[34C]

... Florida East Coast (between St Augustine & Melbourne) ...
.. From what I've heard, the Colour of the Rust varies in different locations.

Per earlier comments, it's not just the rust colour on the steel rail that varies, but also 'the other stuff' that arrives on it, brake dust and 'other' from the train operation, and wind blown dust from the local soil or rock.

In your shoes, what I would do is go on Google streetview and look at areas in your chosen location where rail and road are near each other, and any grade crossings you can find. Also try Youtube for local train enthusiast operational videos. (I was well surprised when I got to see North American tracks well outside the urban industrialised zones in the mid West. Grey and dusty rather than the predominant iron oxide tones seen in the UK.)

 

[NevJohn_1]

Per earlier comments, it's not just the rust colour on the steel rail that varies, but also 'the other stuff' that arrives on it, brake dust and 'other' from the train operation, and wind blown dust from the local soil or rock.

In your shoes, what I would do is go on Google streetview and look at areas in your chosen location where rail and road are near each other, and any grade crossings you can find. Also try Youtube for local train enthusiast operational videos. (I was well surprised when I got to see North American tracks well outside the urban industrialised zones in the mid West. Grey and dusty rather than the predominant iron oxide tones seen in the UK.)

Thanks for your reply, and the information & suggestions.
Yes, I'm aware of 'the other stuff' that you mention: Hence my mention of 'The Elements' in various locations (that I mentioned in another Post).
I have actually been looking at Street View on Google Earth; but it's hard to get Close Ups. Also, with different Monitor Settings, Colours can be deceiving. Also, when I have my Laptop plugged into the Tv, the Tv Colours are somewhat Brighter; and it's hard to tell which is more correct.
I've also been looking at YouTube, but once again, the same situation applies.

Anyway, I saw that someone suggested Tamiya Red Brown XF-64. I have a bottle of that, which belonged to my late brother: He was building a HO of a location in NSW Australia, and was using it for the Rails, because it was about the right colour. I tried it on a section of Track that isn't so easily seen, and it doesn't look too bad: So, I might use that on other parts of the Layout where Natural Light makes it more visible, and see what it looks like.

 

[NevJohn_1]

I've tried a few and mixed a few by way of experiment, the one I use is Tamiya Red Brown XF-64. As its and acrylic paint it's easy to wipe of the top of the rails.

Regards

Jack

I actually have a bottle of that (which belonged to my late brother, who was building a HO layout). I tried it on a section of Track that's not that clearly visible. It doesn't look too bad, so I think I might try it on another section which Natural Light makes it clearer to see, and see how it goes.

 

[TheAndrian]

Hi,

A bit late here, my suggestion for a good colour is RAL 8008 (olive brown) for rusted track. You can get this shade from various hobby paint manufacturers.

Cheers

 

[NevJohn_1]

Hi There,

No Worries. Thanks for your reply and suggestion. As you may have seen (above), I have a bottle of Tamiya Red Brown XF-64, that belonged to my late brother, who was building a HO Layout. I couldn't remember whether or not he'd been using it for the Rails or for Buildings; but when a couple of other people suggested it (here and elsewhere), I decided to try it out. So, I tested it on an inconspicuous part of my Layout, and it doesn't look too bad. So I'm going to try it on other parts and see how it looks.

I checked out RAL 8008 (Olive Brown) on the Websites of 2 of the Hobby Shops I've purchased from. The RAL 8008 on METRO HOBBIES Website appears to be Darker than that on FRONTLINE HOBBIES Website. The Shade on FRONTLINE is more like the Actual Colour of TAMIYA XF-64 (Red Brown). But I'll keep it in mind, and see if my local Model Railroad Shop has it, and check it out.

Cheers.