COLORADO NARROW GAUGE COLOR CHART ROBERT E. SLOAN The following color chart was developed from data collected by D. Hoffman, J. Wintemberg, J. W. Maxwell, C. Brommer, J. C. Thode, R.A LeMassena and me in response to many requests. The colors are in part from records, surviving cars and in part from an analysis of the shades of gray on prints from the old blue-sensitive glass plates. These plates were color blind and equivalent to modern pan film with a blue filter. Red and green appear dark gray, blue was light gray. White is lightest of all, then gold and yellow. The shades of gray depended on how much white was mixed with the black, red and green on how gloosy the finish was. Mixing formulas are as follows : Russia Iron was the term used for a pickled sheet iron made rustproof by a mixture of metal oxides formed in the surface of the metal, analogeous to gun bluing. Many shades existed, depending on the formula. It ought to be a light bluish metallic gray, my formula is 1 cc of Floquil Gunmetal, 2 cc of white and a drop of blue or jade green. (from the sender - I would try using a modern car metallic colors for this ) DSP&P Freight Car Red : Floquil Tuscan Red DSP&P Red Oxide : Floquil Tuscan Red DSP&P Straw Yellow : 4 parts Floquil Mud / 1 part white D&RG/DSP&P Indian Red : Floquil Caboose Red D&RG Princess Mineral Brown :2 parts Floquil Boxcar Red, 1 part Roof Brown D&RG Tuscan Red :2 parts Floquil Tuscan Red, 1 part Caboose Red DENVER, SOUTH PARK & PACIFIC 2-6-6T "Breckenridge" as delivered, perhaps others as well Chocolate Brown : Cab, tender tank, boiler, underframe and cylinders. Red : Tender collar, headlight and bracket, driver centers & domes Mahogany : Pilot spokes Black : Stack & smoke box Gold : Lettering & trim Polished brass : Handrails, piping, boiler bands, dome tops 2-6-6T and 2-8-6T Mason Bogies Black : All except as below. Red : Tender collar, driver centers, headlight and bracket, domes Russia Iron : Boiler jacket Mahogony : Entire cab on some engines, pilot spokes, cab doors & window frames. Gold : Lettering & trim Polished brass : Handrails, piping, boiler bands. All Mason Bogies after October 1885 renumbering Black : All except as below. Graphite : Smoke box & stack up to flare Russia Iron : Boiler jacket Mahogany : Pilot spokes White : Lettering Polished brass : Boiler bands. Red : Perhaps some trim Brooks 2-6-0, Baldwin 2-8-0, Cooke 2-6-0 and 2-8-0 Black : All except as below. Russia Iron : Boiler jacket Mahogany : Pilot spokes, cab (later black) Graphite : Brooks : smoke box, headlight bracket :Baldwin : smoke box : Cooke : none Gold : Lettering & trim, white after 1885, Aluminum after 1906 Polished brass : Handrails, boiler bands ; on Brooks, piping, Red (perhaps black): Brooks & Baldwin : tender collar, domes, headlights and driver centers FREIGHT CARS 1) Freight Car Red with White letters & White fascia. Gondolas, Flat Cars & Boxcars except 900-999 2) Indian Red with White letters & White fascia, Boxcars 900-999 3) Red Oxide with White letters on Black letter boards Stock Cars 1200-1208 4) White with Black roof, hardware & underboby Tiffany Refrigerator cars 1050-1064 5) Straw Yellow sides & ends, Brown roof, Black hardware and underbody. One of two schemes for Refrigerator cars 505-511, other scheme as in 1). CABOOSES 1) Straw Yellow with Black roof, trucks, underbody & lettering, Indian Red panels in end railings 2) Indian Red with White letters, Black underbody PASSENGER CARS Chocolate Brown including trucks & underframes, except Indian Red oval on side, White fascia on some cars, Gold lettering & trim DENVER & RIO GRANDE and RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN LOCOMOTIVES Black : All except as below. Russia Iron : Boiler jacket up to 1918, Black or Olive Green thereafter Varnished Wood : Cab until 1918, Black thereafter Gold : Lettering & trim until 1918, White or Aluminum thereafter Polished brass : Boiler bands, piping, Sand & Steam dome trim FREIGHT CARS 1) Princess Mineral Brown, White lettering, Black iron parts; later Boxcar Red. Gondolas, Flats & Boxcars CABOOSES 1) Indian Red to 1920, White lettering, handrails, steps 2) Boxcar Red after 1920, otherwise same as before WORK EQUIPMENT 1) Boxcar Red with White lettering before 1940 2) Reefer Gray with Black lettering after 1940, Black underbody 3) Black with White lettering, Ditcher OW PASSENGER CARS 1) D&RG Tuscan Red sides, dark (Black or Brown) roof, Gold lettering and trim before September 1918 2) Pullman Green sides, Black roof, Gold lettering 1918 on. 3) "Rio Grande Gold" (Yellow) sides, Black letterboard and stripe(s) under windows, Dulux Gold lettering and Aluminum roof on Silverton train after 1950 This is taken from a posting on re.models.railroad on 9 Aug 95 I live in Italy and I have never seen these cars "live", but as far as I know this pinkish red was used by C&S and not by D&RGW. Accuflex has a "C&S freight car red" that is probably what you are looking for but I'm not sure that it is on the market because it is part of a Sn3 kit made by Berlyn Locomotive Works for a C&S stock car and may be it has been made only for them. I have reproduced the same color using Tamiya Acrylics with the following formula : 10 drops X7 red 4 drops XF2 white 2 drops XF3 yellow 4 drops XF10 brown I hope this can help you Gianni