Got yet another one for my Forum friends. Anybody got a good stock color that matches the blue that the USPS uses on their street mailboxes? I prefer water base but I can use acetone thinner paints as well. If possible brushable would be a lot easier as I don't use an airbrush. (Unusual these days but I live in an area where painting outside doesn't work about 6 months of the year. I also don't have a real good place to put a fume hood in my house.)
Contrail blue is a good place to start since they are both federal blue. The boxes do seam to be a little darker
shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
This site has the "official" colors.
https://usbrandcolors.com/usps-colors/
There are charts out there where you can cross-reference commercial colors to the Pantone or RGB etc. colors. I use Vallejo and they have dozens of shades of blue but I'm not sure where to find the exact number.
https://www.myperfectcolor.com/paint/476674-usps-blue
You would probably do well to lighten the shade for your model since everything looks darker under layout lighting.
Good Luck, Ed
I've found Acrylicos Vallejo acrylic hobby paint is very good for applying by brush. You should be able to get them online or at the LHS.
They make a number of blue tints. I'd say 70.930 Dark Blue is pretty close, but since our layouts use artificial light it never hurts to be a touch lighter.
https://acrylicosvallejo.com/en/category/hobby/model-color-en/?filter_color-categoria-producto=blue
gmpullmanYou would probably do well to lighten the shade for your model since everything looks darker under layout lighting.
Some years ago I took a photo of a whole bunch of retired mailbox, boxes behind a chain link fence at a USPS facility. A few even had the "old" logo, which is mostly why I took the photo. There were many shades of blue because (I assume) the various blue paints used, perhaps the same shade of blue originally, got chalky at different rates and in different ways. Another reason to lighten the shade of blue.
Dave Nelson
wjstix I've found Acrylicos Vallejo acrylic hobby paint is very good for applying by brush. You should be able to get them online or at the LHS. They make a number of blue tints. I'd say 70.930 Dark Blue is pretty close, but since our layouts use artificial light it never hurts to be a touch lighter.
I've dabbled with the Vallejo colors just a little. I used some of the Copper to do a roof on a structure for the layout. My only grumble has nothing to do with the paint itself. As they come in a squeeze bottle it is a bit hard to guess how much to squeeze out.
This got me curious about the different mailbox colors in use during my lifetime and I found this website:
Microsoft Word - CollectionBoxColors.doc (usps.com)
I vaguely remeber the olive drab mailboxes from the 1950s. According to this website, olive drab was adopted after WWI because the War Department donated their surplus olive drab paint to the USPS. That remained the standard color until 1955 when the red, white, and blue scheme was adopted. I was surprised to learn this because I have been using the olive drab boxes for my layout set in the summer of 1956. I'm guessing the olive drab boxes did not disappear overnight and might still be acceptable for my layout. I might start repainting these gradually to reflect this changeover period that I am modeling. As I recall, the new ones were a bit smaller than the olive drab ones but I'm going from memory. Many of the olive drab ones were kept as drop boxes for letter carriers. The red, white, and blue boxes gave way to solid blue with white logos and lettering in 1971.
John-NYBW Many of the olive drab ones were kept as drop boxes for letter carriers.
Many of the olive drab ones were kept as drop boxes for letter carriers.
I remember seeing a few of those even into the mid to late 80s in my neck of the woods.
FRRYKidJohn-NYBW Many of the olive drab ones were kept as drop boxes for letter carriers. I remember seeing a few of those even into the mid to late 80s in my neck of the woods.
How about as long ago as late 2020 as shown in this link. There is another one painted light blue further up the road. I travel this road from time to time, and they were both there as of mid-Summer, can't actually swear that I've seen them used, however.
September 2021.
Downtown Bridgeville, 1974. Now all I need are some correct USPS standing eagle emblems®, and citizens, and some correct USPS ''jeeps®''.
PC101 Downtown Bridgeville, 1974. Now all I need are some correct USPS standing eagle emblems®, and citizens, and some correct USPS ''jeeps®''.
As for the emblems, try this: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/287845.aspx
Relay and transfer boxes stayed olive drab, only the collection boxes changed color and they were repainted as refinishing is needed. So I'm sure that a bunch made it into 1956 un repainted.
Excerpt from http://www.uspostalbulletins.com/PDF/Vol76_Issue19867_19550809.pdf
New Instructions for Painting Collection Boxes In connection with the recent public announcement of adoption of a new color scheme for street letter boxes, the following instructions are issued: 1. Boxes are to be painted red, white, and blue only when refinishing is needed and would be accomplished in the normal course of events. 2. Collection boxes only are to be finished in the new colors, in accordance with the illustrations appearing on page 2 of this Bulletin. 3. Relay or storage boxes are to be painted olive green as in the past.
Richard
FRRYKid PC101 Downtown Bridgeville, 1974. Now all I need are some correct USPS standing eagle emblems®, and citizens, and some correct USPS ''jeeps®''. As for the emblems, try this: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/287845.aspx
Thanks FRRYKid. I even read that post and missed that link that lead to the Standing Eagle decals.
