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box car paint scheme

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Posted by dehusman on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 7:04 AM

"Silver" bridges are actually aluminum.  The 1970's MP standard was Rustoleum Aluminum paint.

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Posted by 54light15 on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 9:11 AM

Here's a question, I have heard that many years ago, something would be "Japanned," like the hood of a Model T Ford was Japanned in the example I've heard. What does that mean? 

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Posted by rdamon on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 9:56 AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanning

Japanning is most often a heavy black "lacquer", almost like enamel paint. Black is common and japanning is often assumed to be synonymous with black japanning. The European technique uses varnishes that have a resin base, similar to shellac, applied in heat-dried layers which are then polished, to give a smooth glossy finish. It can also come in reds, greens and blues.

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Posted by kenny dorham on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 10:15 AM

Here's a question, I have heard that many years ago, something would be "Japanned," like the hood of a Model T Ford was Japanned in the example I've heard. What does that mean?

------- As i recall, it only got a brief mention in my Apprentice Book. The Wiki Link above explains it pretty well.

We were basically told it was, simply, a step in the evolutionary process of paint manufacture. Wit the advent of modern lacquers and Synthetic/Acrylic Enamels, Etc etc, the need for "Jappening" died a natural death

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 5:08 PM

tree68
 
wjstix
For example, it was discovered in the days of black and white TV that under studio lighting, pale green actually looked whiter than white - pure white tended to look light gray.

 

Blue was a color choice for men's shirts for B&W TV.  Or maybe that was early color TV...

Those old enough to remember the show "Car 54, Where Are You?" may recall the trivia regarding the patrol car Toodie and Muldoon drove.  While NYC police cars were in reality green and white, the show car was red and white, so it wouldn't be confused with the real thing.  On B&W TV, they looked the same.

 

Reminds me...

Ever see that movie "Is Paris Burning?"  When it was filmed in Paris in the 60's the Nazi flags used were grey, white, and black, the grey substituting for the red.  It was feared Parisians would riot if they saw the real thing, and since the movie was filmed in black and white it wouldn't make any difference anyway.

Talk about assumptions, remember that TV series "Route 66?"  Everyone assumed Todd Stiles' Corvette was red, but the two 'Vettes used in the course of the series were  "Sky Blue"  and "Fawn Beige."

A black and white series, so who knew?

Surprised me when I heard that, I thought all Corvettes were supposed to be red!

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 5:19 PM

Nope...I have 2, a '73 white and an '82 steel grey...original paint ...the '73 is a seat attached to a warp drive...the '82 is 100% gutless, but the crossfire design makes it sound likes it going to the moon. 

I have had both for a very long time now, plus a '69 Chevy Malibu convertable, originally a 307 but now a 327...had that since before my daughters were born and the oldest is now 43! We call it our beach car. I have looked after them all. 

No red...it attracts cops and tickets. 

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 6:58 PM

Firelock76
Talk about assumptions, remember that TV series "Route 66?"  Everyone assumed Todd Stiles' Corvette was red, but the two 'Vettes used in the course of the series were  "Sky Blue"  and "Fawn Beige."

A black and white series, so who knew?

Surprised me when I heard that, I thought all Corvettes were supposed to be red!

Ferrari's are supposed to be RED.

Corvettes can be any color, the originals in 1954 where white with red upholstery.

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 9:32 PM

Miningman
No red...it attracts cops and tickets.

    One of my co-workers many years ago had a red corvette.   He loved it, but everyone agreed that he drove like a "little old lady."   He was always accumulating tickets.   When he drove through many small towns, he'd look in the mirror and see the local sheriff following him.   Once, he was ticketed for driving "too fast for conditions" even though he was going 5 MPH below the speed limit on an open road on a clear day.

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 9:51 PM

Yes, some police might look at a red Corvette or any other red sports car that is parked and give it a ticket for going too fast.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, December 21, 2017 12:21 AM

A co-worker and I were sent to a company site in a nearby town.  We took turns driving there in our cars.  When I drove (in my gold Nissan Pulsar) I kept to the (then) 55 MPH Interstate Speed Limit and it took us about 20 minutes to get there.  When he drove (in his RED Firebird) it took us nearly 35 minutes, IF a State Trooper did NOT pull us over for "suspicion of speeding".  "You can go with just this verbal warning this time, but keep your speed below the speed limit!"

