I’m thinking about painting my blue B+O Bachmann passenger cars a green or red. The question is since these cars were used many years ago and most of the photos of them were in black and white how many colours did this type of car come in back in the day? Of course the colour would be dictated by the RR that owned it. Were the B+O cars really blue?
I have seen yellow, red but mostly green like a “pullman” green. Didn’t Pennsy have Brown?
What I’m trying to do is make my passenger train look more real and it seems like a red or green would be a better choice than blue.
Todd. When you say “RED” are you thinking Fire engine, or more a maroon. I have seen several shades of maroons that looked nice. Don’t know whether the shades were from sun aging of the original or just a different shade. Maroons with a contrasting (gold, yellow ext.) Looks good especially with Gold names and RRheader across the top. Bright Reds look circus like to me.
Todd,
In your roaming rooster video you have sharp diesel loco.
Why not paint your cars to match - that is the red with dark colour (black?) around the windows. Not sure about the roof colour, personally I would wait and see what looks best after the car sides were done.
Might I suggest you do one as an experiment.
I have some of these cars and repainted them into my own version of the Milwaukee Road type livery.
Todd here are some pictures of the real things, we took these in March at the Strasburgh Railroad & PRR Museum.
That is a sharp looking car Alan.
That diesel paint scheme you saw in that Rooster video is a copy I did of the local line the Cape Cod Central. They haul trash off Cape and they haul a tourist and dinner train out of Hyannis. Someday I hope to buy or build 3 passenger cars for that and those would be the maroon colour with black roofs.
You are right Dave bright red would remind me of a circus. If I did red it would be a dulled down maroon coat.
It seems that back in the day dull green was very popular though I did read in a book about trains on Cape Cod some of the cars were painted all kinds of crazy colours.
I think a dull green pullman shade with black roofs would look good behind a steam loco as well as the CC Central diesels.
Pennsy and the N&W (and a bunch of other eastern coal roads) used Tuscan Red for their passenger cars…its sort of a brownish maroon color that railfan modelers have been trying desperately to duplicate for years Rustoleum has a burgandy thats kinda OK for it…
Todd, I get the impression you want to paint these in your own Railroad scheme. From what I have seen and read just about any scheme you design will work as long as it is pleasing to your eye.
Not only maroon, blue, and green, but yellow, cream, and brown were used.
Different bare woods were used and varnished. All were brought to a high luster, because there was pride in workmanship ( of course you could lose your job if somebody else could do better ).
So pick a scheme that pleases you, two greens, blue and gray, yellow, blue and make sure it gets a high gloss finish.
Todd, I chose green for my passenger cars and think it looks good.
Dennis
I don’t think many things stayed ‘red’ for very long in those days because it would quickly fade. Crimson, maroon or oxide reds were more lasting.
Andrew
I thought the yellow car colour was done for a movie, and lasted because that’s what the public wanted to see. I once saw a picture of a string of green wooden passenger cars, with red roofs, and I though it was sharp. My wooden passenger cars are simply stained and varnished.
In the end, its your railroad, so whatever look you like, and are most happy with, is what you should do,
Does anyone know if the color of the Bachmann SPC passenger cars are prototypical?
I like the look of them because they were different than the usual green or maroon colors.
A dull beige with two tone red lettering.
Andrew
By far the most common color for passenger cars during the heavy weight era (standard gauge) was pullman green. Even railroads that had special named trains in other colors almost all had most others in pullman green. There was also a shade called coach green that was used commonly mostly in the southeast I believe.
B&O had the Royal Blue with a streamlined steam engine(s) to match and Pennsy had many in a shade of tuscan red. The Milwaukee road had bright orange on the Hiawatha. Most of these paint schemes were for newer smooth side streamlined trains pulled by often colorful steam locos or early diesels. Sometimes a few earlier pullman green cars would be painted in special colors to provide a few additional matching cars without the expense of buying new ones.
It was not uncommon to see a string of smooth side cars in a colorful paint preceded by a string of plain old pullman green head end cars when the need arose.
Some special named trains also got the fluted side stainless treatment as well. NYC even had a couple of their Hudsons fitted with fluted sides and of course the diesel powered Burlington Zephyr was all stainless. UP used yellow and brown on their early streamliners on both steam and diesel. I really think people worry too much about getting the exact shade for their favorite train. While passenger trains were usually kept pretty clean they did collect grime on every run and paint did fade a bit even when well maintained.
The whole thing depends on the look you’re after. The common, mundane, everyday passenger train would be most convincing in pullman green probably as a general color. If you are looking for the crack named train then a wide variety of color or just stainless would do the job. Of course it’s ultimately up to you.
Here’s one of my Bachmann coaches painted in a kind of coach green.
Personally I think Purple is the best color for passenger equipment…
I’m just waiting for the purple Shay… 
Here in yUK the long-defunct Leek & Manifold [yes, really] railway had some extremely expensive passenger cars in the same colour buttermilk as the background to this page - with the strapping/framing in dark maroon-y red.
The Welsh Highland Railway used to run, and now does again, in Ferrari red and pure white.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
Vincent we visited the Strasburg RR last year and they sure have some gorgeous equipment. Their red is very nice. I knew I had seen a brown Pennsy car and there it was at the museum.
I would go for a maroon red but I’m saving that for the modern cars I hope to buy or build someday.
Richard and Dennis you captured the look I’m going for.
Green seems to be the universal colour for passenger cars. What shade of green did you use Richard?
Not a purple Shay but will a purple Cobra/Mack do?
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/capecodtodd/_forumfiles/SpringMack.jpg)
Krylon makes a nice gloss burgundy…
Though based on my last can of it, I’d suggest looking at what Rustoleum offers.
Though
Todd Haskins said:
I’m thinking about painting my blue B+O Bachmann passenger cars a green or red. The question is since these cars were used many years ago and most of the photos of them were in black and white how many colours did this type of car come in back in the day? Of course the colour would be dictated by the RR that owned it. Were the B+O cars really blue?
I have seen yellow, red but mostly green like a “pullman” green. Didn’t Pennsy have Brown?
What I’m trying to do is make my passenger train look more real and it seems like a red or green would be a better choice than blue.
Todd,
My first comment would be that the Bachmann B&O coaches seem to be in short supply and therefore you might consider selling them and buying some new ones in green. (Or did B’mann re-run them in the past few years?)
I have photos of coaches in all colors from bare wood through pale blue (=sunburned green.)
Red and green make a nice option. I did a business car in burgundy but it was a bit bright! (I think maroon works better.)
P.S. That coach has thin gold lining along the sides. I found ‘paint pens’ at my local art supply store in many colors and widths - they made it very easy!
Those are some really nice looking cars guys.
I have used Krylon Burgundy and Rustoleum makes colonial Red which is quite nice. I can’t remember which I used on my cranberry train but I think it was the Krylon.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/capecodtodd/_forumfiles/CranberryTrain101513.jpg)
The best shade of red used to come in a $1 rattle can from Walmart but they did away with it and now they only have the bright red.
I thought about selling or swapping the B+O set but shipping would be costly. Also it is daunting to take all these cars apart to give them a proper spray coat The road name is actually the New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. I don’t think they are that rare. I bought a starter set at a show which came with a combine and observation and over the years added a full baggage, coach and a custom built open air car.