I think "Brunswick Green" was model railroad phraseology. Let's call it what PRR did-- "Dark Green Locomotive Paint, PRR Shade". That's right off the PRR painting blueprints for the diesel power of the late 40s into the early 60s.

At any rate, the 44-tonner looks very nice, and the Strasburg continues to become more accurate in its restorations than some museums.

I spent a few weekends up in New Hampshire, on the original pre-Hobo Winnipesaukee. They were running a four car train (2 CNJ 1300s, 2 DL&W MU trailers) with a 44 tonner. Right after the station stop at Wier's Beach, heading North, there was a stretch of 4% grade, with no room to make a run for it. I was surprised at how well the locomotive did. It shook, rattled and snarled, but walked right up the hill.

The Winnepesaukee also had some TM issues, and they traced it to power braking. The crews used to power brake with the RS-3, which had been in service first, and when the 44T went into service, they didn't alter their train handling practices..... at first. The 44T doesn't have TM blowers, and the motors don't take to that kind of overload well. And fortunately that 4% grade was a short one.

The only guy that I talked to up there that didn't like the 44 tonner was the fuel oil dealer. "Only 150 gallons this week? Now I see why you guys like to use this little engine".

But all the know-it-alls around the PRRT&HS insist that the official term is "Dark Green Locomotive ENAMEL".............

Okay, okay, I'll go stand in the corner now................

I'll say looks better! Wwwaaaay better. Bringing the kids up today to see Thomas, but I can't wait to see 33. Start packing in a few minutes.

Bob

Guys,

We have three 44 ton switch engines at the Western Railway Museum. I am not up on the details of just why, but two of them can be MUed together.

This is important on out light Interurban rails. all three units are from former electric railways: the Visalia Electric, the Salt Lake, Garfield & Western and our own Sacramento Northern..

One is operational, another is part way there and the third will take a while according to the Diesel guys.

Ted Miles

Ok, but still, 2 cars = 140 tons compared to 8 cars and I'm guessing 450 tons?...even up the "small" Hill at Cherry Hill (I think thats 1.3%) it's still a stretch for a 44 tonner....Now 2.3% with that tonnage...forget it.

The question of exactly what constituted that green and what it was called has been hashed and rehashed endlessly on the two PRR lists. This much we know for sure:

-- PRR called its color spec by various names, but apparently usually used a generic term so as not to appear to favor one vendor's color name over that of another. Dark Green Locomotive Enamel is correct; so is PRR Dark Locomotive Shade.

-- Brunswick Green was an unofficial term in the same sense that the PRR Mutual Magazine was an unofficial voice of the PRR -- a relationship existed, but it was rarely seen as being firsthand. The term Brunswick Green appeared in a PRR promotional book about 1875, but it was not a technical publication; it was intended solely for passengers. OTOH, some retired PRR employees will show you unused spray cans of that color that are clearly marked "P.R.R. Brunswick Green."

-- PRR's colors did change over the years. In perhaps the most extreme example, its freight car red (almost a red-orange in the 1930s) grew to be very distinctively darker by the 1960s as the pigments used in paint made a transition from organic to synthetic.

As one who's old enough to have seen the PRR dark green shade on locomotives, as well as a side-by-side comparison with jet black NYC engines during the Penn Central transitional years, I'd offer this: The acid test of correct color comes after a unit has been in service for awhile; the road grime turns the green shade a lighter gray. The same road grime on a pure black NYC unit turned a darker gray.

And a final note: I agree that the 9331 looks great.

Dan Cupper
Harrisburg, Pa.

All,

On your next trip to the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, take a close look at the trucks under our FD-2 flat car. As they were originally T-1 tender trucks, they were recently returned to their appropriate shade of DGLE. They definately have a green tint to them as did the original paint chips we were able to examine from the truck sets.

By the way, "Brunswick Green" does appear as the title on a PRR Color Drift Card.

Thanks

For those of you that have/know of original paint chips in good condition, this company can analyze them:

http://www.mccrone.com/

They have recently done work for the MidContinent Railway Musuem in the restoration of their Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western.

http://www.midcontinent.org/collectn/woodpas/mlsw63/paint.html

It would be interested to know how the colors changed depending on paint composition and (where applicable) shop mixing practices.

Tom Cornillie

Any one know of any other surviving parts of T-1s?

Friday, I had a first hand look at 9331. I can't honestly say I remember seeing freshly painted PRR engines in my very young days or even dirty ones for that matter. But to my eyes - with 15 years experience as a professional color photograph printer - it did appear darker to the eye then the original posted image and it sure did look nice! Chatting with conductor off the platform of Hello Dolly at Paradise, he commented in the past, some visitors thought 33 was older than the steamers. Not now!

For the Strasburg shop crews - what technique did you use to reletter the locomotive and replicate the distinctive PRR font?

Many thanks,
Tom Cornillie

PRR drawings

Let me clarify my earlier question a bit - the major lettering techniques that I am aware of involve hand-painting the letters, using a stencil, applying a basecoat of the lettering color and then masking the letters before applying the body color, and using some variant of decal.

Many thanks,
Tom Cornillie

Tom, I believe SRC's standard procedure for lettering on metal is a pounce-pattern stencil, finish up the outline with a pencil, then hand-letter with a small brush. (SRC is a brush-only, no-spray shop.)

JAC

.