We have been deliberating on the roof colour that we might find on our car wondering if we would find red, black or silver maybe, today on the oldest most original area of our roof, the copper flashing strip that goes under the clerestory and would have overlapped the original canvas roof covering we find....... Buff or cream paint ! The paint sample cards for H. W. Johns asbestos roof paint (!) show a colour called buff and one called yellow. Could the buff colour have been our roof colour when new, would the clerestory side walls have been green? It would make a striking contrast against the Pullman green. Here is the link for H.W.Johns paints. Sadly Mr Johns died from......you guessed it asbestosis.[/color]
Mike Pannell
http://www.pacificng.com/template.php?p ... /index.htm

Wasn't Pullman Brown in use before Pullman Green?

Our car is Pullman green right down to the primer coat, so it was in use in 1887.

How do you know the car was never resided? Found on the side wall frame of CRR&B #1: "My boss told me to finish siding this car today. So much for lunch." Date penciled on was 189X and the car was built well before the 1891 equipment census and valuation.

dave

We know it was re-sided at least once in... 1906....but re-siding doesnt involve removal of door pillars, windows and end walls under the hood which is where we have our most original and untouched paint. Its green to the core, we have a layer of black or grey on the roof under the reds, but the cream is below that, we need to look at more chips to work it all out.
Thanks for all the input though that helps too.

Mike

The Pullman sleeping cars were painted the Brown color -- that is not say that the railroads were not using their own color selection for their own coaches.

And then, not all greens applied to railroad cars were Pullman Green -- actually an olive color. The SP/UP "Associated Lines" had their own color; the Santa Fe had its own color; and probably other roads also.

Go over to the Pacific Narrow Gauge site and "Historic Data" in the left-side menu box and then select "Period Paint" for an interesting monograph about paints and even links to reference works, etc. Also there are color images of period paint sample books. Direct link is Period Paint.

Thanks car57 and Brian. This is great stuff!