Started the F7A paint...

[goscrewyourselves]

Thanks gents, it's getting there slowly.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

So a little more done on both the A & B Units, first the masking:

Then the "Engine Black" paint work:

Not a great deal more to do, but still more. Two things I am concerned about is how dark and drab they look" and "roof coloring" for both units. The cars they will be pulling will have "Reefer White" rooves so am inclined to think that is what these engines should also have.

Other not be a very practicle color, any thoughts about that?

 

[tootnkumin]

If you make the roof black, Tony, you'll fit right in as a tourist train on MRL. Reefer white is an off-white, just tending into gray. Whites tend to draw the eye, the brighter more so, so maybe a slightly more gray. Just as a comparison, here is a pic of an MRL loco that someone did, on it's trucks, using MRL's gray that they once used on their freight equipment, something I wish they'd done on the prototypes.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Toot'n,

Thanks for the tip, especially concerning the Reefer White. Ironically, I was considering a soft Grey and would be happy to re do the rooves of the other cars. They have to be done in the CSX Blue anyway.

 

[Red Oak & Western]

I'll looked at a LOT of loco photos and don't recall a single loco with a white roof. It would have been a nightmare to maintain. Even on the crack passenger trains with stainless streamliners, the engine roofs were either gray or silver, though by the end of the first hundred mines they would be covered with soot. For whatever reason, silver roofs were easier to clean.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Kevin,

Thanks so with this, what would you suggest - as Toot'n alluded to, the grey, some other color OR play it safe and paint it Black and accept how "dull" it might look? Basically, what you do with the roof?

Just as an after thought, I fully intend painting the area immediately around the roof fans black.

 

[Red Oak & Western]

For me, its kind of a toss up. Medium gray to darker gray. I think the grays would work better with the blue. I agree that black would drag the look down. But remember, I'm a traction modeler, so no soot on my roofs. My color scheme is silver over red (Red Oak and Western), cream details on city cars, black underbodies. (Red Oak is an actual town in west central Iowa.)

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Kevin,

I think the grey would look better and would soften things more rather be overly striking, as Toot'n said.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

What do you guys think about this ...

 

[Red Oak & Western]

I like that one Tony. Especially the darker gray on the fans and hatches. Looks like a well thought out paint scheme.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Kevin,

Thank you it has been a bit hit and miss with the paint scheme, but believe I am going to stick with this. I think it will look "almost" realistic and possible of being real but still keeping in with the "luxury look". All I need to do now is find that grey color for the roof. The one in the pic is just a PSP created one.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Have looked at various Grey Railroad colors and have gone with "Wabash Grey". Think that is as close as I might get to that is pictured, at least going by the Modelflex paint chip sample.

 

[tootnkumin]

That looks really good.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Toot'n,

Thanks mate, just got wait for it to arrive now so things are going to slow down with the progress even more. I think (hope) it will be worth the wait and the grey shown is close to the "actual color".

Here is an actual Wabash F7 ... I think the grey is going to go very nicely:

The picture is ONLY to reference the grey color. I'm not doing the Wabash Road Name. Just in case this caused any confusion about what I was doing

 

[Lynnb]

I like the color, I hate waiting for the postman.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Lynn,

Me as well and I just got an email from N Scale Supply, where I ordered the paint and some Micro Sol, that the order wont ship for at least a week once they get payment. Apparently not everything is in stock and they have to get some things from their supplier.

It would have been nice for that to have been noted on their site - that some items weren't in stock that is.

 

[Red Oak & Western]

You could always try: light gray = white with 3 drops of black, dark gray = white with 6 drops of black, or to suit.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

Kevin,

I considered that, making my own shade of grey but am a bit apprehensive about getting each mix (if needed) identicle. I cancelled the order I placed with N Scale Supply and re-ordered it, along with CN Grey and Badger Decal solutions with MidWest. Should have them early next week.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

A little more work on the A Unit:

Not sure if that works or not but I think I like it.

 

[goscrewyourselves]

A little while ago I got 3 MT undecorated 50' Box Cars. I got them for the wife but she didn't like them. As such, I was thinking about painting them for the "Royal Pacific Railways road name. Even though RPR is 95% a passenger company, I thought this would give the F7 A/B something different to pull when my K4 4-6-2 was giving the passengers a ride.

This is what I am thinking for a paint scheme:

Colors are the same as the engines and passenger cars.