My Dad was a mailman and got me a summer job (1965 or so) painting all of the mailboxes in our town of 30,000. As I recall there were about 125 drop boxes and about 50 relay boxes. I had to scrape any peeling paint , prime with red oxide primer, and then paint the box accordingly. My plan was to prime a bunch and then go back and paint the boxes. The cycle took about 3 days (sometimes longer if it rained or I suffered from a lack of enthusiasm) per batch so there a lot of ugly boxes that were awaiting their final coat. The red, white, and blue were the biggest pain as you had to mask off the white stripe, wait for the blue and red to dry. This took about a day to cure and then go back and remask to put on that lousy white stripe. I made sure the mounting bolts beneath the boxes had a heavy coat of paint on the threads and nut. The paint was picked up at the local Sherwin Williams and mixed at the store. I finished the job about a week before starting college and got paid about $1200 for the summer. Those were the days.....
Mark B
I also had a summer job with the Post Office as a letter carrier. It was probably 1967 and 1968.
I do remember those "jeeps." They were the International Harvester "Scout" model, and they were equipped with right hand drive so the carriers could easily service rural mailboxes. I don't know why we had them, because we were in the New York suburbs and had no rural mailboxes.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley I also had a summer job with the Post Office as a letter carrier. It was probably 1967 and 1968. I do remember those "jeeps." They were the International Harvester "Scout" model, and they were equipped with right hand drive so the carriers could easily service rural mailboxes. I don't know why we had them, because we were in the New York suburbs and had no rural mailboxes.
Thanks MisterBeasley, mailbox blue and white IH "Scout" mail vehicles, that would work for me also. I need a load of something USPS to ''run through'' on a long flatcar or three.
PC101Thanks MisterBeasley, mailbox blue and white IH "Scout" mail vehicles, that would work for me also. I need a load of something USPS to ''run through'' on a long flatcar or three.
Count me in on also wanting to load a flat car with some U.S. Mail "Scouts" or, look at these:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/48464106327/in/photolist
Are these the Studebaker "Sit or Stand" trucks or the Grumman vans? I do recall seeing the occasional shipments like these.
Too bad I don't model 1:64!
https://store.usps.com/store/product/stamp-gifts/1971-usps-jeep-blue-P_843171
Regards, Ed
gmpullman PC101 Thanks MisterBeasley, mailbox blue and white IH "Scout" mail vehicles, that would work for me also. I need a load of something USPS to ''run through'' on a long flatcar or three. Count me in on also wanting to load a flat car with some U.S. Mail "Scouts" or, look at these: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/48464106327/in/photolist Are these the Studebaker "Sit or Stand" trucks or the Grumman vans? I do recall seeing the occasional shipments like these. Too bad I don't model 1:64! https://store.usps.com/store/product/stamp-gifts/1971-usps-jeep-blue-P_843171 Regards, Ed
PC101 Thanks MisterBeasley, mailbox blue and white IH "Scout" mail vehicles, that would work for me also. I need a load of something USPS to ''run through'' on a long flatcar or three.
The photo date says 1968. My best guess is the Studebaker zip van?
fire5506 Relay and transfer boxes stayed olive drab, only the collection boxes changed color and they were repainted as refinishing is needed. So I'm sure that a bunch made it into 1956 un repainted. Excerpt from http://www.uspostalbulletins.com/PDF/Vol76_Issue19867_19550809.pdf New Instructions for Painting Collection Boxes In connection with the recent public announcement of adoption of a new color scheme for street letter boxes, the following instructions are issued: 1. Boxes are to be painted red, white, and blue only when refinishing is needed and would be accomplished in the normal course of events. 2. Collection boxes only are to be finished in the new colors, in accordance with the illustrations appearing on page 2 of this Bulletin. 3. Relay or storage boxes are to be painted olive green as in the past. Richard
I hadn't kept track of this thread until just now and I am just seeing your post. This is excellent information and tells me what I wanted to hear. I can keep my olive drab collection boxes on my 1956 layout as I see fit. The following paragraphs from your link seem to say that is reasonable:
8. In those instances where the total cost of refinishing boxes at large post offices will exceed $300, it is directed that not more than one-third of the equipment be finished in the new colors under the initial procurement. The remaining boxes should be refinished in the new colors in succeeding years.
9. Priority in the painting program should be given courtesy boxes and those boxes in congested areas which are now finished in colors conforming to neither the old or new standard color scheme.
I think I am going to paint a few in the new red, white, and blue scheme to reflect it is a change over period. I think I'll start with the collection boxes in front of the various post offices on my layout. I have four such buildings.
PS. It was around this time that stop signs changed from yellow to red. Officially that decision was made in 1954 but like the mail boxes, I don't think they would have changed overnight. I remember when the yellow and white stop sign at the end of our block was changed to red and I don't think I would have remembered it had it happened in 1954. I'm keeping my yellow stop signs for now.
https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5461104/il_fullxfull.173451115.jpg (1499×1374) (etsystatic.com)