Structure colors?

What were the standard colors of Towers, Stations, and other trackside structures from the late 50's on. Some photos seem to show that there was light gray w/ dark gray trim. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

'morning, NYC-BKO. Most of the pictures I've seen in Nowak's and Doughty's color books show that those colors predominate. I believe that there was reference to that fact in the text. All of my lineside structures are various shades of light gray with darker gray trim. However, since I'm not a rivet counter or purest, my prototype-freelance layout accepts this as "good enough". I hope this helps a bit.

Ed

The only colors that I can recall seeing on the Michigan Central portion of the NYCS were light green as a base color, with dark green trim. I believe that Town Line Cabin in Dearborn was painted in a two tone brown scheme.

Many passenger stations, especially those on the Harlem Division, were painted a very light beige. It was almost a yellowed white, with chocolate brown trim.

Around 1961 or 1962, I recall the exterior of the enclosed passenger walkways over the tracks at both Dobbs Ferry NY, and Pleasantville, NY, were painted JADE GREEN. The Central must have ordered too much of it for their rolling stock! We used to joke that they had so much of it in warehouses, that Penn Central HAD to use it up!

The first time we saw the jade green paint job at Dobbs Ferry, we were shocked. Perhaps it was an effort to discourage people from using their passenger trains! They painted fences, towers, you name it. Jade Green for a while was the color of the day.

Dieter.

The brown and beige (cream) colors that Dieter mentions seemed to be unique to the Electric Division buildings. It seems to me that the brown trim had originally been a very deep maroon, but it was weathered.

Everywhere else that I worked on the System, the standard had been gray with dark green trim, but the trim colors were eliminated sometime in the late 1950's. Then the buildings were just painted gray, with no trim colors.

Before the green and gray, I'm sure that I remember as a very young kid (< 10 years old) that stations like Ardsley and other wood buildings had been more of a light yellow-green with dark green trim. I think that was a pre-WWII scheme (like me).

The "Jade Green" for some buildings looked like someone's "bright idea." I remember that the roundhouse at Clearfield, PA, was silver with "Jade Green" trim. It looked AWFUL!! I think some people became carried away with whatever paint they had immediately before the annual inspections by A. E. Perlman.

When I worked on the Electric Division in 1960-61, I lived in Dobbs Ferry. I know that the overpass there had not been repainted before September, 1961, but I think I remember seeing it later in that awful green.

I can testify to BOTH colors at Ossining! Was photographing ACMU's in Ossining tonight, and paint is peeling from the steel structure of the platform canopies... top layer- Conrail/MTA/MN standard rusty brown oxide paint. Layer beneath that- jade green (looks like PC jade to me, could be wrong), and beneath that, a creamy yellow color.

I bet the colors of passenger stations changed as they passed into private ownership as the NYC sold them off after 1956... Katonah, NY station on the Harlem Div was cream colored, bright red, and others...

-otto-

Otto~

I hope you kept the LARGEST peeling chips you could pull off the structure, without being seen. I remember years ago reading about people taking paint chips off of rolling stock and structures. They used the chips to match up the proper paint on their models, and for historical reference. You don't see anyone anymore writing; "Oh, I have paint chips from an E-8, and the RIGHT COLOR IS......". So, has this practice been abandoned, or has the concept just not occured to the next generation?

Rest assured from this eye witness, that the green paint you saw was New York Central Jade Green. The Penn Central didn't paint ANYTHING unless absolutely forced. Goodness knows, they didn't even have enough money to finish painting all their aquired rolling stock from the merger. Don't forget that paint has been somewhat bleached in the sun for who knows how long, and probably has a degree of embedded road grime on it.

Speaking of paint, have you seen the freshly painted New Haven Covered Wagons? Instead of Chinese red, they used something closer to fire engine red. That red will bleach out properly in another year or two.

Dieter.

I rember seeing color pics of both the New York Central and the Lehigh Valley here in Auburn, NY haveing there building being a lite Gray with Dark Gunship Gray Trim around the windows and doors. Train Station in Cayuga NY used to be Lite Ghost Gray with a Dark Gray Foundation and dark gray trim around the windows and doors I do recall the old fraght and baggage doors also being a solid dark gray. This dates back to befor the village baught the building and turned it into offices about 10 or 15 years ago.

I finally found it. I have a board from a WS (west of Chili Jct) building that
was removed in the 60's. It is grey and the stencil reads:
PAINTED - 9 - 1947.

I have a photo of the toolhouse at Coldwater (razed about 1996) and the stencil reads:

1 COAT STD BODY
1 COAT STD TRIM
PAINTED 9 - 195? (4th number obliterated)

This building was the green combination (dark/light) the lower shingled portion was dark
but all the trim around the windows and doors had peeled
and only weathered wood could be seen. The upper portion was panels of
wainscot and were very light green as was the underside of the overhang.
The rafter ends and fascia were dark green.

A m-o-w foreman bid on several WS buildings in the 60's and built a 2
story barn using all parts, even the siding shingles. He was so careful in demolition
that he never had to paint the new barn. The colors are still definable to this day.

For those interested in the correct identification of NYC and PC green colors the following applies:

1. New York Central was either Century Green, Pacemaker Green, DuPont Green or Pullman Green.

2. Penn Central was Deep Water Green.

There never was a color on the NYC called Jade Green.