Hi, I’m looking to paint the ground in my loco yard to make it look like ash and stuff rather than ballast, I’m not exactly colourblind but I’m having great difficulty in finding a mucky looking grey, I seem to get shades either too light or too dark, even then they look rather clean. I guess I’ll need to weather/texture whatever I use, but I just need a base colour to get me going. I know opinions will differ but if someone could tell me what they’ve used with success I’d be most grateful.
Thanks in advance,
Mick.
Mucky Grey
- Ironduke
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Re: Mucky Grey
I used a grey tinted acrylic primer from my local hardware shop. Most paint shops will add any colour you like. Some can even match any colour you bring them.
Also, be on the lookout for "miss tints". Many paint shops sell these at a discount.
Also, be on the lookout for "miss tints". Many paint shops sell these at a discount.
Regards
Rob
Rob
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Re: Mucky Grey
I'd try to find some good colour pictures of yards similar to the one you are modelling. My memories are of Bescot in the sixties. It seemed to be a very dark grey, fine grained plastic clay. I can still envisage one of the clanking 0-8-0s squashing the sleepers down into the surface, and watching as they came back up once the tender had passed. Even the most modest heritage operation tends to have cleaner looking ballast these days. There might even be the odd weed growing through it, something that Bescot's 1960s dead sludge could never have supported.
Growing old, can't avoid it. Growing up, forget it!
My Layout, My Workbench Blog and My Opinions
My Layout, My Workbench Blog and My Opinions
Re: Mucky Grey
Shed ballast was usually ash and clinker. Quite dark where locos were dropping oil and coal dust, lighter elewhere.
I'd start with something similar to Humbrol tank grey with a bit of dark earth mixed in and apply washes of slightly darker and slightly lighter until you get something which looks about right. I wouldn't actually use Humbrol for a large area like that though, get some matchpots or kids poster paints and mix them until you get a rough match.
If you can find a colour pic of a clean black loco on shed that will give you a reference.
I'd start with something similar to Humbrol tank grey with a bit of dark earth mixed in and apply washes of slightly darker and slightly lighter until you get something which looks about right. I wouldn't actually use Humbrol for a large area like that though, get some matchpots or kids poster paints and mix them until you get a rough match.
If you can find a colour pic of a clean black loco on shed that will give you a reference.
Portwilliam - Southwest Scotland in the 1960s, in OO - http://stuart1968.wordpress.com/
Re: Mucky Grey
Thanks to all who replied, especially stuartp for the Tank Grey suggestion, I’ll give it a try.