Large Scale Central

Locomotive color schemes

Modeling Rolling stock
#1

After completing M-11’s re-wiring and placing it back in service I’ve noticed that the scheme of M-11 is not nearly as sharp as sister M-10. M-10 is a mongrel. It started out life as an undecorated yellow 45 Tom from Bachman. Shown here before plummeting into the ravine at East Es-Cap-E…

The pilot was severely damaged in that wreck. About the same time Stan Cedarleaf was selling a dis-assembled 45 Ton less trucks that happened to be the black one (Midwest Mining). I purchased the parts from him and used the frame to re-build M-10 resulting in a hybrid paint scheme. Notice the difference in the pilot…

The big difference I notice in M-11 is the lack of contrast…

I don’t dislike the red, but it needs something. Perhaps painting the hood and roof tops similar to M-10, but in white??? I still have the black cab from Stan’s parts. If I could get the Midwest Mining lettering off it might be an interesting combo with the red hoods. Or would it? I think it’s time to Photoshop some options.

#2

I’m thinking black deck, hood top, & roof top & just like the M-10.
Pilot black with gold stripes. Gold stripes on the nose as well.
Ralph

#3

Ralph, I have to agree with you… It would bring the overall paint scheme more into line for the railroad, but also give each engine it’s own destinctive color… Maybe even paint the hand rails black, with the yellow being only at the steps… M10 should also have the handrails at the steps painted yellow, to match and for safety…

#4

I like those ideas. Possibly doable without dis-assembling the loco again too, although that isn’t too hard. Not sure how I could get hood stripes to work with the existing side stripes unless I just did the one under the radiator.

An idea I just had about the hood tops; do the black exactly the same but run a white stripe between the two colors just to the cabinet door gutter.

Need to take some hi-res square on shots today for Photoshopping :slight_smile:

#5

The hardest part of the hood stripes would be the white outline if you use paint, instead of decals.
I would repdo the entire stripe, doing away with the white outline. The inverted V’s I would continue across the grill.

I think the M-10 would look better with a yellow grill and the V’s continued across the grill.
Ralph

#6

I think I have a set of black hoods, if you want to swap them for the red ones. Or yellow for that matter. In fact, you could probably swap about anything for anything if I looked carefully.

Matthew (OV)

#7

Thanks Matt. I have a set of black hoods too. I think I want to stick with the red but just jazz it up.

Ralph - I like the white outlines against the red. I could do them in vinyl should I decide to.

#8

OK…my 2 cents…black pilot white stripes (like the yellow one) black handrails (like the yellow one) and black lettering (like the yellow one) …HEP cabling …Com. Ports …nathan p5’s and a sinclair antenna! Oh forgot to add stainless tubular grille or you could paint it black (like the yellow one)

#9
David Russell said:
OK.....my 2 cents......black pilot white stripes (like the yellow one) black handrails (like the yellow one) and black lettering (like the yellow one) ....HEP cabling ...Com. Ports ....nathan p5's and a sinclair antenna! Oh forgot to add stainless tubular grille or you could paint it black (like the yellow one)
I agree with all of that except the black lettering unless it has white outlines. As a sign guy I know black on red is a no-no.
#10

Here’s my first attempt at livening things up.

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/slatecreek/_forumfiles/DSCN0619.JPG)

I have another one with green hoods (with the yellow and black striping at the end) and a very dark, but not quite black, cab. It’s solid black from the deck down except for the stripes on the end (it started life as a yellow, and had the ends masked…) I can’t find the one decent photo I had of it, and I can’t take one to post because it’s in pieces right now. Matthew (OV)

#11

Matthew (OV) said:
[i]

Never stopped me :slight_smile:

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post3/M-11-08.JPG)

#12

Jon,
How 'bout red with flames on each end?
:slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

#13
John Bouck said:
Jon, How 'bout red with flames on each end? :) :) :)
... and a big gear shift lever sticking out of one of the windows! :P
#14
Steve Featherkile said:
John Bouck said:
Jon, How 'bout red with flames on each end? :) :) :)
... and a big gear shift lever sticking out of one of the windows! :P
And a Rat Fink figure out of the roof :)
#15
Dave Marconi said:
Steve Featherkile said:
John Bouck said:
Jon, How 'bout red with flames on each end? :) :) :)
... and a big gear shift lever sticking out of one of the windows! :P
And a Rat Fink figure out of the roof :)
A smashed rooster on the pilot would work, also..... :)
#16
jb said:
How 'bout red with flames on each end?
Andy Clarke said:
Dave Marconi said:
Steve Featherkile said:
... and a big gear shift lever sticking out of one of the windows! :P
And a Rat Fink figure out of the roof :)
A smashed rooster on the pilot would work, also..... :)
Great minds think alike! :)
#17

While the gear shift out the roof with a Rat Fink knob is a super idea; I’m thinking I really don’t want to cut a hole in the roof. When I was a kid my older brother customized my Mom’s '56 Pontiac convertible; it had “Hydromaniac” painted on the fenders and a three foot long floor shifter. Mom looked cool in her RN uniform driving it to work :slight_smile: And the Rooster on the pilot would be considered weathering. Lets get the base colors chosen first :o With that in mind, I set the locos up for some pictures that I could manipulate. I use a tripod, set the loco on “marks” and took straight on dead level shots. First M-10 then M-11. They came out fairly close so off they went to Photoshop. First I isolated M-10’s head-on portrait from the background to give me a source for components. Next I cropped to just the the pilot and further isolated it. I then did the same for pilot and deck. These two components took about 4 hours to create including switching moves and photography. Here is some preliminary results. First the head on shot of M-11 As-Is…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post3/M-11-Front_As-Is.JPG)

Then a little Photoshop Magic, I placed M-10’s pilot and black deck on M-11…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post3/M-11-F_Deck-Pilot_Crop800.JPG)

Looking better already :slight_smile: Next I’ll isolate the handrails and hood tops from M-10 to allow me to drop them on M-11 for more what-if comparisons.

#18

I lied - Next I did the radiator. I think the yellow handrails will stay.

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post3/M-11-Front-BlackComponents2-800.JPG)

#19

Ya’suh, tha’s poppin’.

#20

A side-by-side before and “after” might be better…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post3/M-11-Composite.JPG)