Hi, as I mantioned a while back on here the Southern Michigan Railroad Society is working on restoring a NYC bay window caboose. This includes painting it back to the NYC green scheme.

Does anyone know of where we would be able to locate a paint manufacturer that could supply us with the correct type of paint and the correct color? Where to you guys get your paint from for railcars?

Also is Century green or Jade green to correct color? Or are they the same color?

Thanks.

Any color chip can be scanned and custom mixed in whichever brand of paint you choose. I'd focus first on getting a correct chip.

Next thing to spend over 90% of your time doing is surface prep. Bad prep won't keep ANY brand of paint intact.

Towards the end of the prep work, visit your local industrial coatings vendors and compare the product lines available - keep in mind ease and method of application, critical environmental concerns, and how the car will be stored as well as simple value for buck spent.

The paint system you choose will probably be for both primers and cover coats. Directions for how and when to apply coats should be included, and followed if you want a quality and durable job.

I've had good results with PPG products, both water and epoxy based, brushed / rolled and sprayed. I've also done well with other brands, even hardware store paints like Rustoleum, depending on specific conditions.

Look at the whole picture - and find what will work best in your circumstances.

dave

Paint chemistry - pigments, dryers, resins, weathering characteristics, and solvents - has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. I strongly recommend reading a small book "How to Paint Your Boat" by Nigel Clegg. Used copies are available for less than $4 + shipping at http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?tn=How+to+Paint+Your+Boat&x=27&y=16. All of the book (except the discussion on anti-fouling bottom paint) is applicable to railroad cars. Clegg is a retired paint chemist. He clearly explains what has changed, what degree of surface prep is needed for each type of paint system, and why.

If a pristine NYC Jade Green paint chip isn't available, or you suspect it may have faded over time, then try feather-sanding through the paint on the caboose to reveal the real colors underneath. This is the most reliable way to get a good match.

Even if you had a 1960s-vintage paint formula from DuPont or whoever NYC used, paint pigments etc have changed so much that the original paint manufacturer's formula turns out to give a very wrong color when they try to duplicate it today.

- Doug Debs

If there's a small piece of the caboose that you can remove and bring to a paint jobber with the original color on it they can scan it and convert it into most paint systems. A grab iron or something similar would work.

Dave brings up a good point, choose a paint system and stick with the whole system through sealers, primers to paint. Less chance of having a reaction between different systems.