Painting a D & RG Coaling Tower

[Anonymous]

I am building a Campbells D & RG Coaling Tower. Is there an artical in Model Railroader over the last 40 years that would give me the right color? Should I stain it or should I paint it. If I am to paint it what color is best? My Rail Road is Santa Fe. Can anyone help

[wp8thsub]

The coaling tower from Campbell represents one of only three (?) structures on the D&RGW narrow gauge (Chama, NM, Durango and Gunnison, CO). Most color photos I've seen of these structures show them overall oxide red, in contrast to other D&RGW wood structures which tended to be something of a yellow ochre with brown or oxide trim.

Most AT&SF coal towers I've seen are concrete, and are much bigger than the Campbell kit because they coaled bigger locomotives. You could try for a typical AT&SF paint scheme like the lineside buildings on Ted York's Cajon Pass layout http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cajonpass/Cajon.htm . Using the same idea as the difference in schemes on the D&RGW, you could also go for something like overall oxide without the model looking totally out of place.