play a part in weathering your models!

An example would be the difference in weathering a cement hopper, as opposed to a wheat hopper. The cement hopper often has a crusty layer of dried cement, whilst the wheat hopper has a fine layer of dust.

Here are some examples:

Some more examples:

These photos were taken on Andrew Campbell and Ian Millard's Bowen Creek Proto87 layout. This was on display at the 2010 New England convention. Many thanks to Ian and Andrew, for the privilege of using their layout as a backdrop for my work. It brought great realism to the models.

The last photo is of a V/Line hopper. Note the different weathering of the wagon. These brown stains are common amongst the yellow VR and V/Line hoppers of the Victorian rail system.

In closing my first post on this blog I'd like to say thank you for viewing it, and hope you have been inspired to try some weathering. Next blog, I'll post up some some weathered vans.

Later - Deano