# Paint a Bachman engine



## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

Currently I have a North Star Express color scheme, I was wondering if most engines and tenders like that were painted black? I will only be pulling 2 passenger coaches, should I just paint everything flat black? I really like to try weathering.... but that could be a disaster waiting to happen. Trying to get a dull look, and when you paint everything, you paint rods,pipes and everything correct?

Thanks for the help and look forward to helpful directions









Pics are very helpful









Tom H


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Depends on the era you wish to model. Prior to about 1890 locomotives were often quite colorful, with a lot of polished brass. Sometime around the turn of the century the paint schemes were simplified, often just black (or green!), and one other color, possibly two and usually with white, aluminum or imitation gold striping --- that is, when brand new. The depression and world war two meant no money for paint... or often soap, either. So you got that drab basic black look, with lots of added grunge... Unfortunately, this is what people still living remember, and so will tell you is 'correct'. 

Rods should actually be bare steel color on most US engines during most of the 20th century. Made it easier to spot cracks before they became breaks. 


Clear as mud? 

_EDIT ADDENDUM:_ Here, I found you a couple diagrams a description, and a link to the rest of the page, while written specific to mallets will give you a better idea of general Baldwin practice around the turn of the century. This is what a buyer usually got unless they specified otherwise.



















" In typical Baldwin practice the entire engine would be olive green, down to the frames and axles. Put simply, these were olive green locomotives, not black engines with a few olive green parts. The above diagram is a visual representation of how a logging Mallet would be painted from the factory: The only non-green parts would have been the smokebox, stack, and firebox, all of which would have been blackened, either with graphite or some other mixture. Also, the boiler jackets on some of the early logging Mallets were planished iron, a highly reflective material with a medium grey color. Planished iron would take on the color of its surroundings, such as a blue sky, resulting in the common perception of the material having a blue tint. Another feature worth mentioning is that Baldwin was known to paint walking surfaces, like running board and tender tops, with unvarnished mineral paint, usually a red-brown similar to freight car paint. This was because these areas would be subject to more use and punishment than other areas and need frequent repainting. These mineral paint areas however would not affect the overall look of the factory scheme, as they generally could not bee seen from an observer on the ground. Cab roofs on new engines were also painted with mineral paint. ..... 


While a logging company' disinterest in locomotive paint schemes usually led to a Mallet arriving on the job shining from top to bottom in olive green with aluminum stripes, this same attitude of course meant the scheme would not last. ....it appears Baldwin's factory schemes generally lasted about five to seven years in the woods. It is possible that the first few repaints would still in olive green, and minor repairs in early years would likely have been matched to the existing color. The transition to overall black probably didn't come until the entire locomotive was in need of repainting or a rebuild. 


By the time they were retired virtually all of the logging Mallets were painted black, often with few or no stripes. The only decoration other than lettering would be parts highlighted in aluminum or silver for visibility reasons. Often, this highlighting was done on the smokebox front and cylinder covers. This safety-conscious method of decoration would sometimes also spread to the pilot beam and edges of running boards, and occasionally handrails. Lettering was generally aluminum, silver, or white, depending on the railroad.
"


http://loggingmallets.railfan.net/s...finish.htm


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Some more paint info from my RR history nut friend in Cali, circa 1880's


http://www.pacificng.com/template.p.../index.htm 


Olive Green and Color, Style 103 was used on D&RG , DSP&P and EBT locomotives
as well as Utah Northern, North Pacific Coast and South Pacific Coast
It is essentially the standard "nice" freight paint job from Baldwin during the 1880s
every piece of striping in the drawing was researched from original baldwin documents. I believe there is a standard gauge AT&SF 2-8-0 restored in a variant of this scheme, the same striping with black as the base color
per AT&SF's original request









the Yellow could be Yellow or Gold depending on how much the railroad wanted to spend. A top class, rich road would buy gold, one on a budget would get yellow, or opt for a simpler scheme


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

should I just paint everything flat black? 
Absolutely not! Boring, boring, boring, and the prototype didn't use flat paint. 

Depending on your era, you've got a few choices. As Mik said, early on, locomotives were quite colorful. If you look through the MasterClass articles, there are some great chapters on early paint schemes used by Baldwin and Mason. Lots of maroons, dark greens, polished brass, and striping and ornamentation that defies imagination. David Fletcher is a master at these paint schemes. http://4largescale.com/fletch/index.htm 

By the 1890s, things calmed down a bit. Utilitarianism began to rule the day, though striping was still quite common. Boiler jackets were still not painted at this point, mostly because there were no paints that could stand the heat. Jackets were plannished iron, which was a means of heat-treating the metal so not to rust. The most famous version of this is "Russian" iron, which--contrary to model locomotives everywhere was _not_ light blue. It, and its slightly duller variations were somewhat mirrored, thus reflected the light around them (commonly the blue sky). Colors used on the cabs and tenders toned down a bit, too. Baldwin's basic color was "olive," which most scholars say was a very dark green that looked almost black. 










Everything except the smokebox, firebox, and boiler jacket would have been painted that color--including the frame. The firebox and smokebox would likely have been rubbed with an oil/graphite mixture, and after a short fashion would have turned black with soot or just a grimy or ashy color due to cleaning out the firebox. (photos later) 

Also around this time, black became fashionable for a few reasons. First, it was easy to maintain, but also shop crews could easily repaint and touch up locomotive paint wiithout having to worry about matching the original color. At this point, paints were pigmented mostly with organic (natural) components, so matching colors was nowhere near as easy as it is today with computerized tint bases, etc.  



















