I’m looking for a “shaker can” brand and color or a Polly Scale formula that will give me the yellow-gold color of the Durango & Silverton cars. Hoping that narrow gauge scratch builders may be able to guide me. Not a purist, so a shaker can that is close will be workable for me. Dick
Here’s one that is close. I bought some RTR narrowgauge passenger cars decorated for the Rio Grande based on Swiss narrowgauge cars. I need a baggage/RPO to go with these, so bought a Swiss-decorated car and repainted it.
I used Valspar 5339-07 Transport Yellow on the baggage/RPO.
In this second pics, you can see the coach as it was painted from the factory. In my eye, it’s too orange.
In fact, the Valspar I used on the baggage/RPO may be closer to the color used on the Silverton cars. For another alternative, I found Rustoleum Painter’s Touch 249862 Gloss Marigold pretty close, so that’s an alternative. I just thought the match on the Valspar was better.
This is helpful. We rode the D&S this summer and I wanted to makeup a short train in G. I agree that the coach seems too orange also. The D&S cars seem quite yellow in person and in pictures but some of the models are on the orange side. I will check out the Valspar and Marigold - I looked up the Marigold swatch on the net and it seems more to my liking. I do notice that the Durango and Silverton G cars Bachmann sells in the sets are much towards the yellow, but their D&RG Jackson Sharp cars are very orange - I thought the prototypes were the same; maybe not. I got a good buy on some D&RG cars and have some unpainted kits also. I’ll no doubt end up painting anything I buy to all match. Dick
Mike,
That color is pretty darned close, though I think just a hair darker would be perfect. As you note, they are a slight orange-yellow and not a yellow-orange. Paint matching is an art and subject to a lot of different opinions on subtile shades. Until they wake up and make the ever popular Valspar D&RGW or D&S yellow, the “marigold” one you quoted will do just fine.
I note the Atlas reefer ad on this site just to the left of this posting is close…
Richard
Went shopping for paint today (40 miles to Home Depot or Lowes) and neither had these numbers and color names in the Valspar or Painter’s Touch stock. But on the way home I did stop at Tractor Supply and found that they do have a yellow-gold that looks pretty good (did not note the number at this point). But I waited until I got home and did a search. Home Depot does have the Valspar under that part number but it is not called Marigold on the can. The product description says it is a marigold color but that is not the color name on the can. So, confusing. But it is quite yellow compared to the Tractor Supply, which is just a shade more gold… Found the Painter’'s Touch color and number is sold at ACE. Will have to find an ACE store. Next trip to town I will get something - but I do like the Tractor Supply at this point. Compared it to all the other brands of yellow on the shelves and it does look quite good to me for the D&S color. Dick
Dick,
I’d say pick what looks good to your eyes, in your lighting.
Paint weathers and ages, so I actually like to hang on to the colors that are lighter than the best looking one. I use these for buildings that I want to look older on the layout. I also have one that matches up to the depot color in Durango – to my eyes.
The range of variations makes things look family, but not cookie-cutter. I found the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch line selection offers this sort of range in shades, but I’m sure others work just as well.
For rolling stock, I tend to stick to the “right” color for my eye. Light weathering can also help with that and if you plan on doing that, it’s sometimes worth trying out before committing. Me? I’ll learn how to do more than spray a little Dull-cote one of these days…[swg]
Agree. I will be painting about eight cars and do want them look proper. I do remember some variation in the actual car colors, some no doubt due to age. My memory says the cars were close to a pure yellow. But I also have reviewed three websites with D&S prototype individual car photos and lots of independent photos. The vast majority of the photos have a definite orange cast to the yellow, i.e. is not “bright yellow” I guess in my definition, but I have train shots where the cars are more yellow - maybe bright sunlight?. Before I stated this thread I painted one car with a Fusion yellow that I thought looked good but when done I felt the car was too yellow. The can tops for the Fusion is pretty much the same as the Valspar and Painters Touch color too. I guess I will have to resolve this in my mind and just pick one that I like the best. (With the popularity of the D&S, maybe one of the paint makers could bottle this stuff). Thanks to all for the advice. I may post a photo of what I end up with. Dick
Dick, one thing to keep in mind is that the color is very subjective, and that all colors change to one degree or another with age, weather, and usage. A car may come out with a beautiful orange-yellow from the paint shop, and be faded to a much lighter color with 2-3 years of use. Buildings, and almost anything else will do the same, depending on age, weather, and exposure to the sun. so you can have two of the exact same type of cars standing next to each other and though both were painted with the exact same color, the one painted last year will look different from the one painted last week. Bottom line? Don’t worry too much about minor differences in the paint shade.