I am wanting to paint some C&O boxcars. They are the older ones that are boxcar red. I would like to use some scalecoat paint. I see there are different scalecoat boxcar reds made by scalecoat. Any suggestions on the proper boxcar red?
Not sure why there are 3 Scalecoat boxcar reds? but here is one of their older color charts. If you have a prototype photo, hopefully this color chart may help?
Matching model paint to prototype paint is sometimes a frustrating experience...especially if the railroad you're modeling no longer exists. When I first started painting my U.P. diesels, I made paint chips of various model paint brands' Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Grey, took them down to the local UP yard, asked for permission to get close to the motive power, and compared them directly with the real deal. Some paints were REALLY off! Scalecoat was easily the best match. However, for the C&O, you're not going to be able to do what I did and your best bet is to see if there is a C&O historical society. If there is, then there is probably somebody in it who knows what color best represents the freight car-boxcar red that C&O used. Maybe there are even books out there that have paint chips such as the Thompson Church & Jones PFE book includes so there's no doubt as to PFE reefer colors. Sometimes if the color was a color mixed by a paint company that still exists in one form or another (which is usually the case) there may be records and/or paint chips still around to use as a reference. If that fails, see if you can find some color photos of the car you want to paint. You'll need several photos to look at, and compare the color of your car to others adjacent to it. Then, make a judgement as to the color you choose. This at least will be an educated guess, rather than just a guess! Also, sometimes the decal manufacturer tells you what color to paint your model before you apply their decals. Good luck! Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
