There was a time when railroad historians in Colorado believed that the fancy domes on baldwin locomotives were made of brass, effectively pulling 1850s style onto 1880s locomotives.
What you're seeing on the domes is simply from the varnish on the paint (or glossy paint) reflecting the light. Assuming the K37's were painted in the same style as the the 36's the paint specs per Earl would be as follows:
"Gloss Black, but with Russian Black jackets"
If you read my post here:
What is Russian Black?
As I outlined from documentation available online thanks to google books, this would be a different shade of black, more gray than a gloss black.
Most likely 490 is wearing this style of paint job.
Unless someone finds absolute documentation that the 490's were BUILT with Green Jackets, the logical window of possible green jackets is diminishing with further research.
That being said, someone needs actual physical documentation NOT circumstantial photographs.
Andrew Brandon
A fixture here since Y2k.
[
www.pacificng.com]
[
www.spnghs.org]
"An end to red domes in our lifetime!"