Wauseon & Norwalk Railroad

[2-8-2]

*bump*

Wow...it's been a long time since I've posted in my "official" thread, eh? Guess I should update a few things first:

1) My website was finished, then redesigned, and is now in a state of near completion again. If you're interested in checking it out, click the link in my signature. Thanks to all who have already paid a visit to my little corner of the web!

2) My previous post mentions benchwork...which has since been scrapped in favor of "The Aluminum Benchwork Project". You can follow my progress on that here at The Gauge, or on my website under the Projects page.

3) All trackage has been purchased, and awaiting a home. I chose the Atlas N17 (Scenic and Relaxed) trackplan for my layout, though a few modifications will be made.

 

[2-8-2]

The purpose of bringing this thread to the top is to get some input on my new loco paint scheme. Some of you may remember the disaster of getting my GP-7 "professionally" painted...you can check out that thread here.

I'm going to paint it myself, and recently purchased a Paasche "H" series airbrush and a high end compressor from Snap-On. My previous design was pretty complicated, which is why I elected to have it painted by a pro. Now I have to dumb things down a bit, and here's what I've come up with:

 

[kitsune]

The paint scheme looks a bit too modern. It's also probably not going to be as easy to mask as you may think, with two stripes needing to be aligned parallel and one of them going up over the roofline.

How about a simple green stripe the height of the battery boxes, surrounding the entire body? The sills and pilots could be black, while the body is NYC dark grey and the stripe green. If you still wanted a seperating stripe of gold you could get some microscale striping and use that.

BTW, did you get the scheme idea of the Port of Tillamook Bay? They have a very similar paint job....

 

[Jim Krause]

I like that "Read The Instructions First" idea. We humans tend to ignore it quite frequently.

 

[2-8-2]

Hmm...

I'm not really worried about masking, or the multiple stripes. I'm confident enough in my ability to believe I can do this design. However, I think you're right...it looks too modern. I've been struggling with that myself.

Port of Whosawhatsit? No, I probably have close to 60 designs drawn up by now. A few have been inspired by other railroads, but not this one. Blah. Back to the drawing board. Again. I don't have any green in this one either, which is another thing that's been bugging me.

 

[kitsune]

Great minds think alike?

POTB SD9:
http://www.nrhs.com/nrhsconv/2005conv/tillamook.jpg

 

[richard cormier]

Brakeman;
You will never learn faster than if you jump in over your head; because then you HAVE to swim! If you stay "in your area of expertise, you will surely stagnate! never be afraid to jump in over your head. that is how most of us learn the great lessons.

Rich

 

[2-8-2]

Great minds think alike?

POTB SD9:
http://www.nrhs.com/nrhsconv/2005conv/tillamook.jpg

That's kind of eerie. I do like that paint scheme, especially after seeing it on a real locomotive. But, it's probably not going to end up on my GP-7. Speaking of which, here's the newest design:

I know, it's kind of B&Oish...but I like it. Sort of. I'm just not sure if I'd like an all green engine. But this design is simple, sleek, and fits the 1950's era a lot better.

 

[kitsune]

Well you could make the main body either that NYC grey or black. Or you could paint the sills and pilots black. Either would be easy changes to make it not 100% green yet still retain the green band.

I still suggest going all caps on the roadname. It's more typical of that era.

Either way, that is a much more period looking design. Shouldn't be too hard to paint either.

 

[2-8-2]

I think we may have a winner...

 

[LongIslandTom]

I like simple paint schemes with colors that don't clash, and that paint scheme says "classy" to me. I'd go with that! :thumb:

 

[kitsune]

I think we may have a winner...

I'd agree with that. Looks very period. Shouldn't be too hard to paint. Heck you can even brush paint the sills and pilots, since they'd be flat black anyway.

So when do you start painting?

 

[2-8-2]

So when do you start painting?

Well, I already have the airbrush...and my compressor should be delivered tomorrow (Friday). I have masking supplies, the undecorated GP-7, all that's left is to settle on official paint colors.

 

[cnw1961]

it looks good to me. Not too difficult to do and fits into the 50’s perfectly. :thumb:

 

[LongIslandTom]

Don't forget to do some test shoots on a piece of scrap first to make sure your paint-laying and masking techniques are good.

Good luck and POST PHOTOS! :thumb:

 

[cnw1961]

Yeah, Tom is right. You should get some practice first. And most important – be patient, don’t hurry ( I had to learn it the hard way ). Only apply one thin layer of paint at a time and allow the paint to dry a while, before you go on.

 

[2-8-2]

Paint purchased:

Golden brand airbrush colors
- Hooker's Green Hue (a dark green for the stripe)
- Dark Green (for the main shell)
- Hansa Yellow Medium (stripe trim)

Floquil
- CSX Black (sills and pilots)
- Silver (pinstripe at the top)

 

[60103]

Why don't you practice first on a cheap passenger car. You could run the stripes along a baggage car, but skip the chevrons on the ends. The stripes would probably fight with the windows on a coach.

 

[LongIslandTom]

Here's a timesaver for putting on those yellow stripes: http://www.discounttrainsonline.com/dto/item785-0516.html

Woodland Scenics dry transfer stripes. I've used them before and BOY do they save a lot of time. With those dry transfer stripes, I didn't have to mask, paint, or use decals.

I think they have those in silver too.