Rio Grande F unit truck color?

[Anonymous]

Anyone know what color the Rio Grande painted the trucks of the F units (and PA's) in the silver and gold 4 stripe scheme? I've seen black and silver trucks on different models, so I'm wondering if they painted them both colors?

Thanks guys.

[twhite]

Usually the PA's were painted silver, though I have seen photographs of the original paint scheme with black trucks. Same for the F's, since the early FT's and F3's were painted black with yellow striping. Passenger F-3's (used on the CZ) were black with yellow striping and a yellow nose, and black trucks. After Rio Grande went to the Grande Gold and Silver, some of the earlier units still retrained their black trucks. It pretty much depends on what particular decade you're modeling with Rio Grande, as they never could quite make up their minds over the 4-stripe or single stripe scheme. Short answer: Black or silver, it's your choice.