WEATHERING BOXCARS

Over the past couple of months, I have attacked a long-deferred modeling task: weathering the boxcar fleet.  In the rush to get the railroad equipped with freight cars for initial operations, I used a mix of era-appropriate cars with concentration on the home road—the SP.  I had over a hundred appropriate cars that moved back to Oregon with me that had been weathered for routine service with the club I belonged to in California.  Adding to that foundation was an amazing array of new models appropriate for my new model railroad that were produced during the time I designed and built my railroad.  This was a factor in my selection of 1984 as the equipment focus for initial operations.  Unfortunately, that meant most of these cars needed to be placed in service directly from their shipping boxes, with only a quick change of couplers if needed and a check of running gear.

 

As my railroad and its operations matured, I knew I needed to address rolling stock weathering.  That time arrived this Spring.  Each month, I have pulled clean cars off the layout from easily reached places, usually from the Eugene classification yard or from the Springfield area.  Flat finish was followed by a quick overspray of grime or dirt.  During April, I addressed three trains left on the layout after the last operating session, catching fifteen or more cars per train in the process.

 

Experienced modelers will recognize this likely produces too much of a uniform look to the weathering, but at least the cars now sport appropriate levels of grime.  I used Bragdon powders on some of the cars.  I attempted using PanPastels on others.  I had more success with the Bragdon powders, but either is more laborious than I was willing to do for the full fleet at this time.  Note that “full fleet” approaches six hundred cars on the railroad.

 

Former Railbox car returned to financial backer Southern Railway.  This car has one of my lighter weathering jobs using Bragdon powders and a little bit of overspray.

 

An SP and an SSW plug door box cars (RBLs) using my more typical overspray weathering.

 

Another pair of boxcars weathered using Bragdon powders between the external posts and then overspray.  Their bright colors when clean “demanded” a weathering treatment.

 

I now have addressed a quarter to a third of the boxcars and a few refrigerator cars that are in service.  I may take a break to see how these mix with the rest of the fleet.  I definitely went overboard on a couple of the mechanical reefers, but they used to be seen in blocks of such cars in trains labeled “Smokeys” for good reason.  Time to sit back, observe and assess.

PAINTING MONTIETH ROCK

Once I completed the rock surface encasing Montieth Rock, I still needed to provide color.  Two previous posts describe my rock surface molding for the Rock.  

https://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2025/01/sculpting-montieth-rock.html

https://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2025/02/sculpting-montieth-rocksecond-section.html

Paperclay provided a smooth surface, unlike plaster rock castings, but that provided the surface needed to model the volcanic plug that is Montieth Rock.  

 

The paperclay needed to be sealed, which I did with a coat of polyurethane.  In contrast to my Sculptamold work that had paint included in the mix, the paperclay was an off-white.  I began coloring with a coat of gray paint.  I briefly experimented with a black wash over this uniform gray, but that quickly ran off the smooth surface.  I next turned to a base paint coat using a mix of raw umber and Payne’s Gray artist’s acrylics.  This provided a deep dark grayish brown which needed lighter paint streaks as highlights.

 

Montieth Rock paint.  A mix of raw umber and Payne’s gray has been applied over a base coat of medium gray.

 

I added streaks of lighter mixes that began with the raw umber and gray base.  I added more gray. The next mix added a bit of burnt sienna.  Another mix added ochre to the mix.  All of these additions were seen in color photos I have of Montieth Rock.  I just needed to lighten the original dark mix of raw umber and Payne’s Gray.  

 

Others have written about coloring rocks where they begin with raw plaster and then add washes that stain the plaster rock casting.  That was not an option here, as the paperclay dried/set to a hard ceramic-like surface that then needed to be sealed.  Instead, I chose to start with the darkest coloring and then gradually lighten it with streaks using ever-lighter colors.  

 

Montieth Rock with streaks of lighter and redder overcoats.

 

Completed Montieth Rock coloring with more gray added and a hint of ochre (yellow).

 

While I was working with the color of Montieth Rock, I refreshed the ground cover of the eroded area next to the rock.  This can be seen in the “completed” photo above.  I also applied the rock coloring to the adjacent Tunnel 21 rock faces.

 

Montieth Rock and the adjacent Tunnel 21 rock face.

 

 

MARCH 2025 OPERATING SESSION

Kicking off what was a very busy railroad month of March was my regular monthly operating session on the first of the month.  The session had a modest crew size as a number of regulars had other duties as they prepared for the rest of the busy month.  This cleared the way for several in the crew to experience new operating positions.  This was the 81^stoperating session on my full railroad.

 

Occupying the Dispatcher’s chair was Dave H., one of the regular Dispatchers for the railroad.

