help with pensy passenger colors

[cgw]

I need help from all you SPF's in selecting paint for passenger and head end equipment.  With the demise of Poly-scale paints I can only get Vallejo or True color paints at the local hobby shops in town .  What is a good match to light Tuscan,   a medium Tuscan  and a dark Tuscan  paint that is used in passenger and head end equipment. Keystone Crossings website had interesting mixes but were based off of poly-scale paints as the starting point.  The local hobby shop no long stocks or can get the colors.  In the True-Color paint line the only pennsy like paints were a Pennsy Passenger car maroon,  Tuscan Red, and a rich oxide brown.   Before I spend a fortune on a bunch of paint can you guys help me in identifying  what colors would be equivalent  the light,medium,dark tuscan paint,  pensy buff color and what shade of black is cement black?

Thanks again from a closet SPF

[altohorn25]

I need help from all you SPF's in selecting paint for passenger and head end equipment.  With the demise of Poly-scale paints I can only get Vallejo or True color paints at the local hobby shops in town .  What is a good match to light Tuscan,   a medium Tuscan  and a dark Tuscan  paint that is used in passenger and head end equipment. Keystone Crossings website had interesting mixes but were based off of poly-scale paints as the starting point.  The local hobby shop no long stocks or can get the colors.  In the True-Color paint line the only pennsy like paints were a Pennsy Passenger car maroon,  Tuscan Red, and a rich oxide brown.   Before I spend a fortune on a bunch of paint can you guys help me in identifying  what colors would be equivalent  the light,medium,dark tuscan paint,  pensy buff color and what shade of black is cement black?

Thanks again from a closet SPF

Can't really help you here yet as I still have a stock of Poly-scale paint that I'm using.  It will be interesting to see what people say on this.

Nate

[towl1996]

Not sure about the light, medium, or dark Tuscan, weathering will give you different shades.  I just used the rattle can from Scalecoat, I think the color was called Tuscan. Scalecoat was bought out by someone, so the paint is available, but can't remember the name of who that was. And black is black.

[Altoona]

Try Badger: Modelflex Pennsy Maroon for the for a color match

Judd Barton

[chicken45]

I'm starting to think paint matching is a crock.

I used Zinc Chromate primer on a flat car and weathered it. Then I had to do a touch up...and boxcar red was now a perfect match for weathered zinc chromate.

What kind of car are you trying to paint? Because that can make a difference, too. Head end cars are a bit more fudgeable due to abuse and filth.

For reference:
Boxcar red:




Weathered 50/50 zinc chromate/boxcar red:


Unweathered zinc chromate:


As song as it doesn't look too purple, you'll be fine.

[chicken45]

Not sure about the light, medium, or dark Tuscan, weathering will give you different shades.  I just used the rattle can from Scalecoat, I think the color was called Tuscan. Scalecoat was bought out by someone, so the paint is available, but can't remember the name of who that was. And black is black.

That looks dead on. It'll get darker when you weather it, but the important thing is that it doesn't look purple!

[mmyers]

I've got a few heavyweights on the bench. Intended to mix up a custom batch of Tuscan red but decided at the last moment to just take the easy way out. Sprayed them with Rustoleum Painter's Touch red primer. The shells are up through a coat of glosscote. Ready for decals.
 At the moment, I can't tell the difference between them and two Microtrains Tuscan red cars that are also on the bench. Not saying they are an exact match to the prototype but they won't look wrong with the rest of the train.

Martin Myers

[dougnelson]

I wish there was an easy answer for this.  The PRRT&HS Paint Committee has done extensive work on defining the PRR paint colors.  Unfortunately they have not made this information available to modelers.  They have several swatch books that they lend to manufacturers, but for some reason they have not converted the information to ink colors that could be more widely distributed.  There may be some accurracy issues with the conversion from paint to ink, but anything close would be a help.

With that said, understand that PRR passenger (and freight) car colors evolved over time, so era is important.  Generally speaking, 1940s to mid 1950s passenger car colors were somewhat lighter and redder, than late 1950s and 1960s paint that was darker and browner.  I have a supply of Polly Scale Box Car Red that is a good match for the earlier color range.  As mentioned, Badger Modelflex Pennsy Maroon is a good match for the later era.

Of course weathering is the great equalizer that can cover up many variations in color.  At any one time, there was only one PRR passenger car color, so the same paint was used for passenger cars, headend cars, and locomotives, but there could be slight variations depending on what shop or manufacturer did the work.  This has been a long answer that is probably of limited help for your immediate problem, but do some testing and trust your eye.  And good luck.

[chicken45]

Well said, Doug!! Super helpful! Up votes for you, sir!