Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

HO-scale model buildings

2016 views
9 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Saskatoon, SK Canada
  • 60 posts
HO-scale model buildings
Posted by prairieboy2765 on Saturday, October 17, 2015 2:03 PM

I don't know if this is the proper place to post this, but... I have a general question regarding HO-buildings and their colors, specifically about train stations. I was wondering if anyone knows what color/shade of blue freight doors are for CN stations. ("sky blue" for example) Thank you.

Recapturing the Canadian prairies in the early 1970s!
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Central Vermont
  • 4,565 posts
Posted by cowman on Saturday, October 17, 2015 2:25 PM

Can't give you an exact answer, not sure there ever is such a thing.

Freshly painted (anything) is one color.  Sun, smoke and other reasons cause fading and discoloration. 

Best advise I have seen is to find a color photo and get a "close" color and it usually looks OK.  Having the same problem with the station color I wanted to use.

Have fun,

Richard

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, October 17, 2015 3:19 PM

I hunted through a bunch of photos, but found only one of a CN station with a blue freight door, but the photo is post-2000 and the blue is VIA blue.  I also don't recall ever seeing such a door in light blue, but then there are a lot of things which I can't recall. Whistling

As Richard suggests, look for the colour itself, rather than the name of a colour.  Paint manufacturers (and especially paint marketers) hang names on colours to attract buyers, not necessarily to accurately describe the colour itself.

Wayne

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
  • 7,652 posts
Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 17, 2015 3:44 PM

This is late 70's as things started to change in 76.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Saturday, October 17, 2015 6:52 PM

I have just been looking at some pic's and if I had to guess..... A freshly painted door looks to be a very "rich" sky blue colour. Blue, like red tends to fade rather quickly and some of the weathered doors I saw had a very dirty blue/green colour. One pic I saw the doors almost looked purple, but I think that was a one off.

I think close enough will do in this case.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 7,486 posts
Posted by ndbprr on Saturday, October 17, 2015 9:30 PM
The problem with film pictures is the color shifts with time. Kodachrome pictures are notorious for this. If you want total accuracy the only way may be to peel some paint off a door to look at the bottom coat. The PRRT&HS has a paint comitee trying to resolve PRR colors. They have been at it for several years with not many definitive answers
  • Member since
    February 2013
  • 44 posts
Posted by Steve Hunter on Saturday, October 17, 2015 10:39 PM

prairieboy2765

I don't know if this is the proper place to post this, but... I have a general question regarding HO-buildings and their colors, specifically about train stations. I was wondering if anyone knows what color/shade of blue freight doors are for CN stations. ("sky blue" for example) Thank you.

 

It was the same medium blue as the CN passenger car vestibules when first applied, but faded quickly. This photo from Borden, PEI shows a pretty typical shade:

http://public.fotki.com/sbhunterca/steve-hunters-cnr-p/cn20433-borden-octo.html

Remember, blue doors were for employee- only entrances, black or orange were usually for the public (although like any standard, there would be exceptions). Borden had not had any passenger service for many years by the time of my 1985 photo.

Hope this helps!

Steve Hunter

 

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Saskatoon, SK Canada
  • 60 posts
Posted by prairieboy2765 on Monday, October 19, 2015 12:01 PM

Yes, Steve, that helps a lot. Thank you very much, and thank you to EVERYONE else who offered thir advice/suggestions.

Recapturing the Canadian prairies in the early 1970s!
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Canada's Maritime Provinces
  • 1,760 posts
Posted by Railphotog on Monday, October 19, 2015 1:36 PM

I have another suggestion - if you post questions in the future, maybe make the subject of your post more to the point.

"HO-scale model buildings" could be anyone of hundreds of questions.

If you had titled your post "Color of CN station blue doors" it would have been much more to the point of what you are looking for.

 

Bob Boudreau

CANADA

Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!