The Western Maryland 44 tonner thread brought up an interesting side subject.

How many of you have encountered major paint failure on your GE locomotives due to the fact that GE apparently did not remove mill scale from their steel prior to assembly and paint?

What steps have you taken to remedy this issue to get better paint adhesion?

Anyway, back on topic.

Has anyone seen this type of paint failure on GE locomotives other than the 44 tonner?

David M. Wilkins

Well that is the oddest RYPN thread I've ever seen.

Anyways, sandblasting will take off the mill scale, and may be necessary to achieve a proper surface for paint. Or strip the old paint and leave the equipment out in the weather for a year before repainting. Isn't that SOP at many museums anyways?

Removing the mill scale removes irreversibly the historically appropriate patina of failing paint which is what these units looked like for the majority of their working lives. History isn't always pretty.