Was there a perticular color for santa fe mow track side buildings or “shacks”? Thanks
Hi,
Welcome to the Forum!
You didn’t mention the time period you were interested in, so there may be “multiple correct answers”. For the postwar (WWII) era, especially in the southwest, the colors tended to be predominantly a pale yellow with brown trim. In California this was often the case as well. When you get into the big cities, structures were typically brick.
I’m not certain about the pre-war years, nor the '80s/'90s.
Note that while the ATSF had standards - like pretty much every major RR - I’m sure there were deviations here and there for various reasons.
Hi Dave,
The answer to your question depends on the period you’re modeling and the location of the buildings. As of 1940, the Santa Fe’s color scheme for frame structures along main tracks was Colonial Yellow with Olive Green trim, white window sash, and Venetian Red roofing. By the mid 1950s the green trim was being omitted when structures were repainted, and by the late '60s the window sash were being painted Colonial Yellow instead of white.
In the 1970s and later, non-standard colors were allowed. Many frame structures in Southern California were an apple green, and barn red or white were commonly used on eastern parts of the system. Colonial Yellow continued to be the most common color along the Santa Fe’s lines in Texas.
From before 1940 and into the 1970s, frame structures in yards and shop areas away from main tracks were Mineral Brown, the Santa Fe’s version of “boxcar red.” Before the 1940s these buildings had Olive Green trim, but by the 1950s they were being painted solid Mineral Brown. Roofing was either black or less commonly Venetian Red.
So long,
Andy