I don’t know about the rest of you blokes, but I like Black Painted steam locomotives. It think it gives a more industrial look to the locomotive fleet. This being said, I think that Steam Locomotives designed for passenger service could maintain a color scheme.
Form before function or function before form?
What say you…
The thing to remember is that we sometimes have the old rose tinted glasses on were steam is concerned.In the steam loco days,that was it.
Just like any vehicle,there will be the show pieces.Everything else will just be a workhorse.
I live near a steam train musrum/tourist line. The road engines are all black but there is a 0-4-0 tank engine (my favorite) that’s painted green. I will probably paint my Porter green as well.
Walt
Yes,
The “work horse” idea versus the “show piece” sums up best what I was trying to convey.
Thanks,
Capt Carrales
I think the more arcane and 19th century locomotives were more decorative. There is, or was, a need to show off the pride in the locomotive. As time went on, the pride was in the size and performance. Then…it all ended!!![:(]
Capt Carrales
Steam Locomotives aren’t all black all over. That’s what makes them so interesting. Next time you go looking at the real thing, look for the contrasting colors.
Black, silver, and greys all go excellent together. Even today there are pictures taken in black and white!
I prefer color… however it is not always used. This may be why I like the British and European style engines… Have a look at the Indian Railways, what a riot! Spent some time on a Russian web site last evening, the interurbans shown are quite brite, must be a relief from a drab state of affairs. This color, no color but black is one of the great things about Model Railroading and certainly Garden Railroading, my road will be reflecting abit of realism but much more imagination, (IMHO) stealing from CSNY, “Marakesh Express”.
This too is true. When I paint a locomotive in a black…industrial…paint scheme, I try to include silvers and even brass. I even try to use different textures and “shades” of black to grey.
Dreyfus Hudson, Milwaukee Hiawatha, the more colorful -the more I like’em!
I’m not a fan an “all black” locomotive. Their existance–espeically prior to the 1920s is an invention of the model manufacturers. Boiler jackets up until that time were almost never painted, but were bare metal (Russian or American iron–a plannished finish resistant to rust, typically fairly reflective, and generally charcoal grey to blue to brown in color depending on the process used to make it.)
The “standard” Baldwin locomotive color from the 1880s forward was actually olive green. If a railroad didn’t specify a color, the loco got shipped with olive green paint on everything except the firebox, boiler jacket, and smoke box. Many railroads specified black because it made maintenance very easy.
Most of my locos are basically black with metal boiler jackets.
In this case, I’m using Testor’s ModelMaster “Metalizing” paint to simulate a russian iron boiler jacket.
When shown outside under a blue sky, you get a very realistic blue cast to it:
I also use brass sheet that’s been chemically blackened:
I also like the look of a stained cab to give a locomotive just a punch of color. Call it a holdover from the gilded age.
Later,
K
Color for the Crack Varnish , highlight the cylinders ends, air tanks, cab roofs.
Mikadousrp
Hi Capt Carrales
Black for the freight, mixed trafic and shunting locomotives.
Colour and ornate lining out for the top link passanger locomotives the more ornate the better on the passanger locomotives these where the pick us we are the better railway locomotives as they where the ones out in the public eye.
The freighters trundeld by at night and early morning in a lot of places and rugged practicality is the rule with them.
regards John
Mine are all black save one. I rather like my green and gold loco.
Function before form…but the showpiece locs are great!
underworld
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