WeatheringFleischmann Profi Track
Hi all Forum members, As you might know by now I am involved in a group that has just recently started with the building of a large DBAG HO-scale layout. It was decided that Fleischmann Profi Track will be used throughout the layout for several reasons. It was also decided that the track should be weathered (the sides of the rails should be painted a rusty grimy colour). Unfortunately Profi Track can not be weathered using the conventional air brushing method as the ballast will then also be painted. Has anyone out there got experience with Fleischmann Profi Track and especially the weathering of the track. I had a look at several options and it seems that the best option will be to paint the track by hand, the only problem being that about 250 metres of track will have to be painted. Most of the track will be the conccrete sleeper type. Please let me have your ideas. Kind regards. Johan

Hello Johan- I am a fan of Profi Track as well, though I haven't ever weathered any. You might consider something called a "paint marker". I have no experience with them, but here is an example: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=94 I don't know if the brown is too dark, but you could just place the marker tip in the groove on the side of the rail head and paint the sides. This might be possible with what in the US is called a "permanent marker" as well. I hope this helps, and look forward to seeing layout photos. Richard.

WeatheringFleischmann Profi Track
Johan, First-congratulations on choosing the best track in the industry. Period. I myself have used Faller rust (#6600). It is in a triangular shaped bottle and the brush size that you will need will fit from the top part of the rail to the bottom-and then paint away! You will have to shake the bottle first and intermittently also. After the paint dries, take a super fine piece of sandpaper and go over the top of the rails to clean and give it a shine. That will also give better contact to the engines. It did a wonderful job on my rails! I think you will like it. Pierre Klee

Pierre, I would be cautious of using any sort of sand paper to clean rail tops. It scratches the surface and attracts dirt. I generally just wipe the top of the rail as I go then use IPO to clean the track top once the paint has dried. John

WeatheringFleischmann Profi Track
John, I had not realized that. Thank you for the pointer. I will now clean it differrently. Pierre Klee

Actually, at my club, when we solder rail joints or feeders where solder gets near the top of the rail we first file the rail clean and then use a couple of very fine grades of sandpaper (1000 grit and higher) made for metal to polish the rail back up to a shine. Anything which makes the railhead shinier is making it smoother, and less likely to collect dirt. Mind you, after you run a file across the railhead, just about anything you use to polish the rail would be an improvement. However, I agree with John in that if you use too coarse a sandpaper, you will score the railhead and contact will suffer. You may want to consider that the same could be said for some of the track cleaning abrasives on the market as well. Jurgen

Hi Jurgen, For me that is part of the appeal of IPO. It is non abrasive to the track. John

I found it was easier to wipe the paint off when still wet, then clean up the rail heads later with a track rubber. If you leave the paint to dry it's far harder to get off.

I weathered my profi track by painting the rails by hand. It was a tedious job, and I definitely recommend using any tool that will simplify the process! I protected the rail head with a very thin coating of Vaseline. Note very thin, or it will foul the paint. This then is easily removed with a bit of Methylated Spirits on a rag, even after the paint is dry. Cheers, JC

Thank you to everybody who responded to my question. I am trying out different methods of weathering the track to see which one will be the most effective and the least time consuming. I will post my results shortly with some pics if I can manage to upload it. Kind regards :D Johan

Hi Johan, Even the least time consuming will still take a lot of time. Personally I would look at using a dark grey for the mainline tracks. John

Hi everyone, Although time consuming, hand painting it will be. I got a paint brush from my local art shop that exactly fits the side of the rail and holds more paint at a time than ordinary hobby paint brushes. I use Tamiya Nato Brown Acrylic paint thinned about 30% with Tamiya Acrylic Thinners and apply the first coat onto the sides of the rails. When dry I apply the second coat and it eventually dries to a dark rusty brown colour closely resembling the real thing. If there are spills onto the ballast not to worry because the next step is to weather the ballast and the spills will blend in with the ballast weathering. I weather the ballast of the track to be used in the marshalling yards and on the secondary lines to give it a darker and used but less frequently maintained appearance. The weathering also makes the rocks stand out more when dry. I take one part Tamiya German Grey Acrilic and 5 parts Tamiya Acrylic Thinners to make up the wash. I then take a broad paint brush and apply a generous amount of the wash onto the ballast at the same time also applying the wash onto the rail sides, discolouring it. When all has dried properly I use a track rubber to clean the top of the rails. Although time consuming the end result is quite pleasing and worth the effort. Hand painting also has the added advantage that the colouring of the rails is not even throughout as one would get when airbrushing rails. Involving all the club members in the excercise ensures that enough weathered track is available for installation at the next club meeting. For the main lines track with concrete sleepers will be used. Some initial tests show that only the rails of the track with concrete sleepers will be weathered. There is a risk that when weathering the ballast of the track with concrete sleepers the wash may discolour the concrete sleepers to much. We may decide to use a light grey/concrete wash if really necessary. Anyway, in practice the main line tracks are better maintained than marshalling yards and secondary lines and therefore the ballast on the main lines have a lighter colour than the ballast on secondary and other tracks. Some weathered track have recently been installed and we are actually quite pleased with it. :D It was not a matter of whether to weather track or not, rather a question of how we would go about weathering the track. :? :? Kind regards. :D Johan