Hi,
I was wondering why most, if not all, steam locomotives were painted black? Is this because it would be easier to see water leaks and the white streaks formed by the impurities in the water? Or were they painted black because they got their paint from the same paint factory where Henry Ford got his paint from for his Model Ts?
Hansel
because the engines get dirty and not cleaned so often black covers up the dirtiness better.
Lots of colour over here.
Jon
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The custom of painting steam locomotives black started about the time that Henry Ford decreed that all Model Ts would be black. Ford's reasoning was that the black paint available at that time was more durable than other pigments when exposed to the elements. Railroad management may have made the same decision for the same reason.
Nineteenth century locomotives were originally very colorful machines, As the impact of multicolor schemes and fancy striping on the bottom line finally penetrated to the boardrooms, things went rather quickly to basic black for freight locos. Those American locos with other-than-black color schemes tended to be passenger power. The Pennsy Brunswick Green scheme was an exception - sort of. (To get Brunswick Green, pour a gallon of green into a carload of black...)
My steam locos are black because that's the color the prototype locos were painted when I was watching them in action in 1964... So was most freight stock. Older catenary motors and passenger stock was painted in the rusty grunge color scheme that was the color of the dirt they tended to accumulate.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
To Jon..... Thanks for posting. I was at the museum in York and saw the Mallard and all of the rest. Impressive!
Everybody ..... Would you prefer gold?
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
When the American Freedom Train came through Wisconsin in the 1970s it was powered by the Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4, #4449, painted red white and blue -- mostly white. One look at that engine once it had gone through the tunnel at Tunnel City WI, working hard, and it became obvious why most steam locos were painted black -- it was nearly black from its own soot (and the soot it knocked loose from the tunnel itself).
Dave Nelson
Heartland Division CB&Q Everybody ..... Would you prefer gold?
Thank god that was temporary.
John.
In the case of the New York Central: If the steamers were white, you wouldn't be able to read the road name...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Gold! Wow that looks like a real brass loco.
I believe that steam locomotives were painted black for a similar reason that the early English Army chose red for the tunics for their soldiers. Black hides the grime and red hides the blood.
Black endured for a lot longer than the red.
Bruce
Hi!
I grew up in Chicago near the C&NW racetrack on the northwest side during the late '40s thru the '50s. I got "close and personal" with many a steam loco and grew to marvel and enjoy them to this day. It would be nice to say they were painted black so as to absorb more heat, or black was the cheapest paint for the job, or something of that ilk.
The truth is, the locos were painted black because they were the dirtiest machines ever built in quantity - especially those that burnt coal! Ha, ask any Mom that hung her laundry outside near the tracks about them, and she will give you an earful.
The RRs that gave their locos "whitewalls" or painted them green or blue or whatever other color ended up with some beautiful machines. But, an awful lot of effort had to be expended to keep them looking good - and of course that effort was usually in the form of manpower.
All of the above being said, there has never been (IMHO) a machine so impressive and massive and awe inspiring as a fired up steam loco - clean or dirty!
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Early engines were painted various colors. Before 1859 when artificially colored paints were developed in Germany (IIRC) the cost of each color was determined by what natural plant, animal or mineral was used in creating the color. Purple and blue used ink from a sea animal so was very rare - only rich people or nobles could afford it, hence these became "royal" colors. The cheapest was red - not fire engine red, but what we'd call "boxcar red". It was 'dirt cheap' because it was made with...well, dirt - or more accurately, clay or other soil that had iron ore in it. It was also a very durable paint, so people painted things like barns with it. That's why barns are red now, people went to the store and bought "red paint" and when artificial colors came in, the generic "red paint" you'd get switched from boxcar red to a bright red.
Painting engines black (at least in the US) began before automobiles. The era of brightly painted, diamond-stacked engines really was fading by the 1870's. Photos in Frank King's books on the DM&IR shows some of the first DM&N and D&IR engines from the early 1880's painted black with straight shotgun stacks for example. Partly this was probably economics...yes, bright paint was by then cheap, but there was a "panic" (what we'd call a recession or depression) in 1873 and I'm sure it's not a coincidence that it was around that time that brightly painted and highly ornamented engines started to lose favor due to the excessive maintenance costs. It's about this time boxcar red and Pullman green started to replace lighter colors on freight and passenger cars. (For example, straw yellow was once very common for passenger cars and boxcars, CB&Q I believe had a train called the "White Mail" that used white or cream colored cars.)
KIM steam engines not only get dirty, but they get hot too. Any paint used on them has to withstand the heat. (That's why fireboxes and smokeboxes weren't usually painted, but coated with a mix of silvery-gray graphite and oil.) I'm not an expert on this part of it but I think part of the reason UK railroads had colored engines was because they had boiler jacketing that maybe US engines often lacked?? You'll notice in the US engines became colorful again after streamlined shrouding was added over the engine's body. The actual engine underneath remained black, as de-streamlined engines show.