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 3:19 AM

Deggesty

Yes, some police might look at a red Corvette or any other red sports car that is parked and give it a ticket for going too fast.

Hey - That's my line!

As I recall, there was a television commercial that used exactly that "plot."

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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, December 21, 2017 5:08 AM

Deggesty
Yes, some police might look at a red Corvette or any other red sports car that is parked and give it a ticket for going too fast.

Most Corvettes I see are driven by old guys going slow. 

*shrugs*

Although the newest generation is pretty awesome looking.  I was never a huge Corvette fan, so that's saying something (always liked the Viper instead).

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Thursday, December 21, 2017 7:58 AM

zugmann
 
Deggesty
Yes, some police might look at a red Corvette or any other red sports car that is parked and give it a ticket for going too fast.

 

Most Corvettes I see are driven by old guys going slow. 

*shrugs*

Although the newest generation is pretty awesome looking.  I was never a huge Corvette fan, so that's saying something (always liked the Viper instead).

 

     One of my old bosses was a Ferrari man. He bought one every year and had a collection. Red was most common but there were some yellow and some purple. He didn’t drive slowly. Well into his 80’s he was a hell raiser in his Ferraris. When he would get pulled over by a cop, he would turn into a mild mannered 88 year old man. That was usually enough to make the police officer question what he had seen and let him off with a verbal warning.

 

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 9:17 AM

Whoops!  Didn't mean to turn this into a Corvette discussion!

I don't own a Corvette and don't plan on owning one.  MY dream car is a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr V-12!  Just the idea of that 12-cylinder mill under the hood...

Either that or a Sherman tank.  Or a Renault FT-17.

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, December 21, 2017 10:16 AM

My 'toy' car

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 10:21 AM

Firelock76
Just the idea of that 12-cylinder mill under the hood...

Hey, I got to play with a V-16 last night.  And Monday and Tuesday, too!

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Paul of Covington on Thursday, December 21, 2017 12:15 PM

tree68

 

 
Deggesty

Yes, some police might look at a red Corvette or any other red sports car that is parked and give it a ticket for going too fast.

 

 

Hey - That's my line!

As I recall, there was a television commercial that used exactly that "plot."

 

   Dodge, around 1970-ish, I think.

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Thursday, December 21, 2017 12:22 PM

Firelock76
I don't own a Corvette and don't plan on owning one. MY dream car is a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr V-12! Just the idea of that 12-cylinder mill under the hood...

   Never wanted a Corvette, either.   It seemed to me that nobody kept them very long--I suspect they couldn't afford the insurance.

    MY dream car is one I used to have--1974 Dodge van--a basic box on four wheels.   I drove it 18 years and over 400k miles.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 12:39 PM

tree68
 
Firelock76
Just the idea of that 12-cylinder mill under the hood...

 

Hey, I got to play with a V-16 last night.  And Monday and Tuesday, too!

 

 

I had to think about that for about two seconds.  OK, cool!

And you don't have to worry about tire pressure or whether the turn signals work.

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Posted by 54light15 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 2:20 PM

Firelock, are you sure you don't want a 1940 Lincoln Continental rather than a Zephyr? Gorgeous and they have a V-12. Really, one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Santino Corleone drove one! 

Corvettes are usually driven by the same guys that ride Harleys. Beer-bellied gray ponytails. 

 

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Thursday, December 21, 2017 2:46 PM

zugmann

..and is there a difference between Brunswick Green and DGLE*?  The world may never know.

* - Dark Green Locomotive Enamel

Glad you guys got around to Brunswick Green beore I did.  For those who don't know, it was a favorite color of the PRR for the GG1s, and maybe some other locomotives.  

I suspect the reason many eastern US railroad bridges are black is because they were coal hauling roads, and that color would hide the black coal dust and drippings, etc. that would stain any other color (except Brunswick Green Smile, Wink & Grin ). 

