Amazing weathering references at Steamrail Victoria

On the weekend I found a treasure trove of weather-beaten, abandoned-looking vehicles. I was in rusty heaven.

A friend at work mentioned to me on Friday that there is a rail restoration workshop at Newport, in Melbourne's west. (Thanks for the gold-plated tip, Patto!) It's called Steamrail Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation that repairs and restores old trains. As long as you sign the vistor's book and don't touch stuff, you can just wander around the workshop and railyards there. I'm sure if you are a rail buff, the guys volunteering there would share literal shed-loads of information with you.  If you're interested in going yourself, it's just off Shea Street, Newport. If you like engine oil, old machinery and antique industry, I heartily, heartily recommend it.

It gets the Dave's Model Workshop "Thumbs Up".

I would have enjoyed it regardless, but as a modeller the Steamrail Victoria yards are just chock full of perfect weathering references. I tried to photograph a little of everything a modeller could want: sun faded paint, mouldy streaks, damp, rust, dirt and dust, decaying metal, faded lettering and numerals, scratches.

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Rust!

Moss and lichen.

Grime.

Weathered wood.

Rust, glorious rust!

Scratches!

This was my favourite.

Oh, that greenish fading!

Even my daughter thought it was (relatively) interesting.
Not as interesting as My Little Pony, but somewhere on the spectrum of interesting.

I've filed these all away for my next abandoned armour model, but I thought I'd share them as someone out there might find just the weathering reference they're after for their current scale model project.

Now I want to model something beaten up just so I can try to replicate some of these shots!

Cheers,

Dave