PRR equipment colors and painting
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Railroad
was an early proponent of standardised colors and paint schemes for its locomotive
s, rolling stock
and other equipment.
Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives were uniformly painted in a color commonly called Brunswick Green but known to the railroad as Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE, or DGLC for -Color.) This was an effectively black paint that contained a high proportion of copper oxides. These gave it a very slight greenish tinge that became more pronounced over time and with wear as the paint oxidised. DGLE is often described as being indistinguishable from black when fresh unless next to a pure black paint (as used on the underframes of PRR locomotives beneath the running board
s).
PRR steam locomotives bore PENNSYLVANIA on their tenders and their numbers on the cab sides; diesel and electric locomotives had PENNSYLVANIA centrally and numbers closer to the ends. The typeface for the railroad's name was traditionally Craw Clarendon but there was a brief flirtation with Futura
in the 1930s advocated by the PRR's favorite designer Raymond Loewy
. Freight locomotives were lettered in Buff
, a light yellow, but passenger locomotives were lettered in true gold leaf
; this practice ceased in the late 1940s and thenceforth all locomotives were lettered in Buff.
Loewy prescribed the use of five pin-stripes down the middle of the PRR's new GG1
electric locomotive
s, tapering down at each end; these pinstripes were initially gold leaf to match the lettering, and changed to Buff when the lettering did. These pinstripes were also worn by passenger diesel locomotive
s. Many freight diesel and electric locomotives wore a single, somewhat thicker stripe in the same place. Later on, a single even thicker stripe replaced the five pinstripes for easier painting; this was accompanied by much larger PENNSYLVANIA lettering.
Passenger cars were almost without exception painted in Tuscan
, a brick-red shade, with gold leaf or later Buff lettering and striping. A number of other railroads used this shade or similar.
In the 1950s, the PRR experimented with painting a few of its GG1 electric locomotives in Tuscan to match the passenger cars. Most GG1s continued in DGLE, but the PRR did adopt this livery for passenger diesel locomotives; most were soon repainted in Tuscan. These locomotives also bore five Buff stripes and followed the same history of being repainted with single broader stripes and bigger lettering/keystones.
A very few passenger cars were left in natural stainless-steel; unlike most railroads, the PRR generally painted its stainless-steel cars.
Freight cars were painted in 'Freight Car Color' (FCC), an oxide red. This was historically a brighter red than that used by most American railroads although it became a more standard shade from the 1950s. They bore an underlined 'PENNSYLVANIA' until the 1950s; from that point they bore a large Keystone herald also.
PRR work equipment was painted battleship grey until the 1950s when a bright yellow replaced it. Wreck derrick
s were painted black, however.
Towers (signal box
es) were generally painted a light grey, as were most other buildings.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
was an early proponent of standardised colors and paint schemes for its locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
and other equipment.
Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives were uniformly painted in a color commonly called Brunswick Green but known to the railroad as Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE, or DGLC for -Color.) This was an effectively black paint that contained a high proportion of copper oxides. These gave it a very slight greenish tinge that became more pronounced over time and with wear as the paint oxidised. DGLE is often described as being indistinguishable from black when fresh unless next to a pure black paint (as used on the underframes of PRR locomotives beneath the running board
Running board
A running board is a car or truck accessory part, a narrow step fitted under the side doors of the vehicle. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles. Typical of vintage cars which had much higher ground clearances than today's cars, it is also used as a fashion statement on vehicles that would...
s).
PRR steam locomotives bore PENNSYLVANIA on their tenders and their numbers on the cab sides; diesel and electric locomotives had PENNSYLVANIA centrally and numbers closer to the ends. The typeface for the railroad's name was traditionally Craw Clarendon but there was a brief flirtation with Futura
Futura (typeface)
In typography, Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul Renner. It is based on geometric shapes that became representative visual elements of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–1933...
in the 1930s advocated by the PRR's favorite designer Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy
Raymond Loewy was an industrial designer, and the first to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine, on October 31, 1949. Born in France, he spent most of his professional career in the United States...
. Freight locomotives were lettered in Buff
Buff
Buff may refer to:* Buff , a pale yellow-brown colour* Buff , a multifunctional article of clothing produced by Original Buff, a Catalan company* Buff * A form of Status effect, a temporary beneficial effect in some video games...
, a light yellow, but passenger locomotives were lettered in true gold leaf
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
; this practice ceased in the late 1940s and thenceforth all locomotives were lettered in Buff.
Loewy prescribed the use of five pin-stripes down the middle of the PRR's new GG1
PRR GG1
The PRR GG1 is a class of electric locomotives that was built for the Pennsylvania Railroad for use in the northeastern United States. A total of 140 GG1s were constructed by its designer General Electric and the Pennsylvania's Altoona Works from 1934 to 1943....
electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s, tapering down at each end; these pinstripes were initially gold leaf to match the lettering, and changed to Buff when the lettering did. These pinstripes were also worn by passenger diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. Many freight diesel and electric locomotives wore a single, somewhat thicker stripe in the same place. Later on, a single even thicker stripe replaced the five pinstripes for easier painting; this was accompanied by much larger PENNSYLVANIA lettering.
Passenger cars were almost without exception painted in Tuscan
Tuscan Red
Tuscan red is a shade of red that was used on the passenger cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad, as well as on the PRR TrucTrailers. It also was used extensively by the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia, in a similar fashion to the PRR. The Canadian Pacific Railway used it historically...
, a brick-red shade, with gold leaf or later Buff lettering and striping. A number of other railroads used this shade or similar.
In the 1950s, the PRR experimented with painting a few of its GG1 electric locomotives in Tuscan to match the passenger cars. Most GG1s continued in DGLE, but the PRR did adopt this livery for passenger diesel locomotives; most were soon repainted in Tuscan. These locomotives also bore five Buff stripes and followed the same history of being repainted with single broader stripes and bigger lettering/keystones.
A very few passenger cars were left in natural stainless-steel; unlike most railroads, the PRR generally painted its stainless-steel cars.
Freight cars were painted in 'Freight Car Color' (FCC), an oxide red. This was historically a brighter red than that used by most American railroads although it became a more standard shade from the 1950s. They bore an underlined 'PENNSYLVANIA' until the 1950s; from that point they bore a large Keystone herald also.
PRR work equipment was painted battleship grey until the 1950s when a bright yellow replaced it. Wreck derrick
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed of one tower, or guyed mast such as a pole which is hinged freely at the bottom. It is controlled by lines powered by some means such as man-hauling or motors, so that the pole can move in all four directions. A line runs up it and over its top with a hook on...
s were painted black, however.
Towers (signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
es) were generally painted a light grey, as were most other buildings.