 

Serving as the switch crew for the Eugene Arrival-Departure Yard was Pat LT, shown here setting switches in the complex trackage between the Arrival-Departure Yard and the Depot and Classification Yard.  Arrival Departure Yardmaster Craig L. has his back to the camera in the distance.

 

The Eugene Classification Yard crew works their yard with West Switcher Gary N. in the rear, Yardmaster Rick A. in front of him, and East Switcher Loren M. in the foreground.

 

Mike L. works the Marcola Turn, one of three Springfield area locals.

 

A different Mike L. works the mill at Westfir with the Oakridge Turn.  The Oakridge Turn plugs the mainline as it works Westfir on its return to Eugene from Oakridge.

 

Jim M. receives track authority from the Dispatcher as he waits at Crescent Lake.  Crescent Lake is the RR-West end of the railroad.

 

Steve K. guides his train through the Eugene depot area on his way westbound toward Crescent Lake and California destinations.

 

Mike W. watches his train leave Cascade Summit on its way to Crescent Lake and RR-West (upper) staging.  Trevor P. is below Mike at Oakridge, watching his train leave Oakridge and begin the climb toward the summit.

 

Keith K. (left) and Jim L. guide their train past Montieth Rock as it climbs out of Oakridge.  Keith is the road engineer and Jim is the helper engineer.  I have been working on Montieth Rock and the scenery is this area which will be reported upon in another blogpost.

 

Trevor P. has made it to McCredie Springs on his climb up “the Hill.”

 

Rodger C. watches his mid-train helper locomotives as they cross Shady Creek Trestle on their way up toward the summit.

 

This March session was a “good” session with minimal problems.  That often happens with a smaller crew count.  Still, there are good reasons to let the crew count float upward to allow more folk to operate and train individuals in new roles, often by doubling up on a crew. 

 

Winterail—the priemier photo with music and narration event is March 15 at Corvallis High!

SCULPTING MONTIETH ROCK—SECOND SECTION

Following up on my previous post on sculpting Montieth Rock (aka, “Rooster Rock”), I got fresh information thanks to that first blog post.  Clive Wright, a long-time railroad friend from Northern California, did a quick search for pictures of Montieth Rock and came up with ebay listings for a postcard that shows the geographic western face of the rock.  I followed the link and ordered one.  The postcard turned out to be published by the Southern Pacific.  This likely dated to a time shortly after the completion of the Natron Cutoff (Cascade Line) in the late 1920s.  This was a time when the SP was promoting the scenic wonders along its lines.  

 

The post card appears to be a colorized version of a black and white photo with the tell-tales of that process (colors a bit too “perfect”).  The photo appears to have been taken fairly soon after the line was placed in service as the forest has not regrown around the railroad clearing and grading work.  Later photos from the steam era (could be post World War II) show more vegetation in the area.  The photo is good enough to provide me with the missing view and led to slight revisions of my notional rock work with paperclay on that geo-west face.  Most notable is a bulge in the mid-section, suggestive of a rooster wing.  Using the photo as a guide, I applied more paperclay.

 

Geographic west face of my model of Montieth Rock with additional clay molding based on the postcard view shown in the foreground.

 

Also in response to my original blogpost concerning sculpting the rock face was a separate request for additional, tighter in, photos of my rock-work.  I am an absolute amateur sculptor, but the paperclay proved a good art medium for me to achieve the desired appearance.  Montieth Rock is a volcanic plug that has shed any surrounding material and weathered—rounded or smoothed further.  One happy accident was the way the paperclay cracked as it dried and set. Many of those cracks usefully represented similar cracks I observe in photos.  I filled most of the horizontal cracks, but left the vertical cracks which are seen in photos of the rock.

 

Close photo of the revised geo-west face of Montieth Rock.  The bulges in the center of the photo were added to existing vertical ridges to expand the rock on this face.  The happy accident of cracks in the clay molding are evident.

 

Close photo of the geo-SE face of Montieth Rock.  All of the rock features protruding from the base rock are seen in photos of the rock.

 

I added a protective covering of polyethethelyne to serve as a water barrier per the paperclay instructions.  I experimented with a back wash on the rock-work, but that flowed very freely down the glossy vertical surfaces, not achieving a useful look, but useful as an experiment.  Instead, I reverted to my “Plan-A” by applying a coat of gray paint to rock work that I can then add artist colors to. 

SCULPTING MONTIETH ROCK

Montieth Rock is a volcanic plug rock formation in the canyon leading up from Oakridge to McCredie Springs.  Also known as “Rooster Rock,” this prominent rock formation has caught the eye of photographers of the Cascade Line from its initial construction.  The rock formation is just before Tunnel 21.  As I was building and developing my railroad model, I realized I had space to include this eye-catching rock just before the entrance to Tunnel 21, which helps conceal a tight turn around a wall corner.

