Northern Pacific F units are as easy as they come too. Paint everything loco black then letter and stripe with Micro-Scale decals.
Easy paint There are several paint schemes that are easy Montana Rail Link has a dark blue and black scheme that is easy to paint as it is all straight lines for masking. Bangor & Aroostook has an all blue scheme. Seaboard System although not blue is easy no masking on that one. The Longview Kelso & Rainier Ry has an easy paint with no masking.
IvoUP - In addition to the examples previously shown. You could add a third color to your "blue" body and "grey" tanks / trucks. By painting the nose end and rear end panels. Or by adding, decal chevrons or stripes to the body ends. And a nice sill stripe would also add to the mix. I am assuming this is your first try at painting engines. IF So, a suggestion. Disassemble the entire bodyshell assembly (long hood from walkway, cab from body(remove the glazing), remove couplers, etc..) and shoot everything separately. It sounds like a lot of work but, the results will be well worth the effort..... Below, is my paint scheme. A simple one for a "shortline" operation..... In the photo its hard to see but, I have "Blue stripes" on both ends.... On engines, most of your roadswitchers (GPs, SDs, Dash 7/8/9s) will have doors and body seams to contend with. Flatter body styles would be "Cowl" units. (F7s, F9s, F40s, etc...) If you decide on a EMD (GPs / SDs) type engines and you decide on adding a body stripe down the side. Via, decal or paint. The Air Blower duct, the box on the leftside (conductors side) right behind the cab. Has always been a problem with getting into the tight edges..... Good Luck, Jerry G.
There is one rule to consider when creating a paint scheme. In the real world, fog is the enemy. Railroads have found that dark colors on the end of engines or cabooses create collision hazards. SP painted the ends of their cabooses orange instead of dark mineral red. Rio Grande put black and white chevron boards on theirs. Locomotives on SP got red ends, and DRGW got stripes. On the DRGW, even the steamers got stripes on the front sand box, at first a glorious rising sun, then after 1941, chevrons. So, think about your poor trainmen, who only have a faint reflection between them and a pile up in the fog.
Or you might do something simple like the progress rail unit that I am doing. All it has is a white stripe down the whole body right in the middle.
Here is a link to more N/S pictures in Railfan Photos: Notable N's - TrainBoard.com I guess I might be adding a few to my fleet. (er, someday after I get a real job)
or something like this : all locos were painted by me. spiderman art work by steve wieder (steve4painting) printed on my alps.
Thanks everyone for the pictures and idea's for a paintscheme. I think i chose for the Missouri Pacific because that matches with my enthusiasme for the Union Pacific.
Ivo - you are welcome and I think it is a good decision. Hmmm, How about MoPac blue with N/S logos? --no, just joking.
Cant believe no one mentioned Western Pacific's Green Locomotives... http://www.atlasrr.com/Images/NLocomotives/nu23b/45929TQ.jpg They also had all orange F7s, Switchers and a GP35. Brad
I strongly second this warning, Accrylics are basically liquid plastic. Put that through an airbrush it becomes a fine mist which can be inhaled. This will travel to your lungs and sit and HARDEN into plastic inside yout lungs. I use only accrylics, and do not want to scare you away from them, but one must use proper cautions. Brad
CSX has 4 F40PHs for their business train. They're painted in "Dark Future". PRR Brunswick green without stripes looks almost identical to that Reading scheme.
