Stumped by 1880's color

[SpaceMouse]

I opened a Suydam kit Passenger/LCL Freight Station kit and the color was a awful mustard yellow.They suggest that the trim be boxcar brown. My inclination is to paint it more earth tones, but I'm not sure that would be right. What types of color would you find at a station. Would they tend to bright or subdued. Would they use the train colors?

I'm tempted to pull out my John Wayne movies and see how Hollywierd did it.

[jeffshultz]

If it's supposed to be an SP station, you can look at one here:
http://www.shultzinfosystems.com/gallery/overhead/P1000366

The photos surrounding it are the same structure from some different angles.

[jeffshultz]

Oh heck - I took the photo, so it's mine to post:


It's much larger on my website.

[SpaceMouse]

Same color scheme but the station is smaller. It is called the Standard Station.

The layout is excellent.

[dehusman]

Various shades of yellows and browns were very popular for both stations and passenger cars.

Dave H.

[CNJ831]

A body color of so-called Depot Buff, with trim done in Boxcar Red/Brown, was very common years ago.

CNJ831

[SpaceMouse]

In Rio Lobo, there were two stations: One was stone and the other was light yellow with brown trim.

In Big Jake, the station was bright orange with brown trim.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831

A body color of so-called Depot Buff, with trim done in Boxcar Red/Brown, was very common years ago.

CNJ831

What color is Depot Buff?

[dehusman]

The Reading Co. used a base color of a lite yellow, like a cream or buff with dark brown trim. It was knicknamed "chocolate and vanilla".

Dave H.

[Jetrock]

Yes, SP stations of the 1880s were an awful mustard yellow. "Buff", according to my wife, is a kind of pale yellow-tan, pretty much the color you see above.

Victorian buildings (of the 1880s-1900 or so) were COLORFUL. Lots of bright colors. Keep in mind that there wasn't really white paint then (other than whitewash) so buildings were colorful, with light colors rather than earth tones. Railroad-associated buildings, especially, would be colorful.

[rrinker]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dehusman

The Reading Co. used a base color of a lite yellow, like a cream or buff with dark brown trim. It was knicknamed "chocolate and vanilla".

Dave H.

And still the best color scheme!

[:D]

[JohnT14808]

Why be stumped, SpaceMouse. Paint the depot whatever color you want.....unless you are trying to be prototypical. Maybe you could "dull" it down with some weathering?

[Anonymous]

I paint my stations and anything that has wood in bulk with testors "Earth"

wood in plenty.

But that is just me.

[Jetrock]

The problem is, if the dirt is "Earth" color, why paint a wooden building the same color? Sure, maybe you don't want to use Day-Glo, but something should differentiate it from the landscape, especially if it's going to be something that is the focal point of an 1880's town--and in small towns, the railroad station was the focal point! Sure, an old shed or barn might go without paint, but the railroad station never--and in either the railroad's official paint scheme or just as colorful as possible!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

The problem is, if the dirt is "Earth" color, why paint a wooden building the same color? Sure, maybe you don't want to use Day-Glo, but something should differentiate it from the landscape, especially if it's going to be something that is the focal point of an 1880's town--and in small towns, the railroad station was the focal point! Sure, an old shed or barn might go without paint, but the railroad station never--and in either the railroad's official paint scheme or just as colorful as possible!

I have a freight house that is typical of several of my structures, I give them a base coat of Earth and the windows are trimmed in Green as well as the doors. This I consider my colors. You can see in my sig

I usually use Earth and Green and go from there. Each structure gets a little bit of individuality but nothing too wild.

I wanted to thank you for your very insightful post and it provided me some "lessons"

I dont want to take anything away from this wonderful thread... one more thing I like to add.

Red paint was easiest to make and cheapest too. I think reason for why many barns were red in the day. Keep in mind that pigments came from nature for the paints they used in the late 1800's. There was a little color, possibly the complete basic (Rainbow) of colors and a little creativity.

I reach back to my seafaring history and recall that there were many colors in the mid 1800's so, my two cents is this: If you like it use it.

An example was red in seagoing warships. They would paint the interior of the gundeck so human wreckage would not bend the mind's eye from the duty that must be done in what must have been a slaughter house at times.

[Don Gibson]

Many 'early' station's were simple wood frame buildings painted a 'Barn or 'Tuscan Red'. Later trim was painted a different color . Then buildings became color 'coordinated' to identify RR property. An example might be SP used 'Creamy yellow with brown trim while Santa Fe's 'Colonial yellow' was paired with 'Olive' trim. Roofing was often 'Brick' colored asphalt sheeting. These colors faded in the Califonia sun
.
Some depot's were rebuilt with more permanent materials - stone - brick - stucco with various 'design' themes - don't ask. Size increased with meed. Most RR's 'inherited' other roads, and inherited their track & building's, as well. The original 'Fallbrook CA . station on the original (California Southern - Santa Fe) mainline was a boxcar.

Unfortunately BOOKS with pictures of early railroading are all in black and white, leaving you stranded. Good hunting.

[Anonymous]

All of the old depots and stations around my area that have been refurbished are all what I call mild yellow with brown trim. However, we were on vacation about twenty years ago and I remember seeing a station that was red with white trim but don't remember where it was or the railroad it was associated with.

Sorry I'm not much help...

trainluver1

[wjstix]

Depot Buff is pretty close (if not identical) to what Walthers calls "Yellow Ochre" for it's depot kits/prebuilts. It was (as the name implies) a common color for depots, my Dad said when he was a kid ( 1920's) buff with dark green trim was a common house color.

BTW Depot Buff is pretty close to the color of my house !!

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-2806

[West Coast S]

The SP standard station in my ole hometown was a dead ringer for this kit . I still have one stashed away......a review of my photos, discloses a buff, almost pale yellow (from fading perhaps?) color with redish brown trim (Tucson or boxcar red) for the trim.

Santa Fe had a motley collection of paint standards for wooden depots, depending on time frame from a similar buff to apple green and barn red. UP favored white with dark green trim.

[Jetrock]

The Roseville, CA Amtrak station (formerly an SP station) uses the Depot Buff/brown color scheme as well...a pattern is emerging!