caboose NW 518676 painting, c31p

[NW Mailing List]

Art

I cannot answer your question with absolute authority, as I do not know what the railroad specifically did at the time.

But I purchased former VGN cab No. 342 from NS in 1989 and carefully restored it to its Virginian appearance as delivered in March 1959.

I spent weeks sanding and needle-scaling it in preparation for paint. I know the cab had been repainted in blue in the late 1960s, as photos document it, but found only one trace of the blue when I was sanding, and believe me, I was looking for it. 

As stated, your cab was delivered in blue, and around the mid-1970s, blue was rapidly disappearing from everything. The blue paint of that era did not age well, and most faded fairly quickly.

I’d suspect the reason they were sandblasted was due to the reflective lettering and end striping, that was an applied decal with very aggressive adhesive, that did not easily come off.

Best
Ken Miller

> On Jun 3, 2025, at 8:01 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> When NW changed the colors of their cabooses from blue to red did they sandblast or strip the blue paint first? This caboose is very faded red now and I can't find any hint of blue under the paint or primer. All the info I can find seems to point to the fact that this caboose was always red. I think this caboose was always red but a couple people think it was blue. Thanks for all your help!!!!
> 
> Art Brust
> Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation
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