12-25-2008, 06:16 PM
I have never used the ME weathered rail myself so far. The following points are second hand reports:
- the weathering does conduct, but not as well as unweathered rail. When I painted my rails, I found that just cleaning the inside corner of the rail head was sufficient. The top of the rail head is not where wheel-to-rail contact normally takes place. If the wheel treads are tapered (almost all RP25 wheels are) and there is a fillet between flange and tread (RP25 practice), the contact is at the inside rail corner and a point on tread or fillet. I assume the same would be true for polishing the weathering material - the inside corner is all that matters. The weathered rail is probably good enough for DC, but not for DCC. For DCC, I assume you will have to polish or clean the inside corner.
- the weathering (or paint, if you pre-paint rails like I do) needs to be polished or removed at every point you are going to solder.
- the weathering color may or may not suit you, depending on how much rust color you want and the prototype you model. The ME weathering solution creates a dark brown, greasy looking color.
In the past, I brush painted/slathered the rails with Testor's before hand laying. I wiped the one railhead corner before it fully dried. I want to give the Floquil pens a try the next time.
just my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Chief Engineer, fireman, wiper, and jack of all trades for the...
Picture Gorge and Western Railway - None more picturesque!
Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Co - home of the tall cedars
- the weathering does conduct, but not as well as unweathered rail. When I painted my rails, I found that just cleaning the inside corner of the rail head was sufficient. The top of the rail head is not where wheel-to-rail contact normally takes place. If the wheel treads are tapered (almost all RP25 wheels are) and there is a fillet between flange and tread (RP25 practice), the contact is at the inside rail corner and a point on tread or fillet. I assume the same would be true for polishing the weathering material - the inside corner is all that matters. The weathered rail is probably good enough for DC, but not for DCC. For DCC, I assume you will have to polish or clean the inside corner.
- the weathering (or paint, if you pre-paint rails like I do) needs to be polished or removed at every point you are going to solder.
- the weathering color may or may not suit you, depending on how much rust color you want and the prototype you model. The ME weathering solution creates a dark brown, greasy looking color.
In the past, I brush painted/slathered the rails with Testor's before hand laying. I wiped the one railhead corner before it fully dried. I want to give the Floquil pens a try the next time.
just my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Chief Engineer, fireman, wiper, and jack of all trades for the...
Picture Gorge and Western Railway - None more picturesque!
Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Co - home of the tall cedars