Freight Car Trucks

I have returned to the hobby after a long time, and purchased some freight car kits. The one-piece trucks are moulded in black plastic. I am modeling the NY&LB in 1956 and I have found few color photos of boxcars in that era. Were the trucks generally painted black or were they painted to match the car color, like boxcar red or tuscan? I know that the prototype railroads had their own specifications. As a general rule-of-thumb, would a weathered black be appropriate? Thank you for your help.
Glenn

 

Glenn:

Welcome to the Trainboard Forum. Most trucks are weathered a grimy black with rust added as a wash.

You can also give the trucks a light wash of a Microscale flat finish, Polly scale earth, polly scale dust which can be thinned with car window washer fluid.

Then you can air brush/dry brush burnt sienna/ raw sienna on the trucks with burnt umber

 

Glenn, NY&LB, that's cool! Always thought that would be a great line to model. When was the trackage beyond Bay Head removed? After 1956? My memory of the history there has faded quite a bit. I guess it was the Pennsy that had a line across the bay to the island and connected, didn't it? Spent my summers in Forked River back in the 50's, 60's. Was a kid but remember the passenger station near Seaside, tho tracks were long gone. I's love to see what you're doing.

Gary

 

Thank you, guys, for the helpful comeback. Grimy black it is. Some weathering chalks and I"m all set.

Gary,
The NY&LB Railroad was incorporated on December 20, 1881. The line had no equipment of it's own. The CNJ and PRR shared trackage rights along the line. The route started in Perth Amboy and ended in Bay Head Junction. there was an interchange in Perth Amboy with the LV. There was another interchange in South Amboy with the Raritan River Railroad, (a great shortline to model). The trackage in Seaside was PRR and not part of the NY&LB. I'm not sure when that line was abandoned but I'm thinking 1940's.

I chose to model 1956 because CNJ had just acquired FM Trainmasters and the PRR was still running K-4 Pacifics. The CNJ still ran freights to portions of the Freehold and Lakewood Branches. Lot's of different and great motive power from all the Railroads.
Right now I'm still figuring a track plan, doing research and collecting equipment. Thank for your feedback.

Glenn

[ 02. August 2004, 22:18: Message edited by: NYandLB_Fan ]

 

Glenn, That's interesting, I could have sworn that I saw maps sometime somewhere in the past that indicated trackage connecting the two lines. I vaguely remember being told that the line at Seaside carried fish from the fishing boats, amoung whatever else it carried. Removal in the 40's sounds reasonable.

In a different area, I remember in the late 50's seeing CNJ trains of hopper cars filled with the yellow/gold roundish stone so common to the area travelling across the lake I swam at in Forked River, the line went to Barnegat. Seeing a train was always the highlight of the day for me. In fact, there was a short stub siding just north of the lake which occasionally had 2 or 3 hoppers set out on it. Don't know why, never thought to ask back then.

Good luck with the planning!

Gary

 

Gary,
The NY&LB RR ended in Bay Head Junction, but the PRR continued into Seaside.

The CNJ had a branch that went from Red Bank through Lakehurst to Mauricetown, in South Jersey. On this line, the CNJ had another branch that went from Lakehurst through Forked River and ended in Barnegate,(originally ending in Tuckerton). The Toms River RR had a branch form Manchester to Barnegate, and the Tuckerton RR had a branch from Whitings to Barnegate, all incorporated into the CNJ. Confused? Join the club!

I'll try to do some research and see what I can find. Do you remember if there was a quarry in the area?

Glenn

[ 03. August 2004, 23:05: Message edited by: NYandLB_Fan ]

 

I think I get it! No, I don't know if there was a quarry in the area. My father grew up there, across from a marina on the river, and up until I was 11, in 1963, I spent summers there. The house was sold when my uncle died and all the other siblings were living elsewhere. Never really talked about the railroad with my Dad, he wasn't interested. I'm pretty sure the motive power was always a geep, whether a 7 or 9 I wouldn't know. It looked great crossing the wooden trestle over the far end of the lake, wish I could be swimming and see it again!

Gary