How to Paint an O Scale Railroad Track

Pour a small quantity of light oil, the type used for appliances like sewing machines, onto a paper towel and wait until it̵7;s been absorbed. Run the paper towel along the top of the rails to be painted, making sure to cover as much of the tops as possible; this is the point where the electricity meets the train wheels, so you need to keep paint off the area. Oil all points and turnings carefully ̵1; if you desire, apply a small amount of masking tape to these areas to keep them clear of paint.

Paint the railroad ties with brown paint, using a paintbrush and several different shades of brown that will help to indicate wear. Wipe in places with a rag while the paint is still wet to blur the colors and blend them. Add touches of gray to some of the ties (wood gradually turns gray as it ages).

Pour some gray paint into a railroad track roller; this is a specialized piece of equipment with a tiny roller and spacers that allows modelers to paint the sides of the track more easily. Paint a light base coat of gray paint on the sides of the rails, both inside and out, and leave to dry. Clean the roller, then add brown paint and cover the gray lightly to give the impression of rust and dirt.

Mix a small amount of black paint with dilutant in a ratio of one part paint to 20 parts dilutant. Airbrush this over the paint on the rail, being careful to use an extremely fine nozzle and keeping a steady hand so as not to over spray; the color acts as a general wash over the side of the rail and brings consistency to the colors. Leave to dry completely.

Wipe the top of the rails with a clean paper towel to remove the coating of oil and any paint that might be resting there. Run an abrasive block over the top of the rails; this will help increase the conductivity.