Have you ever been inspired to paint your house exterior based on a railroad color scheme that appealed to you?
We are looking at paint schemes, and I am looking at mid-century locomotive paint schemes as inspiration.
No, but if I did, it would follow the NYC - black siding, white trim, with a cigar band logo on each side.
I think there are a few automobile types that would look good in the Sante Fe "Warbonnet" paint scheme, but few houses would be of a shape that would be enhanced by anything locomotive inspired... but if you just want colors, pick your favourite livery and have at it.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Hmmm, there ARE possibilites.
Pennsylvania Railroad "Tuscan Red," Jersey Central "Blue and Tangerine," or you could also do "Sea Green" with Dulux Gold stripes, or go real Jersey Central retro with "Blue Comet Royal Blue."
And there's B&O "Royal Blue," The New Haven's Maginnis scheme, The possibilities are almost endless.
Forget Penn Central black.
You want exotic painted schemes for houses? Go to Buffalo, N.Y. There are houses there with four or five exterior colours. I've never seen anything like them and Buffalo is the only place where I have. A house in the warbonnet colours of the SF Super Chief would not look out of place. Say, red with yellow, black and silver trim bits. A Navajo symbol like the SF's logo could be attached somewhere or painted on the shutters if there are any. I imagine if you google Buffalo houses you would get the idea.
Overland Limited 2-tone gray.
NP Lowey North Coast Limited 2-tone green
Here's a whole color palette to choose from.
https://www.american-rails.com/heritage.html
Colorful houses? Try Saint John's, Newfoundland.
https://escapismmagazine.com/promotion/why-to-visit-st-johns-newfoundland-labrador-canada/
Somewhat related- I know of a house in our city where the owners are HUGE Green Bay Packers fans. That does not bode well for the rest of the neighborhood.I heard a man give directions to his own house over the phone, by explaining his location in relation to "that house". For my tastes, I think i could work with PRR Tuscan Red, and CBQ Chinese(?) red and light gray.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Flintlock76 Here's a whole color palette to choose from. https://www.american-rails.com/heritage.html
Here's houses in Buffalo- I've seen some of them. They are mostly in an area called Elmwood Village where there's some excellent bars and restaurants. There's about 5 Frank Lloyd Wright houses there too, one or more are still private homes. I'll make it to Newfoundland one of these days.
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo/2016/05/elmwood_village_photos_of_colorful_and_unique_houses_in_buffalo_neighborhood.html
I tried to paste a link to google images of Buffalo houses but had no luck. Tuscan red with yelllow "whiskers" reminsicent of a GG1 would look good on a house, don't you think?
54light15: Those are some fine-looking houses! I may have to change my opinion of what Buffalo must be like! Actually, I read a lot of good things about Buffalo these days, like a new train station, and now these houses.
I'm not sure about you other guys, but I can just imagine telling my Mrs. that we are going to paint the house Tuscan red, or Armour yellow, or black with grey stripes, or any of the other locomotive color combinations being bruited about here. Haven't you guys learned about the "Happy wife, happy life" principle? Or are you single?
Single.
But the house is a nice shade of dark green - not quite Brunswick green, but closer to maybe VT. The trim is cedar, though - not really railroady.
Before this is was almost Conrail blue...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
If I wanted to paint the house in Jersey Central's blue and tangerine scheme, that would never fly - wwwaaaayyyy too close to University of Florida's colors. My diehard garnet-and-gold-to-the-bone Florida State fan wife would literally shoot me, even if she had to do it in front of witnesses. I'd like to paint the house in Seaboard Air Line's citrus scheme, but it would be a bear to put on a house.
I have read that Victorian houses were often in bright colors (even gaudy by today's standards of white with a sparse dark trim). There are a few houses in my city that are, um... "different". One has each strip of siding in a different BRIGHT SOLID color... RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, etc. Other houses here and there are all one bright RED or YELLOW, even one is an ELECTRIC BLUE (for want of a better name). They all seem out-of-place in the neighborhoods they are in.
I will say that those Buffalo homes are very pretty. I think one reason they are much nicer looking is the style of the house and that the homes seem to be in good repair and the yards are neat and trim (unlike the "weed-jungles" around some of the ones here in this city).
I know my hubby and I when we repaint our bedroom are leaning towards either the two tone grey used by the UP or maybe I can convince him to go Wabash Blue with Grey. I know when he repaints his train room after the last kid leaves the colors are going to be Santa Fe Blue for the trim with Santa Fe Yellow doors only on the inside of the room. Yes I have been looking for UP steam sheets also why after seeing the Big Boy in Rochelle in 2019 I realized just how magificent these engines truly are.
Shadow the Cats owner I know my hubby and I when we repaint our bedroom are leaning towards either the two tone grey used by the UP or maybe I can convince him to go Wabash Blue with Grey. I know when he repaints his train room after the last kid leaves the colors are going to be Santa Fe Blue for the trim with Santa Fe Yellow doors only on the inside of the room. Yes I have been looking for UP steam sheets also why after seeing the Big Boy in Rochelle in 2019 I realized just how magificent these engines truly are.
Good choices!
Semper VaporoI have read that Victorian houses were often in bright colors
Quite true. The problem was the paints of the time didn't last as long as what we had today so needed touching up fairly often. Then around 1910-1914 a durable exterior white paint was developed and that became the fashion, so those Victorian "Painted Ladies" all turned white pretty quickly.
By the way, I don't care for the term "Victorian" when applied to American houses, nothing against Her Majesty but Victoria wasn't queen here. I prefer to use the term "Gilded Age," but if someone says "Victorian" I don't lose sleep over it.
Semper VaporoI have read that Victorian houses were often in bright colors...
In the process of scraping 100+ year old paint off my house, I've come to the conclusion that it was once orange with chocolate brown trim. I've seen a view of my street which included just the front of the house, and although it was black and white, it would tend to bear out that scheme.
One feature of our county historical museum is the "Pink Schoolhouse." Moved from its original location (Pink Schoolhouse Road - whodathunk?) it is painted pink, and sits adjacent to a house on the museum grounds which is orange with red trim.
Colorful, indeed!
It would be interesting to travel back in time to see in living color what we can only see now in black and white (or colorized). I suspect many would be surprised.
There are watercolors and oils of Victorian houses.
Flintlock76By the way, I don't care for the term "Victorian" when applied to American houses, nothing against Her Majesty but Victoria wasn't queen here. I prefer to use the term "Gilded Age," but if someone says "Victorian" I don't lose sleep over it.
I see "Victorian"as an archetectual style, not an age. There are French Provincial and Colonial style homes in England as well as France and the former Colonies. And I have seen many of all styles in the process of being built in the last few years, so they are not really associated with any age other than the style in the age in which they were most popular.
Although I have heard of the Guilded Age, I have never been able to determine the span of years it is supposed to encompass (but, I have never researched it at all), so I could be all wet in my understanding.
Sopmewhat qualified as an Old Geezer; I can remember growing up in Memphis, and seeing a number of residences around the various railroad yards that seemed to have been supplied with paint that seemed to match the same colors that were used to paint railroad and some M.O.W. structures. (?)
Now I am not accusing anyone of 'helping themselves to railroad ;prperty, but those colors were pretty tracy, and especially so on residentail property...
Whe I got to Parsons, Ks. it seemed that a large number of homes were painted in the yellow color that showed up on The Katy, and its structures...
Shock Control Have you ever been inspired to paint your house exterior based on a railroad color scheme that appealed to you?
Yep. Not the trim or front door--wanted those to "pop"--but the house itself is the classic CPR station red.
tree68 Semper Vaporo I have read that Victorian houses were often in bright colors... In the process of scraping 100+ year old paint off my house, I've come to the conclusion that it was once orange with chocolate brown trim.
Semper Vaporo I have read that Victorian houses were often in bright colors...
In the process of scraping 100+ year old paint off my house, I've come to the conclusion that it was once orange with chocolate brown trim.
Great question. My house is gray with a plum front door, which evokes DL&W or Erie Lackawanna. My wife wants to change the door color to yellow, and when I mentioned that we should use the same yellow that the Lackawanna used I was shot down instantly. I also suggested that when we repaint the front door we change the shutter color from white to plum so the house can look like an Erie Lackawanna locomotive. That earned me an eyeroll.
In retrospect, I should have just looked up the Lackawanna's shade of yellow and then suggested it without referring to the railroad. I would have looked like a color-matching genius! But no.
Keep in mind of course the colors a railroad painted it's diesels and/or passenger cars were often different from what it painted it's wooden stations or other structures. For example, Great Northern didn't paint buildings Pullman Green and Omaha Orange, they were white with green trim (a shade of green close to the later BN green). NP didn't use two-tone green, their depots were tan/brown.
Murphy SidingIsn't that Illinois Central colors?
Now that you mention it...
I have no idea when it was painted in those colors. Well before my time owning the house.
When we moved in, the house was mint/pastel green with white trim.
wjstixKeep in mind of course the colors a railroad painted it's diesels and/or passenger cars were often different from what it painted it's wooden stations or other structures. For example, Great Northern didn't paint buildings Pullman Green and Omaha Orange, they were white with green trim (a shade of green close to the later BN green). NP didn't use two-tone green, their depots were tan/brown.
While the B&O passenger and diesel colors were blue & gray with gold trim - their buildings were painted tan with brown trim.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD wjstix Keep in mind of course the colors a railroad painted it's diesels and/or passenger cars were often different from what it painted it's wooden stations or other structures. For example, Great Northern didn't paint buildings Pullman Green and Omaha Orange, they were white with green trim (a shade of green close to the later BN green). NP didn't use two-tone green, their depots were tan/brown. While the B&O passenger and diesel colors were blue & gray with gold trim - their buildings were painted tan with brown trim.
wjstix Keep in mind of course the colors a railroad painted it's diesels and/or passenger cars were often different from what it painted it's wooden stations or other structures. For example, Great Northern didn't paint buildings Pullman Green and Omaha Orange, they were white with green trim (a shade of green close to the later BN green). NP didn't use two-tone green, their depots were tan/brown.
Either would look fine on some houses, though I think the classic B&O blue and light grey are the best.
Semper Vaporo Flintlock76 By the way, I don't care for the term "Victorian" when applied to American houses, nothing against Her Majesty but Victoria wasn't queen here. I prefer to use the term "Gilded Age," but if someone says "Victorian" I don't lose sleep over it.
Flintlock76 By the way, I don't care for the term "Victorian" when applied to American houses, nothing against Her Majesty but Victoria wasn't queen here. I prefer to use the term "Gilded Age," but if someone says "Victorian" I don't lose sleep over it.
Semper VaporoAlthough I have heard of the Guilded Age, I have never been able to determine the span of years it is supposed to encompass (but, I have never researched it at all), so I could be all wet in my understanding.
Basically 1870 to 1900. The name comes from a Mark Twain novel, not one of his better-known ones, that's kind of a satire of late 19th Century American society.
Historians took the name "Gilded Age" from the novel and applied it to the period.
For a contrast, in France the same period is referred to as "La Belle Epoque," or "The Beautiful Time."
Shock Control Have you ever been inspired to paint your house exterior based on a railroad color scheme that appealed to you? We are looking at paint schemes, and I am looking at mid-century locomotive paint schemes as inspiration.
*HOA=Home Owners Association (locally, the overbearing HOA's here right now are in their 13-D color phase, only allowing house colors that are various shades of dirt)
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