Was ther a standard color for NYC wood structures, if so what was it? Thanks
Funny you ask because I am on the same quest. I have seen pictures of towers and other structures with light gray siding and dark gray trim, but depots might be another story. The color I most commonly see is a light gray with drak gray or a light cream green with dark green. Just my findings so far...
-Alex Warshal
My Layout Photos- http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/ajwarshal/library/
Hi, Mike
"Standard" is pretty tough to stick to since there always seem to be exceptions. As big of a system the New York Central was, there seemed to be common paint colors in specific regions.
In most of what I have researched, I found the most common color scheme to be a very light gray field with the trim in olive green (or shades close to it).
Of course, any discussion of color becomes somewhat subjective based on a person's perception and the age and quality of the photograph and in fact of the building itself.
This photo was taken in Jefferson, Ohio in 1997. The people restoring the depot assured me that they found these colors on the wood as they were making repairs and matched the paint to those colors.
Now I have seen other NYC structures in similar paint and these colors may date to an earlier time (this LS&MS depot is on the Franklin branch and was built in 1872).
While I was exploring a similar depot in Pleasant Lake, Indiana on the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw branch I found the main structure to be more of a very light gray and the trim in the same "Spruce" green.
[note the typical LS&MS trim work around the windows of both depots]
This gives you more of an idea what the light gray looks like (Maybe D&H gray?) There was hardly any evidence left of the green trip paint but I did manage to find some in the recesses of the trim work.
I have dozens of NYC books with color photos supporting the light gray and green trim for the majority of the wood structures. Still, there were exceptions. Barn red on the B&A, Boxcar red on the Michigan Central, nearly white on the Hudson Division so alot would depend on your geographic area and era.
Hope this helps you out, Ed
Ed, are you able to upload some pictures of the ones on the Hudson Division so I could see that white color please. Also, if you have any pictures of wood combination depots in New York State in colors close to light gray and dark gray, I would greatly appreciate that.
Hi, Alex
If you PM me and give me an email address I'm sure I can send a few photos to you that way. Published photos shouldn't be used without permission in the forum.
Thanks, Ed
Yes, there are always exceptions and there were various predecessors of the New York Central System but my research some years ago and color photographs reveal the most common colors were a very light green for the base color and a darker green for the trim, doors, windows, etc. This is backed up with something published by the NYCSHS some years ago by President Charles Smith and all color books availbe ands slides taken in the 50s and 60s. If you look at your color photo, it does indeed appear to be those colors though I've seen the darker green a bit darker than that in photos. (Perhaps when they sanded down though the paint layers they observed a faded green?) Solid gray came much later as a cost cutting measure that carried through Penn Central. It's anyone's guess what the LS&MS did but it was most likely in pastel colors. The P Lake depot had been repained after a tourist operation used it and it's hard to tell where they came up with the colors. Yes, sanding down the layers of paint can sometime reveals paint from many years ago. Incidentally, the P Lake Depot may be up for sale as the owner is having health problems.
Victor A. Baird
Fort Wayne, Indiana