Color of the Prime Mover?

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Hello all,

I am assembling the Walthers EMD 567 Prime Mover kit.

Most photos show the assembled model as silver or metallic in color.

I know from experience most diesel engines are painted; John Deer Green, Caterpillar Yellow, GM Blue or Orange.

I did a web search and found yet more colors; Light Blue, Submarine Gray and some with the valve covers painted in a darker shade of gray from the main block or even Safety Orange.

The era I model is from the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s Santa Fe.

Any thoughts?

2

Suggest google emd 567 and select the images tab. I don’t know how to copy / paste on the phone. You will see examples, but need to verify by shape any as 567.

Maybe someone knows the factory color and whether that changed. I would guess rebuild repaints could be by color preference as RRs might not care about originality.

Long version of I don’t know. I painted my model silver.

3

Photo posted by farrella on another thread:

GM567engine by Donald Schmitt, on Flickr

4

If it helps…

New York Central used DuPont Dulux Suede Gray Enamel 88-503

NYC EMD Paint by Edmund, on Flickr

PRR specifies Brown to Suede Gray to Medium Blue Gray:

PRR_paint_A_edited-1 by Edmund, on Flickr

Good Luck, Ed

5

I’m gonna be mean and say that the “engine room interior” does not necessarily mean the prime mover.

I’m gonna be un-mean and say that that is a very cool document.

Ed

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Here’s one…

Wayne

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I’d say prime movers are usually gray, or brown, maybe a dark slate.

8

Wow!

https://www.brasstrains.com/classic/Product/Detail/053590/HO-Brass-Model-Train-OMI-3501-1-EMD-Prime-Mover-Factory-Painted

Nice!

Some decent photos here…

http://www.rypn.org/articles/layout/060301cook/default.htm

Ed

9

Most prime movers I have ever seen are grey

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“Wow!” is a very conservative description.

11

EMD painted most of their engines either gray or gold. Gold is not metallic. It is actually closer to dulux, a tan/brown color.

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I have seen pictures of EMD engines painted the same “Alpine Green” as many Detroit Diesels, but I cannot say the model or vintage of these.

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Every EMD stationary engine I have worked on has been gray, but these were not locomotive engines.

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John Deere green is a unique color nothing like Alpine Green. Euclid green is almost neon when it is new, yuck.

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As far as I know Caterpillar engines have always been yellow except in some marine applications.

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Cummins engines have been gold, then beige, then black, now red. In marine applications they are usually light gray or white. Cummins will paint engines almost any color to match customer’s desires. In construction/logging/agricultural applications Cummins engine can be any color of the rainbow.

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Detroit Diesel have been Alpine Green or Silver. When Detroit Diesel began marketing 4 stroke diesels in 1989/1990 they went to a bluish gray color. Most Detroit Diesels in marine applications are white, but some are Alpine Green. Johnson and Towers (J&T) or Stewart and Stephenson (S&S) rebuilds of 2 stroke Detroit Diesels are almost always white, but some special J&T engines I have seen have been light metallic blue.

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Every Fairbanks Morse Engine I have worked on has been gray, but these are so old that there is really no way of knowing what they were when new.

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In some applications, like Kohler Generators, the prime mover will be painted to match the equipment. Kohler paints all there engines Gold. Onan painted them green, but now most Onan (now Cummins Power Generation) applications are gray or beige.

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So, unless you do not have a good color picture, good old “medium equipment gray” will always be a safe bet and will look right.

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Can any

12

Here’s a shot of the GP35 at the 1964 World’s Fair:

My recollection is that GM also had a (possibly cutaway) prime mover inside their building.

Ed

13

Ed,

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Thank you. Great photograph, and that shows the gold color I know EMD used at one point. It is more “yellow” than “Caterpillar Yellow”, but close enough for modeling purposes.

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-Kevin

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14

Kevin,

Looking at the picture, I do agree that the color is pretty much dulux imitation gold. Which is the same color of “yellow” used for the SP&S broadstripe scheme.

Ed

15

+1

16

Hello all,

Wow Kevin!

Thanks for all the great information!! Just what I was hoping for!!!

I was considering John Deer Green or a Marine Blue for the prime mover.

Now I’m leaning towards the Medium Gray.

Thanks for all the input from everyone!

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Glad to help.

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You can’t really go wrong, there is an example for everything… even this colorful nightmare of a prime mover:

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That is an actual 1,500 HP Cummins KTTA50-G2 prime power engine driving a one megawatt Katolight generator. The ridiculous color scheme comes from the plant manager wanting EVERYTHING color coded.

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Yuck!

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-Kevin

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18

Hello all,

I’m not going to ask about the pink (what appears to be) turbocharger!

I decided on a rattle can paint color called “Gibraltar” (EasyCare; True Value house brand #223470).

It’s a light gray; I would consider “Submarine Gray”, with a “satin”- -what used to be know as semi-gloss, finish.

It looks great!

Again, thank you all for your input!

Hope this helps.

Post Script: I didn’t waste my money on the John Deer Green and Marine Blue rattle can paints. I painted the generators from the American Model Builders #212 kit; Generator Flat Car Load, in these schemes.

j.j.

19

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You are correct, that is the turbine housing of the turbocharger, and the outlet connection elbow. I believe these parts were originally painted brown, but the paint would not stand up to the temperatures of these parts, and it burned into the pink color.

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-Kevin

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