C&S structure colors

[Keith Hayes]

Errands today found me at my local Benjamin Moore dealer.

Gere is a photo of the color chips referenced.



The C&S colors are on the left and the Burlington colors on the right.

I took the photo outside in North light on a winter day with partial clouds. We never fully trust color on screens due to the differences between screen rendering  (light which is RGB) and pigment  (which is RBY). For the truest match, you should order chips from Benjamin Moore,  but this gives the an idea of the hue and saturation for your reference.

[ComoDepot]

I would mention the shades were not quite as expected, UV kills paint at altitude, especially darker colours.

So you could justify lighter shades depending on how recent the building was repainted. And no I do not have those dates.

There were slight variations in the different layers of the same colours, seems that certainly in the early days paint was mixed on site, and the end result depended on how precise the paint mixer was.

[Jeff Ramsey]

I was curious what the B&M codes were for the Como depot in the pre gray and green scheme? Is it just a mineral red?

[ComoDepot]

Grey and Green is the original scheme.

[Jeff Ramsey]

I mean the color of this scheme. Could we assume the grey/green scheme appeared around 1908 as there is a chronicle of the dispatchers office being painted grey/green in 1908?

[Jeff Young]

Hi Jeff,

I wouldn't assume they went together.  In this earlier shot (1883/84), the depot is light, but the dispatcher's office is dark:



Cheers,
Jeff.

[South Park]

  Jeff,

  Not sure how they do things in Ireland, but the water tank in the middle of the tracks seems un-prototypical for any period of South Park ops that I am familar with.  

[South Park]

  In the photo above, does anyone know why locomotive #30 is listing to port ???  Seems odd to be at the depot/hotel looking like this.  Over at the roundhouse/service area makes more sense.

[Jeff Young]

South Park wrote

Jeff,

  Not sure how they do things in Ireland, but the water tank in the middle of the tracks seems un-prototypical for any period of South Park ops that I am familar with.  

He he... yeah, my engineer looks equally mystified.

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Chris Walker]

#30 has had an off, **** happens  

[ComoDepot]

With regards to the leaning loco, all the photographers I have shown it to have said it could not be a distortion in the negative, so it must have derailed?

[ComoDepot]

Back to colours.

Trim

White first which also appears in the interior and may have been a primer.

A thin layer of what seems to be a grayish primer

A thin layer of dark red brown, some separation between the red and brown.

Thin medium grey primer with the light grey on top, now this is a fairly substantial layer my assumption is the whole building was covered in this and then the trim picked out.

Then the lighter green.

Repainted, layer of dirt followed by the grey and green on top.

Then the very dark green Burlington final shade.

Siding

Med dark grey primer probably with a dark red on top.

Medium grey primer with the main thick layer of light grey on top.

Then the dirt layer with the grey on top, repainted.

Top layer of Dark red Burlington on top.


 

[ComoDepot]

So now the question is what do the early colours represent?

I do not know, so all is conjecture, now we know that the earliest photo shows the grey green. We know the Burlington scheme came in the 20's.

The photo above well it is not early and the platform is there so can not be 20's so my only supposition is that there is no paint of consequence?

So going back to the very early period. My understanding is that the grey/green was the early railroad scheme? Maybe I am wrong. Certainly the two extensions were cobbled together and may have come from other structures pre painted, but this sample was from above the entrance to the waiting room and original.

So was there a really early colour scheme, was the building painted when constructed with what was to hand, some have suggested that the main structure was re located, now bringing it up from Denver I find hard to believe but it does not match any other design. Not impossible it could have been somewhere local and repurposed and altered for Railroad needs.

[Robert McFarland]

What would the color scheme be as shown in 1879-80 photos of Dome Rock,Kenosha,and Webster which appear to be white(yellow?grey?)with no different trim color?Does anybody know what happened to the original DSP&P Denver depot that was located not to far from the Roundhouse?

[Jim Courtney]

Back when I worked as a brakeman on the Rock Island, we would have described number 30 as "on the ground".

[Chris Walker]

There was some discussin' about the #30 Como photo date here
http://c-sn3-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/South-Park-Timeline-Footnote-The-Diamond-Stacks-of-1910-tp3903.html

[snapped_bolt]

  Hi

    Is this just some more on-the-ground railroading?
    Look at the picture.
    Switch is thrown to foul the track #30 is on.
    Important-looking folk (granted, minus fat cigars) are pointing at the corner of the plow on what may be the loco to blame.
    Seems there was some sort of sideswipe accident. Perhaps an overshot on the part of the passenger train. If the fireman's forward window is in the same condition as the engineer's side, certainly possible.

      Ah, theories.

         Stan

[Mike Trent]

Oddly enough, Jeff, I can only get it in spray as well. A guy at the local dealer here said he was sure it came in a bottle, but so far, no luck.

[Chris Walker]

Switch is in the Normal position Stan, if it were thrown, would take the Passenger down to the Roundhouse.  Same switch that has been replicated today at Como.   Yes #30 appears to be on the ground after passing over the 3-way switch in the Yard.

[snapped_bolt]

Hi Chris

    In this position, if the passenger were to continue, it would foul the track the #30 is coming in on. "Thrown" to me means moved- or set to foul in this case. Whether or not it is on the main doesn't matter. #30 was on the main, more than likely moving in yard limits, expecting the passenger to stop spotted on the platform. Passenger missed the mark, for whatever reason and collided with #30, down inside the fouling point,  then backed to the platform. Just a theory! Someone however did think enough to get out and snap a picture to tell the story- we are left to guess at the accompanying text.

     Cheers!

       Stan