FYI: State of MAine cars were painted Red(bottom) White(middle) and Blue (top) for both the New Haven and the Bangor and Aroostook cars - NH cars had a black roof and ends.
Several years ago I created a New Haven State of Maine car using a 40 ft plug door boxcar and some decals, based on a magazine article I can no longer find. I don't remember much about it, though. Now I am going to build a couple more, both NH and BAR SOM cars, and I am looking for some help: after washing the car in dish soap solutions and drying it, I will spray it with primer and let it dry. Then I will begin to add the car colors: is there any specific advanyage to any one sequence of addig the Red, White and Blue ( and black for the NH roof and ends)? If not my plan is to paint it white, then red and then blue. Any thoughts on that approach from more expericed airbrush artists is welcome. Thanks,
Mr. Mick
Mr Mick:
As a very generalized reply to your question, not knowing the color of your unpainted model,even using a primer (usually a light grey) I would paint the entire side white first. This will avoid a lighter discolorization in the area of the white center stripe, when you apply the red and blue, especially when you are trying to avoid overly heavy coats of paint.
MrMick...after washing the car in dish soap solutions and drying it...
After washing the car, rinse it thoroughly, then let it air-dry, rather than manually drying it.
I'd be inclined to paint the entire car-sides white, then after if was completely dry/cured, I'd mask it and paint both of the other two colours in the next session. The masking will protect the white, and you can shield each of the other areas, in turn, with a hand-held piece of cardstock.For the car with the black roof and ends, make sure that the red and blue paints are also completely hardened, then mask both sides completely, paying particular attention to the areas where the black will meet the other colours.
In all cases, strip-off the masking tape as soon as the paint is dry to the touch. If you peel one end of the tape back on itself, so that the non-sticky side of the loose end is almost parallel to the tape still on the car, there's less chance of lifting the paint under the tape as you remove it, as this method puts the least stress on the paint.
Wayne
MrMickf not my plan is to paint it white, then red and then blue.
Your plan for the painting sequence is correct, with the advise from above about primer coats
The NH red-white-blue cars were reefers. BAR had both reefers and boxcars painted this way. Microscale makes a decal set that covers both road names. You did not mention the scale you are modeling, I am assuming HO??
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=87-1015&Category_Code=NH
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
MrMick,I'm not so sure the NH State of Maine cars had black roofs. Black ends, yes. Black roof? Yeah, I dunno about that. I'll have to check my sources...
And I'm also not sure that certain BAR cars didn't have black ends, either. BAR had many SOM car series...it's possible that the identical cars ordered by the NH also had black ends. After all, the reason why NH even had SOM cars was that they were cheaper for the NH to tack on to the BAR's order because the paint scheme was the same.
G Paine,The NH SOM cars were not reefers. In fact, one could say they were the opposite of reefers; if a reefer is meant to keep the contents cold, the NH SOM cars were meant to keep the contents warm.
The AAR Code for the NH SOM cars was "XIH": Boxcar, Insulated, Heated. Yep, each car had a charcoal heater strapped to the underside. They were used to keep the potatoes from freezing in Maine. The rest of the year, the cars were usually in paper/newsprint service because it was a clean commodity.
Paul 3 is correct about the NH cars being boxcars with heaters and ventilators, as evidenced by the box type appendage on the underframe in the vicinity of the door. Since the New Haven cars were an extension of the BAR order, a photographic review of BAR cars in the 2000-25xx series show all cars came equipped with underslung charcoal heaters, ventilators as indicated by the rectangular housing on the sides near the ends, and no roof hatches for icing. Most telling of all, the cars all bore the AAR classification XIH. Boxcar, insulated, heated.
True XM type 40 foot boxcars began their numbers at 4000 and went up from there. XMs received the SOM paint also but, began losing it to the mineral red billboard BAR scheme during visits to the shops in the early 1960s.
There are stories afoot about difficulties encountered when loading/unloading XIHs from car floats. If the float and bridge met at an angle that would catch the low hanging heater, expensive noise was the result. This helped hasten the demise of many heaters so, the cars became simple XIs.
IIRC, there was a post on the New Haven technical forum (NHRHTA) that indicated the New Haven cars had black asphaltum paint on the top and ends of their cars; it is certainly possible that some of the BAR cars may have had this treatment as well, but I'm sticking them with blue roofs and ends.
On my previous attempt to create a correct NH car, I also modelded the vent controls and the heaters using sryrene shapes; I plan to do that this time, except heaters are now avaialbe from Shapeways, so I ordered a couple of those.
To first paint the entire sides white is a great idea - that is a better background paint for the red and blue, so that will be the plan. I always allow a couple of days for the paint to harden between colors.
Thanks to all who chimed in on this question. Mr Mick
I always paint the lighter colors first. The darker colors will cover light colors, but not the other way round. If you paint the white stripe last, over red and blue, you may find the red and the blue showing thru the white.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Mr. Mick,
Moloco Trains has some beautifully crafted ventilator controls with actuating handles and rodding, in HO. The part number is VE-0701, USRE Co/Evans Products Co.
NHTX,
Thanks for the tip! I will check them out -
Definitely paint the white first as so many have suggested.
.
After that, I think the remaining colors can be applied in any order.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
If I were painting a BAR car I would do the red after the white because the ends will also be blue. On a New Haven car which would have black ends, it makes no difference which color follows the white.
I took a photo of a BAR State of Maine Products car in the early 1980s and it is striking how dark the blue became as it aged. The white looks white and the red is faded but the blue darkened considerably. Something to keep in mind if your era is such that the car would already be several years old.
Dave Nelson