I’m going to be restoring a set of Lionel 710/710/712 passenger cars, and I’m going to paint them red. I’ve found a place that sells prewar color paints, but there are different shades available. The choice for reds is either the #219 or the brighter #252. Which one is the more appropriate color?
That’s a hard one.
The TCA Pre-War Book shows production of the 710/712 cars as 1924 to 1934, with 4 or 6 wheel trucks and painted red, orange, and blue. The Lionel catalogs show the switch from orange to red in 1930 and to blue in 1933. They were cataloged with 4 wheel trucks except in 1933 and 1934.
The TCA Lionel “Chip Chart” shows “Red #8 & 248 Loco”, “Light Red #517 & 817 Caboose”, and “Vermillion #1685-1687 Bodies”. Of the three cabooses on my shelve, the oldest is the #817 and it is a darker red. The #657 is a much lighter red and the #1682 is the lightest red.
from what I remember of prewar Passenger cars it seems there a lot closer to the red that you have with 252.
Thanks for the advice! I figured the #252 would be the closest, but I wanted to make sure before buying a half-pint can of paint.