Texas & Pacific baggage-express car

Here is an old diagram of a 70-ft Texas & Pacific baggage-express car that our T&P model is based on.   Enjoy.

The Problem of Color: Paint Matching

There has been much speculation on various web posts about why paint color for a specific prototype varies from model manufacturer to model manufacturer. Questions typically center around the color of the paint in comparison to the prototype, or original, train car. As I've been working on the next batch of Wheels of Time 70-ft Heavyweight Baggage-Express cars (to be announced shortly), it occurred to me that paint-matching is more of an art than a science -- there are a lot of variables. Here are some of the variables that effect color matching on model trains.

1. Paint on the real railroad rolling stock changes over time. Newly applied paint looks different than paint that has been weathered. The paint formula itself may also change over time.  For instance, Norfolk & Western "Tuscan Red" paint changed around 1958. It went from a tomato soup red to a more maroon red.
2. Variation in reference points. Unless you are modeling a brand new diesel locomotive, you'll be basing the paint samples on equipment that has been retired . . .  not exactly newly painted. Also, Pullman green for Great Northern may not be the same as Pullman green on other railroads. Remember this was before computerized color matching as we have in modern auto body shops. If you're basing your color on a picture, photographs of painted rolling stock will also introduce variation, based on lighting condition and surroundings.  A car photographed under the noon-day sun will look different than one taken in the late afternoon. The advent of computers has not always resulted in more precision: a JPG image on your computer screen will vary according to the monitor's color settings. An image found online may look accurate, but hue, tone and intensity are easily, and often, changed with programs like Adobe Photoshop. Such an image may only meet the standard of "what looks good" in the eyes of the poster.
3. Popular understanding. Popular railroad culture may perpetuates an image which isn't accurate. For example, the Atlantic Coast Line green heavyweight baggage cars appear to have always had black roofs, since most of the available images are from the 1960s. But this doesn't paint an accurate picture. For the record, ACL HW baggage cars prior to the 60's had roofs that matched the color of their carbody. In another example, the Kato SP Daylight painted train set is Kato's interpretation of a prototype's original color. Should another model train manufacturer match Kato's paint, stripe and lettering so the hobbyist can couple together cars from different manufacturers? Or should a modeler strive to match the original, even if the result is clashing models?
4. Paint and inks. Paint on prototype metal differs from paint for plastic hobby models. Today it's common for model train manufacturers to specify color with Pantone color specs. In fact, the Union Pacific Railroad actually specifies their car paint by Pantone color specs. The Pantone system specifies inks by a color index, allowing for standardization. However, Pantone specs are intended for printing and web publishing and not for plastic surfaces. Hue, tone, and intensity all differ on a printed material when compared to a painted surface. Replicating the color from a printed image on plastic is very difficult. 
5. Substrate and painting. Pad printing inks over a darker painted surface can become a problem. For instance, "dulux" lettering applied over a Pullman green paint will look different than over a maroon painted surface. The real railroads didn't have this problem. Also, the hue, tone and intensity of the color depends on a number of factors: how the paint was applied, what percentage it was thinned to be sprayed, the pressure of the sprayer, the surface texture of the object, and the number of coats or applications. Furthermore, when the factory matches our paint chip samples, the matching is dependent on a technician's knowledge and experience of the paint being used and their perception of color.
6. Lights and scale. Since the color that we see is created by reflection of light off of pigment, lighting conditions matter. Model railroad layouts are usually not lit by daylight but illuminated by fluorescents, LEDs or incandescent bulbs. A yellow or bluish cast makes your painted models look different. Further, objects that look "normal" on larger scale, may look too dark on smaller scale.

Now, what would be ideal to help a model train manufacturer in finding paint matches for a specific prototype? I wish the various railroad historical societies could provide paint samples (on plastic!) for the various elements of their specific rail systems  . . .  that would go a long way.

Notes from the Field

An enjoyable aspect of working here at Wheels of Time is documenting the prototype accurately. I am especially aware of the little details, details you'll see reflected on your Wheels of Time products. I find it especially satisfying when I find the prototype in real life.  It certainly helps me develop accurate models!  Here are some tips that I've learned in documenting a prototype.

