Oil/ diesel effect on ballast

[Nick73]

Hi what's the best way to get a darker effect in the middle of the track ballest to simulate oil/diesel tried searching the forum couldn't find anything 

Nick

[walkingthedog]

Phoenix Precision Paints make a series of colours to weather track, sleepers and ballast etc. To be honest just splash on some dirty black/brown paint. It's not an exact art. Have a look where trains stop in a station or where lorries park. 

[LCDR]

There are a number of colour effects for track and ballast.

 

1) Oil contamination - colour dark grey to black, found where locomotives stand for extended periods, ends of platforms, locomotive stabling points,  can extend to ends of sleepers and between rails, source axle journals, oil breather pipes, exhaust fumes.Where severe can appear as thick semi matt gunge over entire track.

 

2) Brake dust - colour rust brown / red, found where trains apply brakes, found on track and between platform faces, discolours ballast, sleepers and anything below top of platform. In worst case will discolour whole station structure, bridge abutments and lineside equipment. Source -friction between brake block and wheel rim creating fine iron dust. Will etch into glass and painted surfaces. Will also collect on lower portions of locomotives and rolling stock giving a brown film over everything. 

 

3) Pumping clay - found around sleepers where ballast drainage and underlying formation is failing. Wet track moving under load of passing train turning ballast and formation to slurry, and splashing it on to sleepers and rails. Appears as light grey or cream coloured contamination around sleepers and on top of ballast usually only affects one or two sleepers at a time. 

 

4) Weeds - found in ballast and usually most noticable in Summer. Grass and other plants rooted in ballast will appear as green colour between sleepers. More prevalent in recent years because weedkilling chemicals are less effective nowadays, and frequency of weedkilling trains has declined. Also a sign of poor ballast and drainage so where clay pumping is occuring weed growth may also occur.

 

5) Train lavatory discharge - found in station areas where trains stand overnight. Irregular spot patches of contamination including brown fecal matter mixed in with flecks of white from lavatory paper between the rails, usually on centre line where discharge pipes are located.  Caused by people using lavatories in stations BUT also where carriages are cleaned and staff flush blocked lavatories to clear them. 

 

6) Litter - paper and other items thrown or blown on to the track, especially in station areas. Varied and more common in some places than others. Especially common where carriages are cleaned overnight.