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Why was red paint so common?

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kcsivils

November 26, 2017 08:19PM

Registered: 10 years ago
Posts: 735

When reading descriptions of early railroad equipment, it was obvious the equipment was painted in a wide range of colors, given elaborate trim, or both.

The bean counters put a halt to that when it was time to repaint.

With coal being a common fuel, it does seem to make sense to paint locomotive black to hide the gritty, grimy finish resulting from daily use.

Why did box car red and all of its variations become the common color on wooden rolling stock?

What was the reasoning, if any - i.e, branding, for the use of other colors?

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Subject	Author	Posted
Why was red paint so common?	kcsivils	November 26, 2017 08:19PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Earl	November 26, 2017 08:30PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Everett Lueck	November 26, 2017 09:54PM
Red Barn	Rich Muth	November 27, 2017 08:19AM
Re: Red paint was dirt cheap - literally . . .	Russo Loco	November 27, 2017 12:04PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Wayne Hoskin	November 28, 2017 04:46AM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Johnson Barr	November 28, 2017 11:25AM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Brian Norden	November 26, 2017 09:55PM
BIllboard cars	hank	November 27, 2017 10:05AM
Re: BIllboard cars	Brian Norden	November 27, 2017 09:55PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	RDannemann	November 27, 2017 09:11AM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	James	November 27, 2017 11:35AM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	rdamurphy	November 27, 2017 11:48AM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Tomstp	November 27, 2017 05:48PM
Zinc chromate hue.	pd3463	November 27, 2017 06:22PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	Randy Hees	November 27, 2017 08:11PM
Re: Why was red paint so common?	bcp	November 27, 2017 06:56PM
Re: Why were stock cars black?	Ron Keagle	November 29, 2017 11:28AM
Re: Why were stock cars black?	Randy Hees	November 30, 2017 08:56AM
Re: Why were stock cars black?	Earl	November 30, 2017 08:57AM
Red versus Black	Ron Keagle	December 01, 2017 09:05AM

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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter

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