Technically, the "red lead" was not a true "paint". It
was a mixture of linseed oil and powdered red lead
oxide (called plumbago in the trade). It was mixed up,
on the spot, into a thin paste (something like the
graphite mixture for fireboxes and smokeboxes) and
applied with a brush. This was considered work for the
roundhouse laborers. It was nasty stuff.
John
--- William Barber <clipperw@EarthLink.net> wrote:
> John and Marshall,
>
> Thanks for your responses. I knew this topic had
> been discussed before.
> John's response fits in with what I recall my dad
> talking about years
> ago (He was a Q fan and RR enthusiast from about age
> 5 in 1917 on). He
> indicated that the red cab roofs dated back many
> years, long before
> WWII. "Red cab roofs in the 20's probably makes
> sense since the first
> steel cab roofs on the Q most likely date to the
> "teens"(O-1's or S-1's
> maybe?). It would take some time for corrosion to
> occur and by the
> '20's, it was probably observed. Red lead paint was
> the answer. Pennsy
> painted the tank tops of their tenders with red lead
> paint for the same
> reason. As you noted, John, the color is difficult
> to discern in old
> photos and B&W is all but impossible. Dad took a few
> color steam photos
> before the war. I need to go through them. He did
> have a shot of #5626
> at DG in 1940 when it was brand new. I am not sure
> that the angle is
> good enough to see the roof. I need to find for that
> one.
>
> Bill Barber
>
> On Sunday, August 3, 2003, at 12:10 AM,
> BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>
> > Message: 7
> > Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 11:43:10 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: "John D. Mitchell, Jr."
> <cbqrr47@yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: Digest Number 1764
> >
> > We have been all through this before. The red
> roofs
> > were not a "paint scheme". They were "red leaded"
> to
> > prevent and arrest corrosion as needed. The
> practice
> > began circa 1920(on steel cabs) and remember
> before
> > that time many cabs had wooden roofs covered with
> > canvas. After that time, many engines had red lead
> on
> > the roofs and many did not and the coal smoke
> stains
> > made it hard to tell.
> > John
>
>
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