Paint Adhesion Issues

[nachoman]

Track is one area where I have had the most luck brush painting a water based acrylic paint. Depending on the brand of track, I've had mixed results with it rubbing off the ties or rails, but luckily once it is in place it gets zero handling. Sometimes I have to do touch up after ballasting, but once the trackwork is done, the paint lasts for many years. Lately, I have been using craft paint for this.

Trucks usually get airbrushed at the same time I paint the model. And I almost exclusively use a petroleum based paint when airbrushing. Again, depending on the brand, it doesn't always adhere well to the plastic and it does not hold up well to handling. But if the paint is thick enough, and I seal with some kind of lacquer, it does okay, and I just try to not handle the trucks much after the model is completed.