Here’s another tip from a member of the online Model Train Club (see right column):

Painting several colors on some rolling stock or a locomotive can be problematic especially when the paint colors butt against each other, or where a straight line is required. Applying masking tape can definitely help when painting straight lines, however there are times when the lines appear jagged or rough.

To end up with a clean result it is usually best to allow 12 to 24 hours before attempting to apply another color. The first coat needs adequate time to dry and harden properly. It is a good idea to apply some masking tape to achieve a straight line. Try spraying some Dullcoat to the area you are planning to paint at the edge of the masking tape. This is to seal the tape.

Then, leave the new coat to dry for a minimum of 30 minutes. This step is important because there is no point is applying a second coat if the first coat is not completely dry or if it is still a bit sticky or soft. When it is dry it is time to paint on the second color. All going well you should be left with a clean sharp paint line without showing any signs of the paint bleeding.

Another way of doing it…

The other option is to mask the area you painted first and then spray the remainder of the loco the original color again. Spraying with the original color will help fill those little gaps where the second color might have over-run. You can then leave the loco to dry again prior to respraying it with a second color. You are unlikely to see any over run this time around.

Here is a tip that Richard a member of the online model train club) shared with other club members:

Throw away plastic wheels and buy metal replacements if included in a kit. Metal wheels will generally run truer and with less resistance than injection molded mass produced plastic wheels. The price of metal wheels has dropped significantly in the last decade. Some of the grunge you have to clean from the rails is plastic residue from plastic wheels, metal wheels stay cleaner longer as does the rail.

Definitely avoid oiling track if you use plastic wheels even the famous Wahl Hair Clipper Oil… this will actually increase the amount of cleaning as the plastic wheels are affected by incompatible oil until the plastic wheel crumbles of course… there are plastic compatible oils made by LaBelle but I still would not recommend it as a practice.

When I started out the second time in the hobby, every time I bought a freight car kit I bought a set of kadees and metal wheels straight away. It can seem a hardship to have to buy 100 to 200 Kadees and 200 to 400 metal wheels all at once to upgrade your small freight car fleet. Buying them as you go is much easier especially your wallet. Remember, model railroaders always have many more locos and freight cars than they can actually run on their layouts at any one time. 

If you drop screws and parts on the floor you’re not the only one. The problem with working on a loco or the electrical system is that as we get older the parts seem to get smaller. Here is a simple solution to stop those small part dropping on the floor or you might even want to store some parts using this method. Like anything, it is not perfect, but it is an idea that could work for many in the hobby.

Get some 3 inch wide masking tape. Simply fold an inch or so back onto itself. This will provide a non sticky area for you to write or label the parts. You then stick the screws and/or parts to the masking tape. You then have a low-cost device to stop parts rolling onto the floor or you could use it as a storage system or small parts.