Stopped in to Charlie Ro's store yesterday and picked up a new Lionel Penn Central bay window caboose. Got it home and slid it out of the box. Nice features, but it's glossy black, and I do mean SHINY. Maybe it's just me, but I don't ever recall seeing a caboose that should be in a Turtle Wax commercial. Is anyone aware of any railroads using gloss paint on their rolling stock? I'm thinking maybe a coat of dullcoat or a pair of sunglasses might help.
I've never seen one. Most are or were grimy and dull colored.
I don't know either. They might have been glossy when new, black & blues seem to fade quickly outdoors.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Railroads did use gloss paint years ago, heck, so did everyone. It looked better and was easier to keep clean. However, remember the paints available years ago weren't anywhere near as good as todays paint and would deteriorate pretty quickly in harsh environments.
That being said, a semi-gloss finish looks a lot better on a model than a high-gloss finish does. Somehow or another it just seems more realistic.
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