Re: BC&F Class 56 #1 "Perins Peak"
| September 24, 2020 04:45PM |
Joe Weigman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do y'all suppose the colors of this
> locomotive were? I'd think most of the Lettering
> and Striping were yellow/gold leaf, with a brown
> tender and domes, and maybe just a stained cab,
> but as to the Boiler jacket I have no clue except
> for Russia iron blue or maybe just black.
>
> Sorry if these questions I'm asking seem oddly
> specific, I've been conducting some research on
> the BC&F for a project I'm working on.
>
> Thanks in advance.
Cab and dome covers, at least, appear to have been replaced versus as-built condition.
Striping most probably would've been either yellow or white/aluminum paint. Black was the most common overall base "repaint" color by circa 1900, figure that unless you have some reason to think otherwise. The Rio Grande was re-painting its engines to a black scheme with minimal trim during the 1890's which is what this engine presumably would've been repainted from. Brown with a bare-finish cab would've been more typical of 1865-1875 styling, decades out of fashion by that time--this engine didn't even look like that when it was newly-built circa 1880--originally green, including the cab. It's possible of course that an old-fashioned style was used if your research indicates the company officers had a fondness for the older styling, but that wouldn't be my first assumption for the turn of the century period.
Russian iron wasn't blue any more than bare metal chrome car bumpers were blue. That's a myth originating from misconception. You get a blue reflection sometimes if it reflects the sky on the clear day. Otherwise it was medium-dark grey, sometimes with some greenish or brownish hue due to lack of consistent quality control between production batches. This engine was built with an "american iron" jacket instead; the difference was that the domestic material was rolled instead of hammered, with better consistency of appearance, but the same idea applies. Figure medium to dark grey, maybe nearly black in low light--certainly not blue
-------------------------------------------------------
> What do y'all suppose the colors of this
> locomotive were? I'd think most of the Lettering
> and Striping were yellow/gold leaf, with a brown
> tender and domes, and maybe just a stained cab,
> but as to the Boiler jacket I have no clue except
> for Russia iron blue or maybe just black.
>
> Sorry if these questions I'm asking seem oddly
> specific, I've been conducting some research on
> the BC&F for a project I'm working on.
>
> Thanks in advance.
Cab and dome covers, at least, appear to have been replaced versus as-built condition.
Striping most probably would've been either yellow or white/aluminum paint. Black was the most common overall base "repaint" color by circa 1900, figure that unless you have some reason to think otherwise. The Rio Grande was re-painting its engines to a black scheme with minimal trim during the 1890's which is what this engine presumably would've been repainted from. Brown with a bare-finish cab would've been more typical of 1865-1875 styling, decades out of fashion by that time--this engine didn't even look like that when it was newly-built circa 1880--originally green, including the cab. It's possible of course that an old-fashioned style was used if your research indicates the company officers had a fondness for the older styling, but that wouldn't be my first assumption for the turn of the century period.
Russian iron wasn't blue any more than bare metal chrome car bumpers were blue. That's a myth originating from misconception. You get a blue reflection sometimes if it reflects the sky on the clear day. Otherwise it was medium-dark grey, sometimes with some greenish or brownish hue due to lack of consistent quality control between production batches. This engine was built with an "american iron" jacket instead; the difference was that the domestic material was rolled instead of hammered, with better consistency of appearance, but the same idea applies. Figure medium to dark grey, maybe nearly black in low light--certainly not blue
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.