Painting Atlas Code 55 track and turnouts

[Puddington]

I am planning to use rail brown to weather my track and, having never used Atlas code 55 before I was wondering if there was anything I should know? What parts of the turnouts do people mask, and how do you mask them?

Any hints would help... thanks.

[bdennis]

Pud,
I used Vallejo Air - olive drab paint for my track as it looks dirty and well used.
As the Atlas Code 55 turnouts do not rely on the point rails to make contact with the stock rail, I simply moved the points to be 1/2 way between the 2 stock rails (as I have tortoise machines this was done manually with the actuator of the tortoise while the power was off - very gently and slowly) and sprayed right over the top of the lot.
Then once the paint was on and not dry, I used a cloth to wipe the paint from the top of the rails.

I also then cleaned the point rail / stock rail section with some fine sand paper folded in 1/2 so that when the paint dried that the point rail did not stick to the stock rail.

See here for some pictures.
http://dh2ndsub.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2014-11-06T23:08:00%2B11:00&max-results=7&start=14&by-date=false

Hope this helps..

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I hand paint everything. I generally use either a brown or nasty dark gray color. I usually use craft paints and just splat it on and spread it out.

[SP-Wolf]

I use the Floquil paint pens. They work very well. Very good control, quick and easy. I know, the Floquils are no longer available- I believe there are other manufacturers of these types of paint pens. Woodland Scenics perhaps.

Thanks,
Wolf

[MichaelWinicki]

I use the Floquil paint pens. They work very well. Very good control, quick and easy. I know, the Floquils are no longer available- I believe there are other manufacturers of these types of paint pens. Woodland Scenics perhaps.

Thanks,
Wolf

This.

Those pens, which are now under the Testor's name: http://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/createfx/enamel-paint/marker-sets/

Talk about painting track made easy... those pens were a joy to use.  Easy to control.  No having tape or mask anything.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Sounds like a good choice Pud. I used Micro Engineering Track Weathering Solution on all non pre weathered track and turnouts on my SFRSD. Just brush it on and let it do its stuff. No paint on the ties and looks very natural. Just another option to think about before you start.
Rod.

[mu26aeh]

I have a WS paint pen for touching up my track.  I used my airbrush to spray everything at once, using the pen to touch up spots I missed or where paint came off after gluing ballast then removing stray pieces that stuck to sides of rails.  Works great as it gives some difference in coloring.  Not sure of the other pens, but WS includes an extra tip for when you ruin the original one.  Also sells extras separately I believe.

[basementcalling]

I have a WS paint pen for touching up my track.  I used my airbrush to spray everything at once, using the pen to touch up spots I missed or where paint came off after gluing ballast then removing stray pieces that stuck to sides of rails.  Works great as it gives some difference in coloring.  Not sure of the other pens, but WS includes an extra tip for when you ruin the original one.  Also sells extras separately I believe.

How did you keep overspray from coloring ballast or items near the tracks when you airbrushed?

[mu26aeh]

How did you keep overspray from coloring ballast or items near the tracks when you airbrushed?

I sprayed my whole layout after track work was done.  I am ballasting after painting the track. 

[milw12]

So I always have trouble painting Atlas code 55. I've used craft paints, then Vallejo by hand, and moved to spray bombs. The same problem arises with the paint collecting in the web of the rail, leaving the side of the rail head and base shiny. The only way I've gotten coverage is by throwing tons of coats of paint on, like five or more. It's a real pain to say the least.

Is there a way around this? It seems like I'm  missing something. It really surprised me when a thin coat of spray did the same as hand brushed paint 

Thanks.

[nkalanaga]

Sounds like you might have oil on the rails.  Rail is nothing but oddly shaped wire, and wire is always lubricated when it's drawn.  The solution is to thoroughly clean the rail.  The problem is how to do it after laying the track...

Old-fashioned brush painted Floquil didn't seem to mind the oil, probably because the Dio-Sol thinner dissolved it.  That stuff would dissolve almost anything.  Most model paints today don't like oil and greases at all, so would tend to collect in the middle, which is the web, and avoid sharp edges, which on rail are the corners of the base and head.  Basically it's a surface tension problem, the same as water on a water-repellent surface.

[robert3985]

I paint my track after it's been thoroughly checked electrically, and it's cosmetically where I want it to be...and BEFORE ballasting.

I use Krylon ultra-flat camo colors, starting with black, which I spray from the sides and top...covering everything completely but with a thin coat or two.

I burnish the top of the rails with a flexible "Bright Boy" after the paint has dried, but not cured. The paint comes off the tops of the rails really easily at this point.

Then, with another Krylon ultra flat camo color (brown), I lightly spray the track directly from the top downward to get the ties, but only a smidgen of overspray on the sides of the rails...then burnish the railheads again before the paint cures.

I run trains on the tracks to see if there are any problems, and burnish the rails until the trains run flawlessly.  If you wait a day or two or more, burnished the tops of the rails become exponentially more difficult.  Don't let the paint cure before burnishing.

Then...I pick out half a dozen ties or more in each foot of track, and paint them either a different color of brown, lighter or darker to add variety.  New, Class ! mainline track that is highly trafficked looks more uniform than branchline or industrial trackage.

Then, I ballast...wait for the ballast to dry, then, with my airbrush, apply various weathering effects...particularly UP weed killer red...and some oily black down the center of the ties...weathering both track and ballast.

Since my turnout frogs,and points are powered, I don't have to rely on any parts of them picking up power from adjacent rails, so I don't mask anything...but all my turnouts are hand-laid.  Atlas turnouts should operate the same, and on customer modules I've built, I didn't mask anything either and they work just fine.

The trick to painting track with Krylon rattle cans, is to make sure you don't get too much paint on the track...several very light coats are the ticket!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[nkalanaga]

Unless it's a portable layout, the second trick to spray cans, of any brand, is VERY good ventilation.  Not only do they stink, but they're not good for your health, and if you use enough in one room, the vapors can be explosive.  Besides pilot lights and other obvious ignition sources, model railroads have a lot of potential electrical sparks.

If your layout uses foam boards, you might want to test the Krylon, as most of their paints are NOT styrene-safe.

[mu26aeh]

If your layout uses foam boards, you might want to test the Krylon, as most of their paints are NOT styrene-safe.

One way to get around that is to put a coat of latex paint over the foam board.  Get a base color of brown or green, helps when you do scenery as you don't have pink or blue showing through your static grass or turf where you missed a spot as well as protecting the foam from spray paint.  Get mis-matched paint from home improvement stores.

[nkalanaga]

Good idea.  I brush painted my track, and my foam has a quarter inch of sand over it, but spraying almost has to be done before scenery materials are applied.