Q: I want to know if anyone has a good red that matches closely with the one used on Nickel Plate Road 1000-series wood cabooses. I’m buying a 3D-printed kit and don’t think the colors I have found match that well. Curious if anyone could help me out? — Jack_Kemp_IV, via the MR Forums
A: I reached out to Consulting Editor and co-founder of the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society, Tony Koester, for help with this question. He put me in touch with Ray Breyer, who wrote, “Nickel Plate Road caboose red is a little subjective due to lighting, film, fading, age, and grime. For new paint I prefer what the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society in New Haven, Ind., used when it restored caboose No. 141, which is a deep bright red.
“I’ve got one of the 3D-printed NKP cabooses on my bench right now and need to think about the paint. The last time I painted NKP cabooses I used my stash of Polly Scale Caboose Red. [The Testor Corp. discontinued Polly Scale and Floquil model railroad paints in 2013. — Ed.] These days, I’d use Tamiya TS8 Italian Red spray paint.
“I also have to consider the ‘white’ stripe, which was actually painted a light gray. Tamiya Surface Primer L Gray (87042) is too dark. I’ll probably fall back on a 50/50 mix of Polly Scale Milwaukee Road Light Gray (414158) and Reefer White (414113), which doesn’t do anyone any good these days. I’d look at Vallejo light grays that seem to have a little light blue in them, and a lot of white.”
Tony added that he sprays NKP caboose models with the gray color, masks off the stripe, sprays the red, then brush-paints the roofs black. He noted that the end platforms and steps are freight car brown.
Good luck with your project, Jack!
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