Now that we have the engine sorted (Part Two of this series) it’s time for the rolling stock. Like the pannier engine I had two goods wagons, a flatcar, and a liquid tank car primed and sitting in the pile of shame for a few years. It was high time to change that. I ordered another two goods wagons and a second flat car from Sarissa Precision, but in the end I didn’t have time to add them to the Stalingrad train. But when it comes to trains… well… I can’t help myself.

As some of you may know or recall the train was a part of my preparation for our Stalingrad Adepticon events. The project was moving pretty quickly (for me), and I worked on the train cars and the engine simultaneously. I ended up taking photos of certain cars during certain stages of work so not all of the train cars have a photo for every step. I apologize for some of the steps being missed in the photos. I tried to member to take pictures, but I was racing against the nap time timer during a majority of my work time.

The first step was to patch up any damage to the cars and reprime them with Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Flat Black. This would allow acrylic paint to stick.

As per usual, the paint and materials are listed at the bottom for your convenience.

Goods Wagons

I wanted all of the rolling stock to be able to be used as German or Soviet equipment and it seemed a dull red oxide color was used by both countries for their goods wagons (boxcars in American slang). I found the above reference photos on the world wide web and they gave me a good starting point. As a bonus the red also gives a good base color for weathering effects and it gives the table a splash of color.

After the wagon was primed black I gave it a coat of Vallejo Red Leather to simulate the red oxide color.

A makeup brush was used to dry brush a mix of 4:1 Red Leather to Vallejo Buff all over the upper structure. I added a bit of variation on the flat parts by using a jabbing motion with the makeup brush loaded with the same color mix as the dry brush. Finally, to simulate wear, I did the same jabbing with Vallejo German Camo Black Brown. I focused on the areas that would see heavy used such as the doors and around the body frame. The light in the photo below sort of washed out the effect.

Using an airbrush I painted the undercarriage AK Interactive Tenebrous Gray. I then gave an airbrush highlight of AK Ash Gray. A mix of half Ash Gray and AK Graphite Gray was dry brushed onto the frame.

I also dry brushed the undercarriage with a light pass of Vallejo Gun Metal.

I added a coat of Rustoleoum Gloss varnish to prepare the surface for decals and enamel oil washes.

Decals were applied using AK Interactive Decal Set and Decal Fix. I used decals from a few Warlord and Rubicon tank kits. I went with a simple four number scheme. A coat of Army Painter Soft Tone knocked the whiteness of the decals back and grimed them up a bit. I used a hobby knife to push the numbers into the board edges so they were more convincing as painted on markings.

I added a bit more extreme dry brush of Ash Gray and Graphite on the undercarriage to counter the coming washes. Gloss varnish was then sprayed over the decals.

The wagons were sprayed with AK Interactive DAK wash and AK Interactive Dark Streaking Grime on the upper structure. The under carriage was sprayed with AK Track Wash. Applying the washes with the airbrush made for a smooth application and blend. The washes were reduced off with a makeup sponge and odorless mineral spirits. I tried to leave the washes in the corners where dirt would accumulate.

After the oils were dry I dry brush the wheels with gun metal as they would be bare metal from rubbing on the steel track.

From my research it seemed goods wagon roofs were painted a cool medium gray color. I started with an airbrushed base coat of Vallejo Basalt Gray. I sprayed on a mix of Basalt Gray and Vallejo Sky Gray. I sprayed along with the roof panels to accentuate them. To be honest it didn’t change much. So I got out the makeup brush again and dry brushed using 1:1 mix of Basalt Gray and Vallejo Iraqi Sand. I did a pure Iraqi Sand dry brush after. I went heavier on the Iraqi Sand dry brush to make sure it still was visible when the oils were added on top. The roofs were then sealed with gloss varnish.

AK Interactive DAK wash and AK Interactive Dark Streaking Grime were applied with an airbrush. The washes were reduced off with a makeup sponge and odorless mineral spirits.

After the oils had dried I finished the roofs and car bodies by applying Vallejo Mecha Matte Varnish with an airbrush.

Flat Wagon

The first step for the flat wagon was to Airbrush Vallejo Air Dark Panzer Gray on the bed and deck sides. A 3:1 mix of Dark Panzer Gray and Vallejo Air White was sprayed on as a highlight, focusing on the upper areas. The undercarriage was airbrushed Tenebrous Gray with an Ash Gray highlight.

I dry brushed AK interactive Graphite on the undercarriage.