 

I began the model process when I formed the base terrain of the railroad using building insulation foam and Sculptamold.  I shaped the rock base form with insulation foam, using layers of 2-inch foam which I subsequently covered with Sculptamold.  I mixed gray paint in with the Sculptamold so it appeared gray.  It sat that way for a half-dozen years.

 

Montieth Rock base form made from insulation foam slabs and Sculptamold.

 

My recent efforts laying down ground cover in this area naturally led to my continuation of forming my model of Montieth Rock.  While I considered sheathing the rock base form using plaster, I chose a clay product instead.  I used Creative Paperclay for the rock face sheathing.

This product works as clay while it remains moist.  It takes about three days for it to set/dry, whereupon it has a hard, almost ceramic consistency.  

 

While my initial use of the Paperclay was applied directly to the scenery base around the bridge abutments at Salmon Creek, I felt I needed to have a stronger bond to the base form of Sculptamold.  I applied white glue to the Sculptamold base.  I first used Aileen’s Tacky Glue, but eventually moved to simply painting on a thick white glue with a brush.  I have found various consistencies of white glue during my current scenery efforts.  I previously needed to thin this thick glue with water during ground cover application, but the thickness was a definite asset for the rock project with its extensive vertical surfaces.

 

Aileen’s Sticky Glue application to the rock base prior to applying the Paperclay surface.

 

I molded the new surface of Montieth Rock in applications over the course of several days.  This allowed me time to consider my progress and consult pictures.  Fortunately, I had a great photo of the geo-East face of the rock taken by friend David Lange that guided my efforts.  All photos I have seen of the rock have been taken of that face as it is next to Tunnel 21 and the ridge penetrated by that tunnel.  

 

Sculpting the East face of Montieth Rock.  David Lange’s photo is in the foreground.  The rock formation well earns its alternative name as it really does resemble a rooster!

 

One happy “accident” I discovered during my sheathing and sculpting process is that the Paperclay layer tended to break apart into platelets as it set, leaving cracks.  The vertical cracks are useful as similar cracks appear in David’s photo.  I filled the horizontal cracks with more Paperrclay.

 

I am now letting my sculpting efforts set thoroughly before I add coloring to the rock.  Per directions for the Paperclay, I will add a waterproof coating of varnish first.  Stay tuned….

COVERING THE GROUND

I continue to work on scenery, mostly one scene at a time.  The latest focus has been on the “Pryor” area between Oakridge and Tunnel 21, just before McCredie Springs.  Pryor is the name of the siding between Oakridge and McCredie Springs—a siding I chose not to model.  I dealt with one of the corners in this area, applying ground cover and then planting trees.  The current focus extends that corner scene in both directions—back toward Oakridge and up past Rooster Rock to Tunnel 21.  

 

I began the effort by applying my base “dirt” cover to the terrain base.  I used a blend of sanded grout colors for the “dirt.”  I applied a coating of white glue and then sifted the sanded grout onto that.  Initially I painted the full-strength glue on with a brush.  The current batch of white glue I have been using proved quite thick, so subsequent applications were thinned a bit (2:1, glue:water) which still provided the needed glue adhesion while also being easier to apply.  

 

First section of terrain with dirt applied.  Also note the advancing stretch of forest “jumble” at the edge of the three-dimensional terrain against the backdrop.

 

During this first step I also applied “forest jumble” to the joint between backdrop and three-dimensional terrain.  The “forest jumble” was composed of small cuttings from the “Green Branches” material I use for tree making.

 

After the initial dirt application set, I returned to the terrain applying Woodland Scenics fine ground foam in earth and earth blend shades.

 

 

Woodland Scenics fine ground foam applied.

 

After I worked up to and around Rooster Rock, I worked the other way from the previously scenicked corner around past Salmon Creek and into Oakridge.  I still need to complete the bridge and trestle on the Pope and Talbot mill spur that is in front of (aisle side) of the mainline, so the effort around Salmon Creek was only part of the future scene.  I also applied the basic “dirt” (sanded grout) to the Pope and Talbot mill area.  With this, I have at least basic ground cover for the stretch from Oakridge around to Tunnel 21.

 

Salmon Creek area with dirt and Woodland Scenics ground foam.

 

Completed stretch of ground cover leading up to Rooster Rock.

 

Note I still needed to remove the masking tape covering the track.  When I did so, I found I needed to chisel some of the tape at the edges as multiple white glue applications bound it into the terrain.  The residue is in areas that will be covered by ballast.

 

For now, I have another significant stretch of terrain with ground cover awaiting the future steps of ballast and trees.