Does anyone know a source or formula for PRR Tuscan Green paint. I want to refinish an F7 to match an Athearn BB kit I have. It is in a very dark green with five gold stripes. I have taken the time to detail it somewhat and now need another unit to go with it.
Thanks in advance.
I don’t believe that there is any such thing a Tuscan green. I think Tuscan is more associated with a red color. And from what little I know about PRR red, many of the PRR modelers can’t agree on that color, anyway.
I believe that you mean Brunswick green. Some have defined that color as 55 gallons of black paint with a gallon of green thrown in. Scalecoat makes this color. However a friend of mine asked me to paint something for him using it and was disappointed with the shade. It turned out too green. He had used the paint previously and had been satisfied. Possibly they changed the formula.
I believe that Floquil also makes a Brunswick green, but I can’t tell you how accurate it is nor whether or not it would match what’s on the Athearn model.
As a Pennsy modeler (by no means a expert) I have not heard of Tuscan Green. It is either called Brunswick Green or DGLE (Dark Green Locomotive Enamel) (depending on who you ask). You are right about Tuscan Red being in multiple shades. I attended Prototype Rails earlier this year and was told during a PRR passenger car seminar that there are actually 3 shades based on the year of paintiing (dosen’t make it easy).
I just airbrushed Brunswick Green from Scalecoat onto a Proto 2000 PA unit after installing hand grabs and train phone (hood and roof only). Initially it looked very green but after drying and a spray of a flat finish it looked very close to the original color on the loco and I really like the quuality of the finish. I also recieved several compliments for the loco at my club I go to.
Scalecoat also has Tuscan Red and Dark Tuscan Red. The Tuscan Red is a good match to several Diesels (E-7) that I own.
Hope this helps.
PS-I am not connected with Scalecoat.
You’ll find many discrepancies in what PRR’s green was and just as many variations in what each model paint manufacturer interprets that color to be as well.
The general consensus is either Brunswick Green, which is on the greener side of the debate. Or Dark Green Locomotive Enamel, which in some light conditions looks black. Neither is confirmed to be correct or wrong though.
Matching with your existing F7 will be tough unless you can find out what it’s painted with.
The table at this link should tell you what you need to know about mixing paint to match PRR colors:
Thanks for the help guys. At least I know that the green is generally called Brunswick Green now.
Utley26 - thanks for the link. I’ll use one of the suggested paints or formulas and see what happens.
One thing to keep in mind is our layout’s lighting tends to make models look darker than they really are. The correct shade of green for a PRR engine or car that looks correct in bright sunlight may look way too dark on the model. Sometimes you may need to use a slightly lighter shade to get the right “look” on the layout.
Please note, the PRR never painted a F7 in the 5 stripe scheme. The only freight units that had that scheme were the FP7’s and Baldwin Sharks. And when they were repainted they were done in the single stripe freight scheme.
Athearn did a foobie paint scheme on that F7 that they have followed in all the years of their existence.
Rick
I remember PRR FP7s in the early PC era still painted in the PRR garb. The weathered ones look more green than color photos I have seen of PRR units just painted and almost a glossy black. But even when new, in bright light, you could still see some green, IMO, based on slides and movies. Years later I bought a Saturn automobile. When I first bought it I just thought it was black. But then I noticed in bright sunlight that it was a very dark green. I didn’t pay attention to the color paint number but a friend of mine who has researched railroad paints tells me that many railroad colors have been used in the automobile industry but with different names! He has been able to research this through paint manufacturers, paint mixes and by painting samples.