Greg Scholl Wrote:
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> I consider myself knowing little about early
> Narrow Gauge stuff, but can appreciate all that
> ornate detailed work. Question---is this what the
> car looked like originally, and were similar cars
> painted up this grand in the old days???
> It looks museum quality, and perhaps too good
> for most museums!!!! Geez I would hate to see you
> get it dirty!!!
> Nicely done!
> Greg
The colors might be a little "custom" for the reasons Mr. Markoff discusses, but that's very much what a first class coach of its era looked like. The different builders had their own preferred styling but all the major builders were quite ornate during the 1860's-1870's timeframe. Mere function wasn't enough; beauty was considered a requirement as well. The interiors were even prettier than the outside. Ornamentation often included printed or painted headliner, plush seat cushions, various hardwoods for the paneling, and brass fixtures.
Within a decade (by the mid 1880's) the level of detail was already in decline. There were a number of reasons for it, but the largest was the general switch from wood to coal fuel that took place during that period. Maintaining clean equipment had long been a significant expense for railroads but changing to coal, with the associated large amounts of filthy soot produced, made an always-difficult job virtually impossible. Locomotives changed from colorful to dark colors (often black) during this same period, and for the same reasons. The loss of beauty is unfortunate, but the large cost savings could not be ignored especially considering the general economic malaise of the time.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2019 03:59PM by James.
