Northern Pacific Boxcar Paint Schemes

[Bundy74]

Hi All,

Can anyone provide information on the timeline for NP boxcar schemes?  

I am looking for the earliest dates for the large "NP" logo cars, and the timeframe for switching from boxcar brown to NP green.  This would be for 40 foot steel cars.

I have seen photos of cars with the large "NP" from the early 1960's, and a photo of a green car from 1969, where the paint looks new (assuming the photo dates are correct).

 

[FRRYKid]

You are correct that the 40' cars were repainted in `69. I have a Roundhouse car that shows a shop date of 3-69. I don't know if you have seen this photo, but this is the one I an using as reference for a cleaner car with the Roundhouse car. IIRC, the change over was 1967 or 68.

[Bundy74]

Thanks FRRY, I have seen that photo but on another site. Very much appreciated!

[wjstix]

Just going by memory, I think the small herald with "Mainstreet of the Northwest" slogan started in 1947. The large "NP" and herald started around 1956-58, and the light green boxcar scheme started around 1964-66.

The light green wasn't "rare" per se, but there were a lot more boxcar red cars than green.

[jrbernier]

   From my 'foggy' past...

The standard box car scheme through the early 50's:

• Dark Brown(Tuscan)
• Small logo(Northern Pacific)
• 'Mainstreet of the Northwest' slogan

Mid 50's(after dome cars arrived...)

• Large logo(Northern Pacific Railway)
• 'Large NP'
• 'Route of the North Coast Limited' slogan.
• Dark Brown(Tuscan)

Mid 60's???

• Very Dark Green applied to new orders of flat cars, and specialty box cars(loader equipped)

1968(pre-BN merger)

• BN 'Cascade Green' paint substituted for the Dark Brown(Tuscan)

  Check with the NP Historical Society  for paint diagrams...

[7j43k]

It appears that the large NP first appeared on a series of new 50' box cars:  NP 6500-6999, built in 1956-57.

There was a series of new 40' steel combination-door cars built in 1960 (NP 3000-3399) that had the "biggish" staggered NP.

 

Todd Sullivan's "NP Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment" shows pictures of some 40' steel boxes rebuilt in 1959 that have the big NP.  He also shows a 1959 40' rebuilt box (combination-door) with the staggered NP.

He shows photos of two 40' steel boxes that were rebuilt in January and February of 1969 that were done in NP Cascade Green (which is similar to but not BN green, I think, and DEFINITELY NOT the older NP dark green).  One has the big NP and the other (combination-door) has the staggered NP.

The above does not mean that all new/rebuilt/repainted cars got the big NP's.  Sullivan shows a shot of a car built new in 1967 that had the old small monad and the arched NORTHERN PACIFIC.

 

 

But, to put things simply:

NO big NP's before 1956.

NO NP Cascade Green before 1969 (in my opinion).

 

Ed

[Bundy74]

Thank you all for the help, this is exactly what I needed!

[jrbernier]

Ed,

  What is the difference between NP Cascade Green and BN Cascade Green.  Cascade Green showed up on the Wide Vision cabooses and on a lot of box cars by 1969...

  What were the Dupont Duco or Delux paint codes that were used?

Jim

[ACY Tom]

Here's a slightly different question. Around the 1940's, NP used a small Monad logo, around 36" diameter. This was significantly increased in size by the early to mid 1950's. Can anybody give the date of the change, and the actual diameters of the old and new Monads?

Tom

[7j43k]

I'm looking at a sample of NP Cascade Green from the NP RHS.

I would say it's lighter, brighter and yellower than BN Green.

I don't have any of the paint code numbers.

 

Ed

[7j43k]

In 1951 NP went from the 36" monad to the 48" and 60".

 

Ed

[ACY Tom]

Thanks, Ed!

Tom