PRR X48 car ends paint follow up.

[Dave V]

Fixed. 

I tried to find that color guide but never could.  Yeah, that caption would have been nice to know but being a MS book, it's hard to trust.  I assume the author of that book is reputable however.

Jason

What's very strange is that the 1961 photo shows what really look to me as FCC ends, but the car hasn't had an overall repaint.  It's hard to imagine PRR being so irked by black ends that they'd take the time to paint just the ends FCC rather than wait for when the class needed a full repaint.  By 1961 they were on scheme SK2a, and the plain keystone scheme was a year away.  Just weird.

I do believe the caption in the book.  That plus the B&W photo showing what is obviously a different "shade" of color on the ends leads me to believe that the ends were delivered black.  At some point they appear to have been painted to match the rest of the car, but when and why is a mystery yet.

[wcfn100]

At some point they appear to have been painted to match the rest of the car, but when and why is a mystery yet.

Repaints are a never ending source of headache.  The FDDM&S had cars delivered with car cement ends but repainted to BCR ends but car cement roof.   

Even knowing the CGW had two large series of PS-1s delivered with black ends and roofs, I can't give much evidence photo-wise even with all the books I have and slides I've bought.  It's tough.

Jason

[Missaberoad]

Here's another photo to add, once again I see a distinct color separation along the rivet line.
I have to agree paint scheme variations are a huge headache, with partial repaints being more common then one would think.

http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=prr47006&o=prr

[Point353]

I knew some day I'd find the smoking gun on this one and I just got lucky rifling through a stack of old Mainline Modeler magazines.
Mainline Modeler January 2002, page 40.
Black ends.  No question.

The PRR cars were part of Lot 8160, all built with cushioned underframes, that was split up with BAR, C&O, Erie, GN, N&W, NYC and WP.
That January 2002  Mainline Modeler article with the PRR car photo is supposed to be about the entire Lot 8160.
Are there photos shown for cars from any of those other roads and, if so, are the ends obviously painted black?
If that's the case, one might presume the entire lot was painted similarly.
 

[wcfn100]

If that's the case, one might presume the entire lot was painted similarly.

The NYC cars were in Pacemaker red and grey (no black ends).  The WP cars were orange with black ends. The GN had black ends.  I believe the N&W had black ends. 

Don't know about the others.

Jason