SP Baggage Car Roof

[cefinkjr]

I recently bought an old Athearn "Blue Box" 70' heavyweight baggage car for a generic WWII troop train I'm assembling. It's Pullman green and is lettered T&NO 303 with SOUTHERN PACIFIC on the letter board.

This car may or may not be an accurate model but it looks good to me -- except for the roof. I think the roof should be black -- perhaps weathered to a dark silvery gray -- but I'm not sure. And I'm really undecided on the sides of the clerestory. Should they be the same color as the rest of the roof or should they be Pullman green (assuming the roof should not be green)?

Anybody remember similar cars or, more likely, have color photos? I'd appreciate any input on this.

Chuck

[West Coast S]

Roof colors could range from black to grey, in my modeled period of 1926 a light to medium grey was common as untarred canvas was used. When the roofs recieved a asphalt like mixture as in your period, the roofs could vary from dark grey to black, the celestory would remain Pullman Green.

Dave

[cefinkjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by West Coast S

Roof colors could range from black to grey, in my modeled period of 1926 a light to medium grey was common as untarred canvas was used. When the roofs recieved a asphalt like mixture as in your period, the roofs could vary from dark grey to black, the celestory would remain Pullman Green.

Dave

Thanks. Nice to know that at least one person agrees with my guess and, what makes it better yet, you sound like you know what you're talking about.

Thanks much,
Chuck

[jimrice4449]

Unless it's a car that I know had roof paint to match the car sides (NP North Coast lmtd, IC Panama, CNW 400, etc) I give the roof a shot of Floquil Grimy Black, icluding the verticle portion of the clerestory. One problem w/ the Athearn baggage car is the clerestory roof. Most SP cars were arch roof but they did have some clerestory roofed cars. I don't know if you're aware of this or not but the baggage car in troop trains tended to be in the middle of the train (In fact it's a good identification feature for a troop train). The unit's field kitchen was located there. Troops would go to the "kitchen" and bring the chow back to where they were seated.

[cefinkjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jimrice4449

Unless it's a car that I know had roof paint to match the car sides (NP North Coast lmtd, IC Panama, CNW 400, etc) I give the roof a shot of Floquil Grimy Black, icluding the verticle portion of the clerestory. One problem w/ the Athearn baggage car is the clerestory roof. Most SP cars were arch roof but they did have some clerestory roofed cars. I don't know if you're aware of this or not but the baggage car in troop trains tended to be in the middle of the train (In fact it's a good identification feature for a troop train). The unit's field kitchen was located there. Troops would go to the "kitchen" and bring the chow back to where they were seated.

Jim:

Weren't at least some of those kitchen/baggage cars modified with exhaust stacks, etc.? I think I read someplace that they were. If so, I'd like to kitbash one but I've never seen pictures much less plans. I can understand the scarcity of these -- it was kind of risky to point a camera at certain things during WWII and the "plans" were likely scribbled on the back of an envelope...or highly classified. I'd appreciate any information anyone has on such modifications.

I hadn't planned on this car being in the middle of the train as a kitchen/baggage car though (I've got a Walthers Troop Kitchen Car). This is to be a baggage car for the non-personal gear that units had and would not have shipped as freight; mostly small crew-served weapons (mortars and machine guns) and headquarters equipment like typewriters, field desks, medical supplies, etc. etc. Take a look sometime at an old Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) for any unit larger than an infantry squad. The amount of equipment we've always considered necessary for an army to function is truly staggering and there just wouldn't have been room for it in the troop cars.

Chuck

[Philcal]

Chuck, you sound like you're on the right track with your Athearn baggage car. True, SP ran any number of monitor (round) roofed cars, but clerestory roofed cars were definitely in the fleet. I believe you're correct in running the car at the head end of your troop train. Incidently, the "T&NO" stenciled on the car is for the Texas and New Orleans Railway. This was essentially a dummy company , incorporated under Texas law, which required any railroad operating in Texas, to have a "headquarters" office there. The Southern Pacific's actual headquarters was San Francisco Calif. Good luck with your project. Sounds fascinating.