My first ever weathered freight car. A bit over the top with rust i got carried away. Photo taken outside.
Even so, very impressive for a first shot. You could try overcoating it with a layer of 'dirt' (eg. a grey/brown wash) which would tone it down and blend it more together as a rusty and faded old workhorse. (The first couple of cars I 'decorated' turned out a bit overdone too, but as long as it's only a few cars out of your entire fleet that look about set to expire it's not a problem.)
LOL I see i wasn't the only one. It's a good look when you get it right so you just can't help yourself.
We all have a first effort that is a little over the top. However I have seen prototypes just like it.
Carried away? I think not! I've seen prototypes that looked just like this. Whatever technique you're using, I think you've perfected it. This looks great!
I use Galeria Burnt Umber acrylic paint as a base. I brush/stipple it on trying not to be too smooth. After it's dry i brush over a rusty red/brown powder and that's it. The acrylic paint is the type artists use so is very thick which is perfect for rust as it leaves a rough surface. I got the technique from MonsterRailroad off YouTube.
You can't really go wrong, looks great to me! It is fun to hit some cars really hard, that's real life.
It seems to work best on bare metal colour. I tried it on a HO pickup truck chrome bumper and that worked. I can see it working well on caterpillar tracks also.