Cab interior colors

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

It’s probably been asked before. I tried a search and got only product reviews. What color were the interior cab colors of CB&Q F and E unit diesels?

2

From what I remember, they were a pale green/gray color. Remember that ‘Sea foam Green’ that the military liked to use inside of buildings? There was only a single F unit left when I worked there, but I did ride in several E units and they had the same color, as did the EMD GP’s & SD’s. Alco like to use a Machinery Grey. Current EMD engines have a Tan/Beige interior color. I suspect that is the ‘default’ color if the customer does not specify anything else. I am sure there are variations as required by the customer.

Jim

3

Thanks for the informaton

4

Railroads in general used a light grayish-green (sometimes called “industrial green”) for interiors of just about anything - locomotives (steam or diesel), cabooses, passenger cars, stations, roundhouses, etc. Tamiya makes a paint called I believe “Cockpit green” that is pretty close.

5

This “mens room toilet partition green” color was manufactured and still is…by Ditzler /PPG. The NYC, at least, used Ditzler “Suede Grey”…but I cannot remember the actual name of the green color. A buddy of mine bought a quart in Detroit a few years ago to do just this…paint the interiors of his O Scale P&D and Red Caboose geep cabs and a couple of heavyweight sleepers.

I saw it…was right on. A little surfing might produce results.

6

Here’s an obsolete paint chart from NYC drawing No. X-73756 Lettering Numbering & Painting Diesel Locomotives dated December 11, 1946 and made obsolete on 10-24-1963. Obviously, CB&Q may have specified other colors but here is a reference to the Suede Gray for the engine room and Dulux Green for the cab interior.

I do recall spending time in many F-7s in the Cleveland area and the cab interiors were still the Dulux Green then (early '70s) When engines were shopped cab interior repainting was way down on the priority list so I would guess many went to the scrapper with the original Dulux Green.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s319/centralpullman/NYCEMDPaint.jpg

Here’s a photo in the cab of Wabash 671 in the Bellevue, OH NKP Museum. I would assume the museum folks kept the restoration as accurate as possible so here is an example of light gray. Perhaps there is a Burlington Route historical society that may be of help? In THIS PICTURE anyway, you can see the Barco speed recorder IS green!

http://www.burlingtonroute.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pos=14

Thanks, ED

7

Thank you all

8

Humbrol Duck Egg Blue…or Duck Egg Blue with a touch of Sky Type S (the underside color of DeHavilland Mosquito WW2 aircraft).

abd