How do you mix a "scale" NS black?

[Morpar]

I hopefully will soon be painting a C44-9W in NS black. Any suggestions on what will make a good NS black for inside use? I know straight black will be too dark, but how much white (or another color) should I add to black to get a good inside color? I plan to use Scalecoat 2, if that will make a difference. Thanks in advance.

[ndbprr]

It all depends (as usual). Straight Floquil Engine Black isn't too black if you hit it with some gloss after decaling. It looks like a brand new engine right from the factory. Now if you want a weathered finish just add a tad of white to it. Don't try to measure it so you get different hughs each time as the units don't weather equally. If you use the staright black some weatehring will lighten it consdierably. Just remember that dark engines tend to weather with lighter colors and light engines weather with darker shades. Guess it has something to do wth the background color as a reference point.

[Virginian]

Lately I've been using Scalecoat II Engine black and just adding some Scalecoat II white until it "looks" right. Compare what you are mixing to the straight black in the bottle and you can get just the amount of "off black" you want. I used to do the same thing with Floquil on brass. Hint - a little white goes a long way. Easy to add more, very difficult to strain out.

[Anonymous]

[2c]

I use Floquil tarnished black adjusted with engine black. Painting it in the white face scheme will bring out the cab lines.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=84149

[Anonymous]

I usually mix a 90-10 black to white mix for painting black, so it is a very dark gray, and sometimes add a few drops of red for warmth.

Rick

[Morpar]

Seems there are some differences in the "white face" paint scheme. The link gsetter has posted above shows #9750 in the lead. The real difference is in the photos I have here. They are of #8909 taken 1-9-05, in Frankfort, Indiana on the west end of the yards. The white only comes to the top of the front windows, not all the way down to the nose like in the link above with #9750. So which is the more common (correct?) scheme? And even more importantly, is there another variation still? If this keeps up, I will end up doing all 3 of my C44-9W models in NS black, and none in my homeroad gray and orange! Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Morpar

Seems there are some differences in the "white face" paint scheme. The link gsetter has posted above shows #9750 in the lead. The real difference is in the photos I have here. They are of #8909 taken 1-9-05, in Frankfort, Indiana on the west end of the yards. The white only comes to the top of the front windows, not all the way down to the nose like in the link above with #9750. So which is the more common (correct?) scheme? And even more importantly, is there another variation still? If this keeps up, I will end up doing all 3 of my C44-9W models in NS black, and none in my homeroad gray and orange! Thanks again.

Mopar, the photo is a C40-9CW not a C44-9CW. Sorry for the error. They look so much alike. The photo you have would be correct. I believe the white face is called their corporate scheme. Apparently there are a few variations of it like a white roof, white winter windows, ect..
NS also took delivery of a C44-9CW still wearing gray primer and put it into service.

The NS schemes come in all black, black with white face (as you know, either all white, around the number boards and other variations), Operation Life Saver, O.L.S. 25th aniversary, Conrail blue, Conrail Quality blue, Conrail blue w/O.L.S. logo,Conrail Quality in blue w / O.L.S.logo, Southern green, primer gray, Conrail Quality M.O.W. gray, Maersk Seland and a slug done in maroon with gold lettering. Then there are some special Conrail paint schemes
NS also changed their logo too. Called the horse head logo by some, the new logo has a silhouette of horse head through the white stripes on the sides. Then there is the "Unicorn" logo


p.s. click on the highlited words to see sample paint schemes.

[Morpar]

I have a couple of primer colored shots that I took also. The light wasn't very good at the time, so they aren't the best by a long shot. I appreciate all of the other info. Seems NS can't decide on any one paint scheme! And after all those years of seeing only straight N&W black, with the very occasional blue unit tossed in, it seems very strange. When I was younger, we got incredibly excited to see a Southern unit in town, and if there was a UP, well, the colors would nearly blind us! Now it seems the Frankfort yards are full of locomotive colors.

I stopped at my LHS yesterday, and he suggested straight black with light weathering, as opposed to adding white to the black. He had some locos another gentleman had painted on display, and they made his point quite well, with the light weathering and flat fini***hey looked very good. I am also starting to lean towards the "fresh from the paint shop" shiny black look too.

I do really like the "unicorn" scheme. Couldn't find that in the Microscale catalog though, I wonder why???? Maybe they are still working on it.

Any ideas on why there are so many primered units running around? I thought these locos (C40-9W & C44-9W) were no longer being produced, the GEVO being the current model. Any clues? Are these just units that got so far along the repaint line and suddenly were needed for use, so were pulled off and sent out into the world? What gives?

[Anonymous]

That's exactly right. NS got caught up in a power shortage and decided the new locos could be painted when they were shopped for maintenance. I see gray units every once in a while. The oddest loco I saw on NS's old Wabash line behind my shop was a Texas & Pacific F7 a couple years ago. I often see UP and BNSF power. The daily transfer local still runs with a caboose! The guys I work with tell me N&W 611 traveled on the old Wabash line. Unfortunately NS ended steam operations the same year I started work at DST.
B.T.W. N&W also had maroon or Tuscan red locos too. Same as NS business car.

I'm not up to date on what NS is buying now, only that they switch from EMD to GE. I haven't found any "free" information yet on how many C44-9CW's NS has but the 44's appear to be the latest and greatest. I don't know what the GEVO is. Is that their emission compliant locomotive?