- PDN.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Firelock76 on Thursday, December 21, 2017 3:20 PM

54light15

Firelock, are you sure you don't want a 1940 Lincoln Continental rather than a Zephyr? Gorgeous and they have a V-12. Really, one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Santino Corleone drove one! 

Corvettes are usually driven by the same guys that ride Harleys. Beer-bellied gray ponytails. 

 

 

Hey, I could probably go for one of those too!  The thing is, I first heard of the Zephyr from an ad in a vintage 1939 National Geographic.  There it was in all it's glory right on the inside cover, and I was smitten right away!

A V-12 Continental wouldn't be bad either.  Hopefully I'd own one a lot longer than Santino did!

Should have listened to his old man:  "Women and children can be careless, but not men."

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Posted by 54light15 on Friday, December 22, 2017 9:59 AM

Yes, indeed. The tollbooth scene was filmed at Floyd Bennett field in Brooklyn. The tollbooth itself is an exact copy of the ones that were on the Wantaugh and Meadowbrook parkways when I was a kid. Maybe they're still there? But, the car does still exist as does the Packard in the "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." scene. In Arkansas as I've heard

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Posted by VGN Jess on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 6:10 PM

But..IS there a difference in Brunswick Green and DGLE?

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Posted by Miningman on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 6:34 PM

54light15--"Corvettes are usually driven by the same guys that ride Harleys. Beer-bellied gray ponytails." 

Hey I resemble that remark! Except my hair is still blondish and not grey and I do not ride a Harley but I did have a Yamaha Virago for many years. 

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Posted by MikeInPlano on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 9:08 PM

As I understood it, early fire trucks were painted red because all early cars were black, and red stood out, making the trucks readily visible to drivers of those cars. 

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 9:14 PM

And, there was the time when lime green was the proper color "because it was more visible  than red." If I had not read that explanation, I would have wondered why the first one I saw in lime green was so painted. Salt Lake City fell for that for a time, but went back to the color that people KNEW meant that the vehicle was a fire department vehicle.

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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 9:41 PM

MikeInPlano

As I understood it, early fire trucks were painted red because all early cars were black, and red stood out, making the trucks readily visible to drivers of those cars. 

There are a number of stories/legends about why fire trucks are red.  Truth is, not all early motorized fire apparatus was red - Vancouver, BC equipment was white, Baltimore, MD was white with orange (which continued into the 70's, at least).

Early apparatus (hand pumps) was myriad colors - and in many cases the color wasn't the key factor - it was how ornate the decoration was.

The legend I favor for red is that it was an expensive color (at least some reds), so if a fire company painted its apparatus red, they were showing off...

"Slime yellow" was the creation of an optometrist from Oswego, NY.  He postulated that one problem with fire apparatus was that red actually appears black in low light situations.  Many fire departments adopted the color whole-heartedly.  The FAA mandated it for airfield apparatus.

Finding new apparatus in "slime yellow" is rare these days.  Red, white, yellow, and combinations including those colors are common.  One department paints their apparatus "safety black..." Grape, PA painted their trucks purple...

But apparatus today has a wide array of warning lights, and most are LED.  In fact, in some cases one can argue that today's apparatus almost have too many lights...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 10:15 PM

tree68
But apparatus today has a wide array of warning lights, and most are LED.  In fact, in some cases one can argue that today's apparatus almost have too many lights...

Too many and too bright at night!  LED's these days are wicked!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 10:16 PM

I never would have thought I would have a segue to use this on a Railroad forum...

When I was a kid I read the following for the reason why Fire Engines are red.

 

Because: 1 plus 1 equals 2!  That's why!

WHAT?

Well, ya see, 2 plus 1 equals 3, and 2 times 3 equals 6, and there are 6 feet in a fathom, and fathoms are a measure of the depth of the sea, and the sea has fish in it, and fishes have fins, and the Finns fought the Russians, and the Russians are often called "Reds", so Fire Engines are Red because they are always rushin' all over.

You can thank a comic book about The Three Stooges for that little tid-bit.

Sorry for the off-topic reply! Dunce

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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