The bed and rails were chipped with German Camo Black Brown and the Dark Gray. I focused on where vehicles and cargo would be secured and where they would be loaded from.

A mix of AK Graphite and Iraqi Sand was dry brushed on the deck rails. I also dry brushed the wheels Gunmetal at this point.

I then sprayed the whole car with gloss varnish.

In my research I saw that it wasn’t uncommon for train cars to have roughly applied numbers instead of neatly stenciled ones. I used a fine tipped white artist pen to add hastily applied markings.

After a second sealing of gloss over the numbering the car was ready for oils.

AK Interactive DAK wash and AK Interactive Dark Streaking Grime were sprayed onto the upper structure. The undercarriage was sprayed with AK Track Wash for that grimy used metal feel.

As with the goods wagons the enamel washes were reduced to where I liked them with odorless mineral spirits and a makeup sponge. Mecha Matte Varnish was used to finish flat wagon. I couldn’t help myself and loaded up a T-26. Nice…

Liquid Tanker

Rail was an extremely valuable transportation method for armies during World War II. All armies relied on mechanization (at least in part) and each mechanical steed needed fuel. Whether it was a diesel fueled T-34 or a petrol powered Opel Blitz, forces needed copious amounts of fueloils. Enter the liquid tank railcar. Finding photos of these train cars was surprisingly hard despite their ubiquitous use by every army on every front. I chose the above two photos for reference as I liked the numbering schemes and the apparent contrasting paint colors on the tank.

The tank body, frame, and undercarriage were airbrush base coated in Tenebrous Gray and a highlight of Ash Gray was added to the high points. I chose the homogenous paint job at it was different from the other multicolored cars.

To be honest original color photos were a bit difficult to locate so I took an educated guess (followed by a small amount of liberty) when it came to the markings. One of the tank cars in the above reference photos has a large colored identifier box with numbers stenciled over it. Yellow seemed like a reasonable color, though I am sure it would make the Allied Jabo pilots very happy as a big bright targeting point. Yellow can be a finicky color when it comes to paint coverage particularly over a dark base color. After taping off the location of the yellow identifier, Vallejo Air Concrete was airbrushed as a lighter base for the yellow to follow. Mostly because it seemed like a good idea…

Thankfully concrete was a good color to start with. I airbrushed AK Interactive RLM 04, which is a deep yellow, over the top. I really only needed one coat with a little touch up. Nice…

The wheels were dry brushed with gunmetal and once things were dry I sprayed the car with gloss varnish.

Decals were then applied. I tried to give an approximation of the reference numbering scheme without having to use 15 digits. Like the other decals they received the Army Painter Soft Tone wash to tone them down.

A protecting gloss varnish was applied over the top of the decals. It’s a bit hard to tell in the gloss glare but I also gave the whole car a harder dry brush with Ash and Graphite. The edges weren’t popping enough to my liking. It is worth remembering gloss varnish tones the highlights down significantly, but they will reappear once the matte varnish is applied.

AK Interactive DAK Wash and AK Interactive Dark Streaking Grime were applied with an airbrush. The undercarriage was coated with AK Track Wash. The washes were reduced off with a makeup sponge and odorless mineral spirits.

Once the reduced washes were dry matte varnish was applied and the car was ready.

Overall, I am satisfied with this batch of rolling stock. MDF has its material limitations which are notable particularly in the tank car’s round shape. Then again, it’s a wargaming terrain piece at it looks the part. I am excited as I have a small train for game scenarios. I will be building the other two goods wagons and flat car soon so I can hopefully replicate the paint I did on this batch. After taking these pictures I am lusting for another flat car or two so I can haul my platoon of T-26s by rail.

The next article will wrap up the “Old Mule” series by covering how I did the tracks and how Drew pimped them out.

Paints and Supplies Used

Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Flat Black Primer Clear Gloss Varnish

Vallejo Red Leather 70.818 Buff 70.976 German Camo Black Brown 70.822 Gunmetal Gray 70.863 Iraqi Sand 70.819 Basalt Gray 70.869 Sky Gray 70.989 Mecha Matte Varnish 69.702 Air Dark Panzer Gray 71.065 Air White 71.001 Air Concrete 71.131

AK Interactive Tenebrous Gray Ash Gray Graphite Gray RLM 04 Decal Set Decal Fix DAK Enamel Oil Wash Streaking Grime Enamel Oil Wash Track Wash Enamel Wash

Army Painter Soft Tone

Faber-Castell Fine Tip Pitt White Artist Pen

Odorless Mineral Spirits