Colors for UP/SP PFE reffers

[Missabemodeler]

I recently purchased some Tichy UP/SP  PFE reefer kits. Is there any special color for these reefers or will a standard reefer orange or reefer yellow do. Thank you

[mlehman]

PFE reference pics: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=PFE

UPFE reference pics: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/up/upfe.html

SPFE (buried in the list down the page): http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/sp/sp-frt.html

[ACY Tom]

"Reefer Orange" as produced by several manufacturers is probably about as close as you'll come. Even though these products may vary a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, the deviation is probably less than the natural deviation you would find in the natural 12" = 1'0" world. The orange might fade from sun exposure or exposure to rain, snow, wind, etc. You might lighten the orange, almost to the point of being light yellow, and probably find a prototype justification. Dirt would accumulate. I've seen a few pictures (not a lot) in which the reefers looked almost black from steam locomotive soot, especially in WWII when equipment was used to its limits and maintenance was sometimes limited. Lots of leeway here.

Tom

[doctorwayne]

Missabemodeler

I recently purchased some Tichy UP/SP  PFE reefer kits. Is there any special color for these reefers or will a standard reefer orange or reefer yellow do. Thank you

 

The Tichy reefers are ice-cooled wood reefers, and a quick scan through Mike's links didn't show any of that type.  You may want to check Tichy's website, as I recently got notice from them of new decals for those cars and mention also of yellow cars - perhaps pre-dating the orange version?

I have several PFE reefers from Tichy, Red Caboose, and Athearn and used a combination of Champ and MicroScale sets, but would definitely use the Tichy ones if adding more cars.

 

Red Caboose:

 

 

Athearn:

 

 

Tichy:

 

 

I used Floquil Reefer Orange mixed with Reefer Yellow, but don't recall the exact proportions - most of the cars (there are a few others) were done at different times and the paint would have been mixed for each painting session - not all the same, but certainly similar.

 

Wayne

[Graham Line]

Southern Pacific Daylight Orange is a good match for the later orange PFE steel reefers. The Thompson/Church/Jones books have color swatches to compare to available paints.  Also, MRHmagdotcom has a new book available on matching waterbased hobby paints to old colors. 

[BigDaddy]

Homer Simpson would not paint them yellow or orange

[doctorwayne]

DOH!  Hey, that's not a Duff reefer!!

That's an unusual arrangment for the grabirons:  the car has the mid-'30s mandated second grab on the car's side, but no ladder or grabiron ladder on the end.

Wayne

[dti406]

I believe the yellow cars, were those supplied by the WP railroad, they were wood reefers and painted yellow.

Rick Jesionowski

[doctorwayne]

Thanks for that information, Rick.  While Tichy does offer the WP decals, I didn't see a clear explanation for their reference to yellow cars.

Wayne