I am currently building a Walthers Steam shed from a new kit and I have an old ,identical used kit that I have managed to take apart with the intention of cutting to make the inside of the outer walls and to fit the windows actually in the openings rather than on the back of the walls. I hope this makes sense.
What I would like to know is what the colour of the inside of the walls would have been when the shed was newly built or were the walls left unpainted brick. I am modelling Canadian Pacific and I intend to light it internally as a site of preservation, for F units and an H1b Hudson.
If anyone can help with info, Iwould be very grateful
Here in the USofA, the old steam and early diesel facilities of the major RRs were done in dictated official “color schemes”. Typical colors were “institutional” green or beige of various shades for interiors. Of course many of the brick/stone structures had unfinished walls inside, which soon turned to grey/brown/black depending on what went on in the structure.
Other RRs (without official color schemes) did “whatever” - meaning they either did not paint interiors or used whatever colors were more readily available and/or cheapest.
The sad fact many of us MRs refuse to accept is that anything in/near/around early RR facilities - especially those where loco/cars were worked on - soon became very dirty and grimy…
I have to agree withMobilman44 that dirt and grime in the extreme were what was on the inside and outside of these structures. This is rarely modeled as well as it should be.
The old CPR roundhouse in Vancouver was a brick building, the interior walls were painted white, there was also a 4’ or 5’ maroon (surprise) strip at ground level. The ceiling was unpainted, raw wood looked like a dark grey, a few areas were still kind of brownish grey.
Thankyou Batman , For the suggestion regarding the BC Archives, when I have an evening to spare I will look at this in more depth. Certainly very interesting.
Do you think that the maroon strip was the same colour as used in the 1960/70s, on the Locomotives at that time.?? I’m not surprised to learn that white was used for interior walls, many sheds here in the U.K. had similar finishes applied. Needless to say that it didn,t stay that way very long.
When I get nearer to finishing this shed I will try and do some photos and post them here. I have to say that my modelmaking skills far surpass my photographic skills,but we’ll see.
Yes, the maroon paint was very similar if not the same as the maroon used on the steamers and the diesels.
When I was in the roundhouse there were no steamers inside, although there were a couple outside on the dead tracks. The maroon paint seemed to me a match to the couple of diesels that were in the roundhouse at the time.
Check this link out too. The Vancouver Roundhouse Don refers to is still in existence, although as a cultural center. On their web site they have a short history, with photos, of the building. You can clearly see in one of the photos that shows 2860 inside the coloring that Don talks about.