UP Yellow, I think I'm Color Blind

[nfrailway]

I've got a Walthers GP15-1, a Rivarossi C420, an Atlas S3, and a Proto 1000 F3, all with a different shade of UP yellow. I have listed them from darkest to lightest. Anyone know which is closest to being correct? Maybe I can pass them off as being weathered differently!

[Anonymous]

UP is big time where I live. When I go to look at trains working the Roper Yard, I look at the so-called Armour Yellow that UP says they use. If there are 15 locomotives sitting on ready tracks or working the yards, you will see 15 variations of Armour Yellow. The only time the yellow paint matches with other units is when they have just come out of the paint shop. Apparently the paint used by UP begins to oxidize as it departs the spray equipment used to place it. Who knows? I would encourage you to go look at the variations in yellow on UP locomotives. I would then encourage you to call the variations in yellow paint on your models prototypical.

Tom

[AggroJones]

The same color even on prototype railroads the paint will vary from batch to batch plus units exist under different conditions. Some are faded by the sun, some get very grimey, etc. Prototype UP units aren't all the same shade either.

Even with the different shades of yellow, it will still be correct. Weather them.

[Anonymous]

From working in the transit bus building industry in the paint department I can say that when painting extremely large chassis:

Even if you paint more than one a day there can still be a variance due to variance in the elements used to mix each batch of paint.

Even when the paint is a "factory pack" you never know how many different batches of tinters will be used. Even though everything will have the same code but there is a +/- variance for shade.

Also as said above sun bleaching and just time can alter a color very fast.

If there has been a change in suppliers for any component or if there is a different style used to apply the paint -it can alter the shade.

[Big_Boy_4005]

This isn't uncommon for there to be variation in color on models. The others are correct when they say that over time there is even variation in color on the prototype, though that shouldn't be very drastic because the kind of paint they use is like automotive paint, and the formulation is fairly precise.

This may be part of UP's complaint about accurate representation on models in their licensing demands. Some model manufacturers may be using a shade that is too far off from the prototype.

Next time you go to the hobby store look at the paint racks. Check out the difference between Floquil and Scalecoat if the store carries both brands. Compare some other colors between brands, BN green is one that doesn't match well.

I could show you photos of UP engines, but because of the different lighting conditions in the different photos, you could never tell which shade is true.

[Fergmiester]

Variance in colours

I remember several years back when I told the crew to paint the masts and anchor windless. These were buff. several coats later and a lot of head banging and cursing the supplier and then having them come down and look at what we were complaining about. We got it right!

Buff is a common marine colour for painting deck machinary. Though we quoted the batch number we got several variances, some more black or brown then others. But what made this a serious concern was this "buff" was the same colour as "Barbie" hence Barbie Buff.

Sometimes batches get screwed up beyond believable! And because what goes on isn't what you land up with can explain the colour shifts!!

It's a true story Honest.

Barbie buff on a ship = voyage of the damned

Regards

[nfrailway]

Thanks guys for your ideas. If colors are so variable, I wonder how modellers choose which colors to choose for that "prototypical" look. I guess it isn't all that critical to have the exact shade.

[Big_Boy_4005]

It can cause arguments between modelers. I just happened to see some of BNSF's oldest engines on Monday. Three GP9's and a GP38-2 pulling some of the oldest, most faded green hoppers. I don't think any two pieces were the same shade, not even the GP9's, and two of them had consectuive numbers. [swg]