NYC and UP colors

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

It is recomended for the reader to read this forum befire continuing.

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1303122/ShowPost.aspx

Anyway, Would Union Pacific’s two tone grey passenger cars match with NYC’s smoothside cars?

2

Avenger–

Though both UP and NYC used similar shades of two-tone gray, the colors were reversed by the two railroads. NYC’s dark gray was used to outline the windows, and UP used their light gray in the same manner on their two-tone gray “Overland” cars. But that shouldn’t deter you from using either road’s cars in the other’s consist, as UP and NYC had an agreement (shared with the Pennsylvania) for New York sleepers to travel west on the UP/SP/CNW “Overland Limited” and “Overland” cars to travel east to New York on the NYC.

Tom

3

Thanks, though some of my passenger cars have the same two-tone grey as the UP-Dark in the middle, Light around the windows.

Or is the manufacture of the models wrong??

4

NYC used several different gray schemes. I believe for the 1936 version of the 20th Century Limited with the Dreyfuss designed Hudson, they used light gray with a dark gray band. When the Century was first dieselized, they continued that pattern and the original E units were painted in a light gray but they soon switched both the locos and cars to the dark gray with light gray band. I have pictures of both schemes in the same train.

I’m guessing you have the Rivarossi versions of the UP and NYC passenger cars which both use a similar light gray scheme. I used to have a freelanced UP layout and now have a freelanced NYC so I am familiar with both schemes. They were similar enough that it was easy to confuse them at first glance.

5

My cars are 8 years plus IHC smoothside passenger cars. the 4 axle type.

6

The Rivarossi and IHC cars might be one and the same. At one time, IHC was the distributor for Rivarossi products and the passenger cars I’ve seen in IHC ads look the same as the Rivarossi cars I own. Look at the bottom of the cars and see if you can see the Rivarossi logo (a double R) and the words Made in Italy embossed near one of the trucks.