Big Sky Blues

[nkalanaga]

This is NOT a rant against a particular company, but a general grumbling.  I was very disappointed in the Centralia Car Shops Big Sky Blue coach I bought.  The CAR is beautiful, and the GN Empire Builder version is very nicely done.  But the BSB is much too dark. 

Today I received my new Atlas GN cabooses.  Previous Atlas Big Sky Blue cabooses were a nice shade of BSB.  These, while not as dark as the CCS cars, are too dark. 

As the newest cars in this color are now over 40 years old, I doubt that most model designers have ever seen it fresh, so one can't really blame the importers for not noticing the incorrect shades.  The GN Railway Historical Society has paint chips, and photos are readily available, so matching BSB shouldn't be hard.  As it faded, the shade changed in different ways, but even so, I've never seen it get darker.  Maybe someone needs to send the Chinese factories a copy of the paint chips?

[Nato]

            Yes,there is alot of variation in BSB on models. A zillion years ago when Con Cor offered their Smoothside passenger cars in this color I thought they looked pretty good. I had seen freight cars in trains in this color. The Bachmann F-9/7 diesels I used to pull this train for along time  where just a slightly lighter blue,but this still looked ok to me.The BSB on the IM F units I now pull the train with are definately a bit too dark and the Centrailia passenger cars,way too dark.Out there in the real world cars would weather and faid, even passenger cars that were washed,I viewed many Union Pacific trains with yellow cars that were a lighter color and the gray roofs weathered and sun faided to an almost silver color,but I do feel how you do not having manufactures stay consistant color wise on various runs of the same loco or car. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[wm3798]

Gee, if only they could be as consistent as they've been with Conrail Blue...

[chicken45]

::clears throat::

[MichaelWinicki]

If they could only get Penn Central "black" right. 

[chicken45]

If they could only get Penn Central "black" right. 

[nkalanaga]

Yes, if anyone can't get black right, they have a worse problem than the BSB crowd. 

Nato, I agree that companies could do a better job of matching colors between runs.  If the first run was obviously wrong, that's a good excuse for changing, but if it was acceptable, they should be able to use the same paint again.  As for fading, that wouldn't bother me much.  If the car is too light, well, I model 1974, so any BSB car I have is at least 4 years old.  I've always assumed that any blue close to BSB was usable, as long as it was lighter, since the color aged in many different ways, from little changed to almost a powder blue.

  And, some roads would change paint brands or pigments over time, and the prototypes would look different.  I've always though the GN 4-bay Center Flows looked darker than other Glacier Green cars, even if they were supposed to be the same color.

But the prototype generally doesn't get darker with age...except maybe the roof of some diesels.  Again, someone needs to send the factory a paint chip!

[chicken45]

At least all the cars match each other, right? Right? 

[wazzou]

This is something that we in the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association's Modeling Committee have addressed by developing a thorough Color Card set. 
We researched for almost 2 years finding artifacts exposing fresh paint or actual paint samples from original cans.  Working with Dupont, who incidentally was typically the OEM paint manufacturer, we mixed new paints.  Utilizing an auto-body company's spray booth, we had the paints professionally sprayed on large panels and glossed.  We compared them to our researched artifacts to guarantee a match agreed upon by several members and cut the panels into cards.
As a result of this, we have put these cards in sets and mailed sets to every manufacturer that we could collaboratively think of, including model paint manufacturers to hopefully help unify Northern Pacific model decoration across the hobby.

[GaryHinshaw]

Impressive effort.  Do you know if it has paid off?

[Puddington]

This is something that we in the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association's Modeling Committee have addressed by developing a thorough Color Card set. 
As a result of this, we have put these cards in sets and mailed sets to every manufacturer that we could collaboratively think of, including model paint manufacturers to hopefully help unify Northern Pacific model decoration across the hobby.

Then, my friend; do not open a copy of the Mornign Sun Northern Pacific Through Passenger Trains book because you will lose your mind.....I mean, actaully lose your mind......................Did you know that lime green was that actual NP green colour.....really; it was; I have photographic evidence................

.... another topic for another thread.................

[wazzou]

Impressive effort.  Do you know if it has paid off?

The project was just completed prior to our most recent annual convention in Butte, MT last July.  The card sets were made available for sale at the convention and distributed via mail to train manufacturers shortly afterward.
Every manufacturer has greeted the effort with great enthusiasm and to my knowledge all have shown an eagerness to use the color cards to create more consistency in NP models.
Tru-Color Paint http://www.trucolorpaint.com/ has vowed to re-formulate there existing NP colors to more closely match the cards.
So, I would say that yes, it has been rewarding and will continue to pay off as new NP models come to market.

Color card sets available at NPRHA Company Store, here.

http://www1.storehost.com/stores/xq/xfm/store_id.615/page_id.23/Item_ID.166633/parent_ids.0,0,1/qx/store.htm

[PAL_Houston]

Impressive effort.  Do you know if it has paid off?

Just offhand, I would say no, it has not.  Over the last year I have acquired passenger cars in the Loewy scheme to run as NCL trains across my C&I Sub layout.  Neither Walthers nor Rapido has an accurate match to available color photos of the NCL.

Similarly both Badger and Intermountain claim to have accurate color mattches for the CBQ Imitation Aluminum used on the freight F-units, but neither is a match to contemporary proto-photos.

[wazzou]

Just offhand, I would say no, it has not.  Over the last year I have acquired passenger cars in the Loewy scheme to run as NCL trains across my C&I Sub layout.  Neither Walthers nor Rapido has an accurate match to available color photos of the NCL.

As I mentioned in my follow up to Gary, the card sets have only been in the manufacturers possession for 5 months.  I'm sure the fruits of our labor will be seen in upcoming releases.

[nkalanaga]

I hope the color cards work.  I would think any manufacturer would be happy to have the research already done for them.  However, I still suspect that part of the problem is the overseas factories not following the painting instructions.  Hopefully not, but...