This shot shows the reflective properties of a plannished iron boiler jacket, too. (Model Masters "Gunmetal" buffable spray paint--great stuff!) 

By the 1920s, paints were heat tolerant enough to be used on boiler jackets. At that point, jackets began being painted the same color as the cab and tender, though sometimes they were also different. Standard gauge steamers--particularly those in passenger service--became a bit more colorful again, but "basic black" was still the principle order of the day. You did begin to see smokeboxes and fireboxes get painted around this time, again because the paints could finally withstand the heat. Silver was popular because it mimicked the oiled graphite that had been used prior, though black was also common. Most modelers use a flat black for their smokeboxes (myself included) because the soot, grime, and dirt would quickly coat the smokebox. But I've seen photos of freshly-painted smokeboxes with a nice, glossy black paint. 










On this loco, the boiler jacket is a dark green (the same green used on EBT #1's cab and tender), while the cab and tender are black. The smokebox is graphite, though heavily weathered. 

For all my locos, I use either a glossy or semi-flat paint to start. That's what the prototype used, and even well-weathered prototype locomotives aren't "flat." In the right light, at the right angles, they still have a glossy or satin finish. 

I really like to try weathering.... but that could be a disaster waiting to happen. Trying to get a dull look, and when you paint everything, you paint rods,pipes and everything correct? 

If it was painted on the prototype, then you'll want to paint it on the model; just not necessarily all at the same time. If you can avoid painting the valve gear, by all means do so. As Mik stated, valve gear typically wasn't painted, but was kept polished so that defects could be easily seen. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and many steam locos had painted valve gear. I like the unpainted look, and have found ModelFlex "dull coat" paint to do a great job of "toning down" the bright look typical of our models' valve gear. 










Besides the dull valve gear, you can see the coloration on the firebox, washed with grey paint and weathering powders. 

Weathering can be as light or as heavy as you'd like, depending on your railroad's operations. 

Compare this: 









to this: 









On the first photo, much of the grime is wiped off, showing more of the glossy surface of the paint. It's not necessarily indicative of better maintenance, but more opportunity for the crews to keep things clean. The lower locomotive is just a hard working loco that spends more time on the road between rests when the crew would have a chance to wipe things down. 

That's not to say a well-maintained loco doesn't get dirty: 









Dirt still pools where people don't commonly work--nooks and crannies, edges of walkways, etc. And don't forget coal dust: 









My preferred weathering medium is an acrylic wash (dilute acrylic paint). I use the $1 craft paints you get at Michaels, and thin them a lot. Wash them on, let the paint pool around the various details, and wipe off where you don't want it. Follow up with weathering powders. 










If you don't like the effect, you can wash it again with water and wipe it off. I'd try the technique on a piece of freight equipment or something like that first, but it's easy to get the hang of. I like it because it keeps the reflective properties of the paint below, but still looks dirty and hard-working. 

Later, 

K


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I've found a couple fairly good dark greens over the years that I use depending on the effect I want.

Americana Hauser Dark Green... darker and richer than forest or hunter greens, and covers rather well for a craft paint. I used it for all the woodwork on my Climax










Tamiya Green Black... more green than black, and not nearly as drab as Pullman Green. My first choice for boiler jackets









once weathered:








Polly S PRR Brunswick Green... actually more like black with a bit of a greenish tinge. GREAT for stuff that's supposed to be dark green on the prototype, but would be hidden in deep shadow... like frames. The jacket in this pic is Brunswick Green, the cab Pullman Green









Another bit of useless information. Sometimes you'll see the color "Lake" mentioned... in modern food colors, Lake is somewhere near venal blood red. But as a vintage paint reference, it meant a really really rich dark brown.


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## sailbode (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Tom, 
Good topic. I also just bought a Bachmann 10 wheeler in PRR green colors (to match my 7 green PRR passenger cars). Quickly realized the shiney new loco does not look very "scale". I've admired Kevins weathering techniques for some time now and am glad to see his contribution. Kevin, if you could gives us a step by step (with pictures) I for one would be very grateful. You are the Master!! 
Don


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Mik and Kevin, Kevin I got the idea from your articles in Garden RR magazine, I am glad you chimed in, great info and thank you very much. I am going to go back and look at them again, I cant remember if you showed how to take it apart.

Don, Kevin did some articles in Garden RR Magazine last year about painting one of his locos, you should look them up, thats where I got a lot of my ideas from, they were great detailed articles.

Thanks again for the info Mik and Kevin!!!

Tom h


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Kevin or anyone, how do you get the cab off from the body, and before I break any other pieces, the bell and those other brass looking items, do they just pop off? Cant find any screws. I have the drive train already off the body, oh and I forgot, how do you take the plastic arms off the wheels.

Sorry for all the questions, this is my first engine like this, and I dont want to break any pieces.

Thanks Tom h


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

There are 4? screws underneath that hold that cab on, PLUS two tabs connecting the running boards to the cab. So either you'll need to remove the running boards first, or, like me, get frustrated and cut off one the tabs after you've accidentally broken off the other 

For the bell, tape it off and paint around it. If you try to pull or twist it, and the potmetal cradle will break.


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

Mik, thats exactly why I asked first, I knew I would do something like that









Thanks!!!

Tom H


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