Track Weathering

This is a simple technique that I've been experimenting with.

Step 1

Mask off the rails of the track. The materials we're going to use are simply sand and water, but I've found to my cost, that the steel rails on the track do not react at all well if left unprotected.

The other areas of the track which I've masked off here are simply for effect, to look like more recently repaired areas.

Step 2

Take a pot of sand and add enough water to cover the sand and more. The more water you add, the the more subtle the effect will be.

Step 3

Dab the excess water onto the track, avoiding the sand grains at the bottom.

Step 4

Leave to dry

Step 5

Wipe off with a damp cloth. Scrub harder if you want either more subtlety in the visual effect, or more grip from the track.

The weathered track pieces inevitably have less grip than fresh track, and the more heavily you weather the track the less grip it will have. Over time the grip returns as the track rubbers in or cleans up. The first few cars that you run over the newly weathered track pieces will end up with dusty tires, and they'll need cleaning.

Experiment with one or two pieces at first.

The sand in your area may be totally different, so at first it may be a trial and error process. The sand I've used is actually horticultural sand, but that's just what I happened to have to hand. A weak clay mixture might work too.

I wonder if there are other natural materials that could be used to add character to our plastic tracks?