Hi, I´m Christian from Germany,
I want to know the color of centerbeam cars on the CP-Rail? Walthers makes there cars red, blue and green. Is this depent on the provience or company…
Thanks for helping me!
Most of the CP Rail Centerbeam flatcars I’ve seen around here are red. I’ve seen a couple green ones too but not as many and none of the blue ones. Then again I live in Western Pennsylvania. Not exactly the heart of CP Rail territory. I’m sure others who live closer up North may have seen more including the blue ones.
Larry DeYoung, a Conrail freight expert, came up with the theory Conrail’s covered hoppers in mineral or chemical service were painted grey, while those used in agricultural service such as grain or feed were painted tuscan red.
So maybe that could be a theory as to why CP Rail painted it’s centerbeam flat cars different colors.
I’ve seen all three colors in my wanderings around the country, the US that is. The only significant thing I can note about the different colors is that I have seen the red ones for many years and have only seen the blue and green ones over the last 5 years or so. I may be wrong about that but it seems to me that the green and blue ones are newer.
From what I have seen, Walthers won’t paint a freight car in colours that don’t actually exist on the real thing.
Gordon