Did some or all of the B&O steam locomotives, such as the 0-4-0 Docksider or the USRA 0-6-0s, have a mineral red cab roof? What did the prototypes look like?
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
check fallen flags . or the B&O historical society.
Given your area of interest, there are a series of books by Morning Sun called B&O in Color. Vol 1 is steam. They run around $60 new but you might get a deal at a train show or a better deal at a used book store. $60 might sound like a lot, but not really for a specialty book.
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Color-Vol-Steam-Units/dp/1582485909
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
While not very "official" I just paged through three books containing dozens of color B&O steam photos, several by Bob Withers. Out of all those photos, some of which depicted freshly shopped and painted locomotives, I found only two with mineral-red cab roofs.
Both Q3s, the 313 (4513) and the 322 (4523) photographed in North Vernon, Indiana, had mineral red cab roofs from a drip rail fairly high up, maybe 8-10 inches from where the roof meets the cab side. Possibly that one shop used mineral red roof coating for some reason?
While studying B&O caboose paint jobs I came to the conclusion that the individual shops had quite a bit of leeway when it came to adhering to the "official" painting diagrams.
Now the smokebox graphite color? That seemed like it was all over the place from bright silver to a very dark gun-metal graphite.
Good Luck, Ed
Whaddya think of the books? I ask that having a freelanced railroad. Exactness isn't in my universe but I get it, for those that what to go down that path.
Thank you all for replying. Ed, special thanks for looking through those color photos and relaying what you saw. I'm not a big fan of Mineral Red cab roofs, and I'm happy to hear it wasn't the norm.
BigDaddyWhaddya think of the books?
This is the volume I was referencing from. It is excellent for our "transition" era.
I also have a papreback version with different photos:
https://www.amazon.com/Baltimore-Ohio-Best-Bob-Collins/dp/1582485860
I enjoy books and have so many I doubt I'll get to reat them all in this lifetime.
B&O played a big role in my younger years so I like to reminisce in the photos and stories. This was my "playground" when I was in my early teens.
B&O_W3readytrack by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Jumijo Did some or all of the B&O steam locomotives, such as the 0-4-0 Docksider or the USRA 0-6-0s, have a mineral red cab roof? What did the prototypes look like?
Apparently, there had been a discussion about red cab roofs and I joined right at the tail end of it. It turned out that painting steam loco cab roofs (and the top surfaces of tender tanks) red was optional by division. When it was opted, they painted these surfaces with the standard B&O "Freight Car Red," which no less an expert than Mel Thornburg said was a standard artists' color, Indian Red.
The gents in the historical society gave out the gem that Floquil's DH10 Caboose Red, which had been mixed up for those who wanted to enter Model Railroader's contest to build a prize-winning model ot the Delaware & Hudson bobber caboose #10, in which the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen was founded in September of 1883. Since this was the "boxcar red" for the B&O, I bought some to paint the freight cars of my HO Potomac & Ohio. However, years later, I'd moved into an apartment building where lacquer paint would be a lease-breaker, and Floquil never made the color in their latex or acrylic paints. What's more, Indian Red had disappeared, as well. I finally found out that Cadmium Red is the modern replacement for Indian Red, so if you decide to go ahead and paint cab roofs red, Cadmium Red is available (I bought a tube of acrylic at our local Hobby Lobby.)
By the way, quite a few roads painted cab roofs Oxide Red (the Great Northern comes to mind immediately) because of the corrosive affect of coal gases and cinders showering down on steel surfaces from smokestacks. Just have FUN!
Deano
Thank you, Deano, for an informative and very interesting reply!