1)  Take good field notes, even if it looks like chicken scratch. Here are my field notes for the SP American Car & Foundry bilevel coach built in 1957. You never find this level of detail from a magazine drawing. Taking good notes, I see things that otherwise I would miss. One such detail: the 1955 Pullman-Standard cars had wide shallow skirts around the center doors and slightly angled in A/C diesel-generator cabinet, in contrast to the ACF coaches.

2)  Use a measuring stick.  It makes taking general dimensions easier since it will not flex or roll up like a measuring tape.  It can give the relative scale of complex parts.  My stick is a 3-ft PVC pipe with electrical tape, marked off at 3" and 1' increments.

3)  A measuring tape is also a must for accurate dimensioning. Here is a measuring tape in relation to a PCC truck. I'm careful to measure how far things stick out.

4)   Documenting the style, color, dimensions of the actual lettering is important. This one is from a B & O car.

5)  Paint color can vary under different lighting conditions. Here is a VRE bilevel coach in the railroad shop. Having photos of the paint scheme in white lighting conditions can be helpful in finding the correct hue of the paint.

6)   Taking photos with shadows, i.e., side-lit. Noticed how the shadows bring forth the contours and relief on this Dodge truck that you won't necessary see if you were to take the photo of a subject lit perfectly flat from the front.

7)   Show relative dimensions. Note the relative dimensions of the belt rail to the rivets on this B & O car. This kind of photo is very helpful in model making. I'm careful to measure the diameter of the rivets and the thickness and width of the belt rails.

8)  Don't forget to take photos of the ends of the car. Noticed the rain gutters and the "B" marks. Be sure to measure the dimensions of the "B" mark, using your measuring stick . . . unless you are extremely tall. Little details like this go a long way in making your model look like the real thing. Our new Wheels of Time bilevel coaches will feature these rain gutters, and our SP model will have the little "B" letterings too.

By the way, don't forget to reserve your bilevel coaches today* from your favorite dealer or directly on our site ... and go out and document your own favorite piece of rolling stock or vehicle!   

*Deadline extended until the end of this month since most people are on holidays.

I hope you will have Happy New Year. May you find much health, meaning and joy to celebrate in 2011.  

5:15 PM Train Time (A Photo Essay)

Etched into memory forever is the oscillating flash of the locomotive’s light, the hiss of air, the sound of tickets being punched, the clickety-clack of the rails, the sing-song call of the next stop, the squeal of brakes, a sea of humanity carried through the peak hours by a parade of 7- to 10-car trains. The commuter remembers the distinctive throb of the Fairbanks-Morse OP engine bringing us up to speed, the chant of the EMD 16-cylinder 567 prime mover ... even the sterile turbocharged whine of the EMD 20-cylinder 645. Watch your step! All aboard! Enjoy your ride into history.  (And remember to reserve your set of bilevel commute coaches by 12/28/10.)

GP-9 accelerating out of Burlingame during the morning rush hourMorning, June 1981, Train No. 129 enters 4th & Townsend with EMD GP40P-2 leading a train of 72-ft Suburban CoachesMorning train No. 43 rounding the curve for the last lap into the City ... bilevel coach shown is a 1968 Pullman-Standard built carThis was taken when I was a little with my 110 Kodak Instamatic Camera: Car No. 3723 is an ACF built 1957 bilevel coach that Wheels of Time is currently recreating (see http://wheelsotime.com/bilevel-commute-coach)One of a kind Caltrain-painted-&-leased SP locomotive 3187 with bilevel coaches leaving in the afternoonEvening rush hour with SDP45 in commandSP Train No. 42 rounding 7th Street with EMD SW1500 switching a set of bilevel coachesTrain No. 151 at San Jose waiting to leave for a night run up the Peninsula ... notice the portable red light that hangs on the metal gate

SHIPPING & UPDATE

We are shipping our 70-ft heavyweight baggage-express cars through next week. They look really nice. Yours truly is packing the orders. Our ADA Station Platform Warning Bands in HO- and N-scales are being made. Be sure to check out the bilevel commute coaches (reservations due at your dealer or direct by Dec. 28th). These bilevels will have really fine printing and painting with two-level seating, like the real thing.