Were steam loco running boards wood in the 1940s-1950s?

[coosvalley]

Paint can make them slippery. I used to punch in(and out) everyday during 5 different summers(recent times, not in the "old days") . I can tell you without a doubt it was made of raw wood about 2 inches thick. While the loco was washed often, the running boards were always black-ish, as wood absorbs the loco soot . No amount of cleaning is going to get that out..

Edit, I Looked into it deeper, and I was completely wrong. The loco, ex CN 7470 has metal running boards.. ..So what was I remembering?..



The brass pieces look just right

[Lemosteam]

My point earlier was that regardless of the material they were made from, the shop would not remove and then paint the loco, then reinstall them.  They probably sprayed the entire thing all in one piece.  Even if they were soaked with a protective substance- the shop would have likely painted over the top anyway.  Also, the framing around them was sometimes structural holding up large air tanks, pipes etc.  Why would the railroad risk such appliances to wood rot or bolts coming loose, fire risk etc.?

IMHO wood would just not be robust enough for that sort of thing, especially after cabs were converted to metal.

And Ed;s law will prove me wrong too, but...

[mmagliaro]

I feel like a lot of you, that it would probably be blacker than that.  I'm going to give it a hit of Neolube, which will blacken it up without losing the details and grain I got in there.

Ed, yes checking out RYPN might help.  I'm surprised I don't have any close-up shots of the running boards from the
RR Museum of PA that I used to visit and photograph so often, but I don't.  It's not an easy spot to photograph from the ground.

[Chris333]

Even if they were painted it would be the first spot to wear off.

[nkalanaga]

Looks like wood to me as well.  Better than most distressed and painted plastic, or, in N scale, real wood.

[badlandnp]

Max - Those brass boards look great. They even look like the running boards on the NP L-7 that sits up by the Billings airport, which are wood.

[mmagliaro]

Max - Those brass boards look great. They even look like the running boards on the NP L-7 that sits up by the Billings airport, which are wood.

Thanks!  I really liked the look of it, but I was swayed by my deep-seated suspicion that they all look mostly black.
So I put some Neolube on them.  They look good, but they do not have that "amazing" wood look anymore.

I will post new photos in a day or so when I'm ready, and we can all debate.  I can get the Neolube off.  Just brushing it with alcohol and paper towels will take it off.  And since the underlying finish wasn't paint, but electroplating, it will be unharmed.

So I'll do the second running board without the Neolube and post some photos of both of them together.

[mmagliaro]

Okay folks, here's the comparison.  Let's hear it!

[Chris333]

Darker one looks like it's being used. Light one is a loco on static display.   

[MK]

Left one!  More "weathered".

[svedblen]

Yes the left one is too brown. The right one looks a bit shiny. But that is maybe only the lihting in the pic. I would try a chalk/powder treatment (black and gray tones). But it all depends on how much weathering you will apply overall.

EDIT: Now looking again using my PC, instead of the mobile, I withdraw may statement about the sheen. That must have been due to the picture rendering on my phone. But I still think both walkways need more black or gray.