Trains.com

A Colour Photo of Streamlined PRR 3768

5242 views
33 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:37 PM

There is some controversy about this, much the same as for the supposed 10 'Tuscan-red-painted' K4s.

Loewy specified a very particular color for 3768, a bronze metallic color with 'metalflake' effect.  I had always thought of this as lighter and "redder" than the statuary-bronze color in the picture... but I never saw either the original or any swatches from the Loewy studio.

My understanding is that when Kodachrome fades it's the reds that go last, so there may not be color shift far away from 'original' in that picture.

It does not look green to me and I'm familiar with many nuances of DGLE.

  • Member since
    January 2019
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 9,728 posts
Posted by Flintlock76 on Sunday, June 12, 2022 9:00 AM

That may not be a Kodachrome slide at all.  Kodachrome slide film was introduced at the 1939 NY Worlds Fair although Kodachrome movie film had been available for some time.

There was another color photo film available at the time called Dufeecolor which predated Kodachrome.  It was pretty good but not as good as the Kodak product would be.

Considering how washed-out the photograph looks I'm thinking IF it's Kodachrome or Dufeecolor it may have deteriorated due to improper storage in which case it's not to be trusted as a color reference, OR it may even be a hand-colored B&W shot.  

It's interesting just the same.

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • 4,612 posts
Posted by M636C on Sunday, June 12, 2022 7:12 AM

I am not sure that dark green would appear as dark brown red as the lower casing seems to be. The Kalmbach Locomotive Cyclopedia Volume 1 on page 140 reproduces what appears to be the Pennsylvania Railroad painting diagram for 3768. This specifies the base colour as "dark Bronze".

While there is a colour Bronze Green which might be similar to PRR locomotive green if dark enough, the diagram suggests Bronze. This I would exect to look like the lower panels in the photo. The locomotive was based at the world's Fair for the season and I would not expect it to acquire much road grime. However, since it only appeared in a "pageant", it is possible that it was only cleaned on the side facing the audience, which might be the side away from the photographer in this shot. I am surprised that the streamlined cover for the coupler is missing. I don't imagine that the front coupler would be needed, although it might be needed to move the dead locomotive between shows.

Peter

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • 2,678 posts
Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:21 AM

Brunswick Green is almost black. Perhaps that is what the paint color is on the engine and the nose cone is wiped off to show that but the remainder has a coating of road grime on it.

https://onlineshop.dulux.co.nz/products/brunswick-green

The Pennsylvania T1s as well as many diesels were delivered in Brunswick Green.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33031095@N03/50925665258

https://imgur.io/gallery/NiU9kVN

And sometimes those old Kodachromes don't always show up with the exact colors, too.

Kansas City Southern's business train is Brunswick Green and the lower section of their diesel locomotoives is painted Brunswick Green, which appears in most photos as black at first glance.

https://www.thedieselshop.us/KCSpaints.HTML

Just a couple of thoughts.

  • Member since
    January 2002
  • 4,612 posts
A Colour Photo of Streamlined PRR 3768
Posted by M636C on Saturday, June 11, 2022 10:10 PM

To me, at least this colour was a mystery. It is described as "Bronze"....

This is said to be a Kodachrome of the loco at the 1939/40 World's Fair.

https://www.shorpy.com/node/26665

This could be the darker red on the window band of the "Fleet of Modernism". I'm concerned by how much darker the recently cleaned "Nose Cone" appears to be. Of course Duplex 6100 was there (separately) and it seems agreed that this was painted (very) dark green. I believe 3768 was later painted dark green as were the other streamlined K4s locomotives.

Peter

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy