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From: " JOHN J. OLSON & DEBBIE NIESS" <trains@j...>
To: BRHS <BRHSlist@egroups.com>
Subject: Painting CB&Q 'F' units
Date: Mon, Nov 20, 2000, 10:51 AM
Dear Members,
Over the course- there have been many discussions about painting CB&Q
'F' units and JUST WHAT COLOR WERE THEY? Everyone sees colors differently
and I have mentioned that I have had good success with mixing ScaleCoat
paints. I like the 'in use' washed out (sort of chalky) look the 'Q' F units
seemed to take on after a few years of use. To get that look I have been
mixing ScaleCoat Reefer White and Maintenance of Way Gray 50/50 and then
thinning it about 25% with lacquer thinner. I have added some pictures of a
couple of my 'F' units to the store's web site at
<http://www.jimsjunction.com/depot/f_units.html>. The top photo is a better
representation of the actual color of my models and just like the photos of
F's- the shade varies according to lighting, which is obvious in the bottom
photo. Even when I am applying decals on the work bench- the color seems
different than when on the layout, but to me it seems correct (of course
this is my own opinion) . This is a very strange shade of 'not White', 'not
Gray'- but somewhere in between- and you could possibly 'warm' it a bit with
a drop of Red or Brown. Another thing I would like to pass on is this: I
just completed some factory painted Stewart Ph IV F-3's by adding the
Passenger Pilot from CalScale, Detail Associates grab irons, lift rings etc.
and found that mixing Polly Scale Reefer White and SCL Hopper Car Beige
50/50 gives you a real close color match. I airbrushed this by thinning it
40% with 70% variety Isopropyl Alcohol (not 91%). The Stewart factory paint
has a little more Tan in it but actually blends in very well with my custom
painted ones after a little road grime. I didn't like the nose Herald or the
Red Stripe (too thin) Stewart used through the port holes on the side of the
units so I carefully masked the nose after I attached the passenger pilot
and, saving the thin Red Stripe stripe over the nose and under the cab
windows by masking it- and removing the number boards, I airbrushed the
whole nose of the unit back to the cab steps with the Polly Scale mixture
(don't worry about the Red stripe through the Portholes). I feathered the
paint when I was close to the masking tape so it wouldn't show a definition
line. I simply painted over the factory winged Herald and after a coat of
Glosscote, I re-decaled the nose with a Micro-Scale nose herald. The stripes
on the wings are the same color as the unit (not bright White) and
Micro-Scale now leaves that part clear on the winged decal. I also applied
the Micro-Scale wide Red/Black bordered Stripes over the existing ones
through the Porthole areas and up to the number board area on the repainted
nose, so they match the stripes on my custom painted ones and Stewart's
factory painted FT's. After numbering, a coat of semi-flat finish,
weathering etc- the units fit in quite nicely with the rest of the fleet. I
don't like the heavy BURLINGTON Stewart used on the sides of the units- but
I didn't want to completely strip the units and start over- so I left the
lettering alone. One might be able to mask the lettered area and repaint it
after scraping off the existing lettering though. Alcohol or Solvaset won't
remove the lettering- I tried! Just thought I would share what I have
stumbled across- with you. Email me if you have any questions or if this
information is confusing in any way.
John Olson- BRHS member
Jim's Junction
Billings, Mt.
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