Cumberland and Pennsylvania colors

[jeep35]

Could anyone tell me what color the C&P painted their passenger equipment and what color was the lettering?

Thanks
Jim

[Mark300]

Ah the Cumberland & PA....out of the Georges Creek area south and west of Cumberland MD. Was taken over by the Western Maryland in the early/mid 1940's. (And not the Cumberland RR between Harrisburg & Winchester VA via Hagerstown MD - which I also know a little about.)

It's a good road to model next to 2 great roads; the WM & B&O. Lots of mining, a few switch backs, great possibilities. If you don't already have a copy of Deane Mellander's book 'The Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad - Western Maryland's Historic Coal Carrier (Carsten' Publications Inc), then I urge you to buy it!

Their passenger equipment was all manufacturered at their Mt Savage shops. They were all open platform truss-rod design, wooden clearstory coaches & an RPO/Baggage car. In the 1870's they painted their cars bright yellow (page 58) - think weathering here, think 19th century also.

However the B/W photos in Mellander's book are definitely NOT yellow (I do color matching & designing for my real job). The photos would indicate either red or dark green. After scanning back through the rest of the book I find there is no other mention of color on anything! So I checked several other WM sites and then I checked my final source.

Now to your question and my final source - my Grandfather worked for the WM in Cumberland as a freight agent during the 30's, WW2 and late 40's. He traveled and photographed lots of things in the Cumberland region. In comparing the B&W textures of the WM's passenger cars with those of the C&P (allowing for the vagaries of panachromatic vs orthochromatic B&W films);

My Best Guess/Answer; Pullman Green with Gold lettering.

Why?

Because the B&O, WM and WVC&P all painted their local passenger equipment the pullman green or olive drab with gold or white lettering (Being a standard finish of the time, roads kept their look to the bare minimum & used what worked). The C&PA built passenger cars for the West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh. That basic, standard paint scheme was an easy, no brainer of a paint scheme for a portion of the RR business that was never lucrative.

Also, the cabin car/caboose and other colors that I'm sure would be red or black, don't quite match textures that I know would be green & are similar to the textures in the photos used in Mellander's book.

Alas.... the passenger cars were sold the US Gov.in the 50's who sent them to off to Panama. Their Brill Gas "Doodlebug' Car 101 was sold to the Susquehana (& may have been (re)painted Tuscan Red).

On my layout, I model the WMRR in Western Maryland during the 30's, 40's & 50's: I have a couple of 55 ton hoppers in C&PA markings along side my WM, B&O, PA, C&O, and other roads that were present at the time.

Doing the C&PA is hard core railroading, so please pardon the length of my reply.

Good luck & I hope this is helpful.

Happy model railroading.

Mark

[jeep35]

Mark,
Thank you for the information.

Jim