Allegheny2-6-6-6One reason, because it was cheap. Black was and more then likely still is the cheapest color to produce when it comes to paint. Red for example is the most expensive do in part to the cost of the pigments needed to create it. I'm not making this up came straight out of the mouth of an engineer at the Dupont plant in Delaware.
I always thought that box car red (iron oxide pigment) was the cheapest paint out there. For instance, the Boston & Maine was so pinch penny that they used box car red on cabooses, and only used the more expensive bright red on the ends of the caboose.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
In ancient times, reds and purples were colors only the wealthy could acquire (particularly for robes/clothes.
But in the early 20th century, barn red (or boxcar red/brown or whatever name given) was one of the cheapest pigments as it was sourced from common raw materials. Sooo, most all freight cars were painted that color, as were barns. Note we are talking of the dull red/brown color and not bright red.
Of course barns were also whitewashed, but that would not work for rail cars. And, hoppers and gondolas were often painted black to offset the grime from the stuff (coal in particular) they hauled.
Post WWII, the railroads wanted attention (another word for advertising) and thus we saw a plethora of beautiful paint schemes on the freight cars (PS 1s especially). And even Lionel picked up on that and produced all the 6464 series boxcars - which were very successful.
For what its worth.......
Not all locomotives in the USA were just plain black. In fact there were a great many exceptions. Pennsy painted their locomotives a very dark "Brunswick Green" (which looked black until you got up close), and Great Northern had their "Glacier Green" on a great many of their steamers. Even Rio Grande painted several of their locomotives a dark green up until WWII. And the Missabe road painted their Yellowstones and several other classes of freight locos with a gray boiler. UP had their two-tone "Overland Gray" used on several classes of steamers.
And a great many railroads that did paint their locomotives black used other colors also. Burlington was known for their red cab roofs and silver smoke and fireboxes. Rio Grande used everything from dark graphite to bright silver for their smoke and fireboxes, and bright silver for the cylinder heads, along with white for trim. SP used dark graphite and a bright, almost 'white' silver on their smokebox fronts. Even Santa Fe 'white-faced' some of their steamers.
And that's not even mentioning the often striking colors that were used on 'streamlined steam' in the late 'thirties and 'forties, the N&W J's and the SP GS-"Daylight" series being two of the most famous examples.
Black was cheap and it absorbed heat. And steamers ran on heat.
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Remember too that in the U.S. most passenger cars for about 50 years were a very dark "Pullman" green with gold or dulux lettering. Painting an engine in bright colors would have been quite a contrast. As someone mentioned, a "black" steam engine often had a silvery/gray smokebox and firebox, a red cab roof (and possibly a red tender deck too) with white or yellow lettering, perhaps including a colored herald.
Many railroads used a green or gray boiler, sometimes ones you don't immediately think of like Northern Pacific for example (not on all engines though). Sometimes railroads chose to try to copy the look of "Prussian (or "Russian") Iron" boilers where the metal was sort of a blue-green.
Here's GN predecessor St.Paul & Pacific's first engine from 1862:
...and a later GN Mallet (note "Reversed" Goat herald on the tender):
As others have already pointed out, they weren't always black. Toward the end of the steam era, many railroads streamlined the locomotives on their name trains and they added a variety of color schemes to these.
One unique paint scheme was created by the NYC. I forget the year but the Catholic Church was having a convention of Cardinals in Chicago. Since many of the Cardinals would be arriving in New York by ship, the NYC put together a special train to carry them to Chicago. They painted a Hudson a deep cardinal red and did the same for cars. About 20 years ago, Rivarossi issued a model of this train and I bought one. It's a handsome consist but hasn't seen a lot of running time. Now it will need updated with a decoder. Given its age, the flanges probably aren't compatible with my code 83 track either so that is another issue.
If memory serves correctly, John Allen had a similar bright red loco on his G&D.
I believe Chicago Great Western's "Blue Bird" and "Red Bird" trains were painted blue and red, respectively, including not just the cars but the passenger steam engines. I believe GM&O had some maroon and red steam engines - I think one of Don Ball's books had a pic?
Paint serves two purposes: to protect the equipment and to promote the railroad.
Early on, there were no paints which could handle high temperatures. Boilers were treated to protect them (russian iron, american iron, etc), which made their very pleasant looking. Smokeboxes and fireboxes were also coated in materials which made them look gray or silver. Later on, paint technology progessed to a point at which these components could be painted. Some roads painted their locomotive boilers to resemble the earlier treatments (commonly green boilered locomotives), as did others paint the smokeboxes.
If cost was the primary concern, boxcar red was very cheap (rust is the pigment)...and black was both cheap and durable...so they became common once beauty was no longer considered to be a requirement. When beauty was a requirement...1870s, 1880s...very few builders would paint their locomotives black...Baldwin preferred olive something or another.
Later, some roads did have colorful steam as has been mentioned...green Southern passenger power, gray UP power, and of course the many streamlined locomotives (which were really form over function).
