Rust Never Sleeps — And it Only Costs 99 Cents 
I think that most modelers these days paint their rails to represent rust. But, the first thought most modelers have is to run out to the hobby shop and spend three or four dollars on a little bottle of PollyS Rail Brown, or, six or seven dollars on the Floquil Rail Brown spray paint. The problem with that is that ever since Testors took over Floquil, there has been a real shift in the quality of the paints — and the price has increased, to boot!
I’ve finally found what I think is an excellent alternative to Rail Brown: Apple Barrel #20511 Brown Oxide. The price is usually about 99 cents at larger craft stores like Michael’s or A.C. Moore — even less if you catch a sale. Plus the bottle’s twice as big as the PollyS Rail Brown. You cant’ beat that with a stick! Nor, can you argue with the results.
It’s amazing the difference a little time with a paintbrush can make. The picture at left is un-painted Peco On30 Flex track, and the picture at right shows the result after painting. BTW, I usually only paint the side that will be visible — painting by hand takes a long time, you know! But, on the modules, since they could conceivably be seen from either side, I’ll need to paint both sides of the rail!
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