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 Post subject: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 7:02 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 1:15 pm
Posts: 1466
Location: Henderson Nevada
How in our modern world are people painting passenger cars, locomotives and other large objects... In modern times we are unlikely send them out into the world to a well equipped shop... Air quality regulations are increasingly limiting paint options. Are there any vendors offering on site painting?

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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:41 pm 

Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 3:13 am
Posts: 129
Still brush painting by hand or roller. Would like to spray paint, but the people with the experience and equipment fail to materialise.


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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 12:16 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
The spray paint that's worth the effort is the "dangerous" two-part epoxy/catalyst stuff for which the air quality laws were written.

If you're spray-painting cheap latex, you might as well get the rollers out for all the good it'll do.

I have witnessed disused warehouses with enclosed rail sidings get set up for "under the radar" painting of rail equipment with "quality" paint, and I am aware of one railroad loco shop in Illinois where several locos and passenger cars were repainted "on the sly" not long before the entire facility was demolished and leveled completely. (I'm not sure that was exactly the plan, but that's what happened. Supposedly at least one loco and car were damaged by parts of the roof falling down!)


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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 8:15 am 

Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:54 am
Posts: 1773
Location: New Franklin, OH
There are some mobile railcar and locomotive painters as well as industrial painters. Search online and they’ll pop up. Cost will depend on what type of coatings you want. There are low VOC options that can be applied with HVLP equipment to keep the overspray minimized. We’re currently in the process of having two cars, a caboose and flatcar, blasted and painted outdoors by a local mobile outfit. I’ll let you know how it turns out if you’re curious.

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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:01 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:19 am
Posts: 6399
Location: southeastern USA
kew wrote:
Still brush painting by hand or roller. Would like to spray paint, but the people with the experience and equipment fail to materialise.


Industrial painting contractors are pretty much universally available, but you might not like the cost or the result. remember, these guys make a living putting highly durable coatings on tank farms, etc. where esthetics take a back seat.

Generally, I don't think the method of application matters that much relative to quality of surface prep and assuring you use compatible high quality products. I have had good luck with PPG water based industrial enamels brush and roller applied where environmental considerations and overspray control were critical.

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“God, the beautiful racket of it all: the sighing and hissing, the rattle and clack of the cars over the rails. These were the sounds that made America the greatest country on earth." Jonathan Evison


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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:02 am 

Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:50 pm
Posts: 216
Location: www.easttroyrr.org
I directed the painting of a former Philadelphia and Western transit car. It was a brush and roller job, using quality equipment and tractor enamel. Worked out just fine and still looks good 20 years later.


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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 12:54 pm 

Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:50 pm
Posts: 2815
Location: Northern Illinois
Nothing wrong with a skillfully applied brush job. You'd be surprised at the number of companies that brush painted their cars back in the day... Such as the North Shore Line. We were debating this years ago, and someone familiar with the North Shore walked over to one of the cars that hadn't been repainted since the line quit and was well oxidized, lightly burnished the oxidation on a portion of the side, and the brush marks became faintly visible.

I haven't painted anything at the museum in years, but based on my experiences with maintenance painting around the house, The VOC regulations have ruined the paints available to the public at large. It just won't level, and everything comes out looking like it was painted with a rake. Yet there are still paints available in other markets, such as marine paints, that work well. We've discussed Awl Grip marine epoxy coatings here before, and as I recall they are available in a form suitable for brush application.

Perhaps there are coatings products made for tank and facilities maintenance applications that would also be adaptable.

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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:18 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:54 am
Posts: 1184
Location: Tucson, Arizona
When Old Pueblo Trolley repainted a streetcar, we would use professional grade automotive paint and spray guns. When we repaint a bus, we do the same but use a paint booth at a local body shop that paints RVs. We have the paint made to our specifications to match the colors originally used by the transit companies. Painting is done by our volunteers using our own equipment.

Small parts are repainted in our shop, since we have a proper paint and drying booth.

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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 2:00 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:51 pm
Posts: 2041
Location: Southern California
Dennis Storzek wrote:
Nothing wrong with a skillfully applied brush job. You'd be surprised at the number of companies that brush painted their cars back in the day... Such as the North Shore Line. We were debating this years ago, and someone familiar with the North Shore walked over to one of the cars that hadn't been repainted since the line quit and was well oxidized, lightly burnished the oxidation on a portion of the side, and the brush marks became faintly visible.
Within the last couple of decades I saw an article in the British railfan magazine The Railway Magazine that showed and talked about mainline shop painting -- it was being done by brush. And the reason was to avoid the problems and requirements of spray painting.

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 Post subject: Re: Painting passenger cars and other large objects.
PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:51 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:37 pm
Posts: 1275
Location: Pacific, MO
Somewhere up north, there is a streamlined NP round tail ob that a painter from an auto show just painted recently.
He was on Iron Resurrection for several years and put out the most beautiful auto paint jobs ever. His nickname was Shorty, or Shortdog and I've seen a couple of photos of portions of the car and it is amazing.
I haven't seen any photos of the finished car yet, last one was with the windows masked and lettering done. I'd like to see what the finished product was.


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