The story (myth?) I heard was that Vanderbilt decreed that all NYC locomotives would be black - possibly in mourning for his wife who had just died. The other railroads followed along because the NYC set the standard.
Enjoy
Paul
To clear up a couple of common misconceptions, the Model T was available only in black from 1913 to 1927. Prior to that, is was also available in green, red, blue, and grey, and in 1909, not in black at all. Ford finally settled on black only because it was cheap and durable - nothing to do with faster drying times, either, as by 1927, Ford was cranking out a Model T every 24 seconds.
And, to keep things train-related, in addition to dabbling in cars and steel, Ford was also became a railroad magnate with his purchase of the DT&I.
Wayne
When I worked at a clothing store, I learned that there were 3 types of black. Brown black, grey black, and black black. Must be just a clothing thing!
Well, that explains the bright orange color of the DT&I.
Rust? They really used rust as an pigment? Wouldn't that cause the metal cars to rust out prematurely?
All this discussion of locomotve colors leaves out one essential point. Locomotives, even steamers, came out the the erecting and overhaul shops painted in high gloss enamels. They were really shiny until the effects of sunlight, rain, grime and wear flatted them out. As modelers our protocol seems to be to use matte finishes exclusively and I'm wondering where this comes from. I've sprayed some of my engines, both steam and diesel, in gloss and find I rather like the look. I have enough heavily weathered engines on the layout so folks can see I do that too, but I really like my "bright boys". Am I alone in the World?
Hansel Well, that explains the bright orange color of the DT&I. Rust? They really used rust as an pigment? Wouldn't that cause the metal cars to rust out prematurely?
It wasn't exactly rust, it was dirt or clay with some iron ore in it - which is common in many areas, even where there isn't enough iron ore to mine. Think "red clay of Georgia"...mix it with turpentine and slap it on your barn !!
JimValleAll this discussion of locomotve colors leaves out one essential point. Locomotives, even steamers, came out the the erecting and overhaul shops painted in high gloss enamels. They were really shiny until the effects of sunlight, rain, grime and wear flatted them out. As modelers our protocol seems to be to use matte finishes exclusively and I'm wondering where this comes from. I've sprayed some of my engines, both steam and diesel, in gloss and find I rather like the look. I have enough heavily weathered engines on the layout so folks can see I do that too, but I really like my "bright boys". Am I alone in the World?
Below is my procedure for painting steam locos. While I start the weathering process with the colours of paint chosen, it's continued by using different clear coats over these, then any other weathering effects are added last.
For painting steam locomotives, I use Floquil paints, applied with an airbrush. I like to mix three or four shades of black, starting with Engine Black. For the cab and tender body, I lighten it slightly with the addition of some Reefer White. This “lightened black” is further lightened by the addition of some Grey Primer, used on the boiler, smoke box front, pilot, cylinders, appliances (pumps, compressors, etc.) and tender deck. This colour is further altered with the addition of some Roof Brown to create a “grimy black”, suitable for the running gear and frames of both loco and tender. Finally, for the smoke box and firebox, I add some more brown and, often, some Caboose Red or Reefer Orange.These colours are applied to the loco (dis-assembled to whatever degree necessary) without masking, although I do use a card or piece of paper to shield adjacent areas, as required. After the paint has cured for several days, it’s ready for lettering. I generally use dry transfers, so no clear coat is required on the flat Floquil paints. When using decals, I airbrush only the areas to be decaled with a fairly shiny semi-gloss finish - usually the cab sides, tender sides and rear, and air tanks and cylinders if they’re to receive lettering for test data. This finish, of course, is allowed to harden fully before applying the decals.Once the loco has been lettered, I apply various clear finishes, again, applied without masking. The cab and tender sides and rear get a spray of fairly shiny semi-gloss, while the boiler, smoke box front, pilot, cylinders, and appliances receive a coat of “less-shiny” semi-gloss. An even flatter semi-gloss is applied to the running gear and frames of the loco and tender. The tender deck and interior of the coal bunker get an overspray of Dulcote, while the firebox and smoke box get no clear coat, as, to my eye, the dead flat finish of Floquil gives the effect that I want.I usually re-assemble the running gear, then lightly weather it and the bottom of the boiler before re-assembling the entire locomotive and tender. I don’t weather my locos too heavily, so I usually also install any window glass and headlight and marker lenses at this time, but if you like heavy weathering, it may be best to leave the glass and lenses until after weathering.For weathering colours, I again use Floquil, mixed to whatever I think looks appropriate: I usually use at least four or five different colours or shades of colours, and all are thinned, using lacquer thinner, about 70% to 90%. It’s much easier to build up layers of different colours than it is to try to remove “too much”. For “soot” along the boiler top and cab roof, straight engine black, thinned severely, works well for me. The running gear is weathered with the loco moving in the spray booth, either under its own power or pushed by hand, with the motor disengaged. And a couple of examples: