"Hello fellow railroaders"...
What might the color of a typical track side water tank be?. I realize various roads had different colors but would greatly appreciate some examples. I've got an old water tank that needs some attention. Right now it's unpainted wood and weathered.
Thanks in advance.
Tracklayer
As far as I know, railroads generally had some type of color scheme that they used on their buildings, just like they had color schemes for their engines and rolling stock. Water tanks would have been painted the RR's buildings colors. Now, if you haven't picked those colors, now is your chance, or you can just go with a neutral color like tan for the tank. The roof and supports can be dark brown. My RR's building colors are cream with green trim for the sides, and some shade of red tiles, shingles, or roofing paper for the roof. If the building is brick, block, or stone, it is left that color and the roof is usually a dark red, but may be a dark green. Sometimes it is hard trying to stick with a set of standard colors, but I am trying. Creosote wood is left that dark brown / black color and gets lighter toward gray with age. Sometimes I leave the wood shingles their natural color also. The idea is to have a central theme for the colors of the buildings and structures that the RR owned.
Hope this helps,
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.