Union Pacific Passenger Car Paint and Lettering
This page was last updated on August 24, 2008.
Additional Sources:
- The Pullman Project — Tom Madden's database of Pullman-built passenger cars, including painting and lettering information.
Two Tone Gray
Gary Binder wrote on the Union Pacific YahooGroup on December 24, 2007:
The famous two-tone grey (TTG) was adopted in 1946 for UP's "secondary" trains. Mostly the TTG was applied to heavyweight cars, usually Harriman types. Realtively few lightweight ("streamline") cars were painted in TTG. In 1952 the UP officially adopted the "steamliner" yellow and gray for all passenger equipment. Some cars ran to retirement (in the early 1950s) in TTG and a few still were in earlier coach green schemes. Mostly these were head-end cars. Revenue passenger equipment was generally well cared for and most revenue cars received yellow and gray in a few years.
There would have been a number of TTG cars/trains through Ogden, etc. The only "City" train in TTG was the "City Of St. Louis" which was originated with mixed heavyweight and lightweight equipment, but some other non-Streamliner trains carried TTG.
Passenger steam locomotives were painted to match the trains, including all the 4-8-4s, many 4-8-2s, and a number of 4-6-2s. As steam gave way to diesel, early passenger power showed up, FM "Eirie- builts", E6, E7, ALCo PAs, and so on. The UP bought their first small batch of E8s in 1950, so these may have pulled some TTG equipment but were usually used on the Streamliners. By the time the E9s came (1954) there were few TTG cars active.
Dick Harley wrote on the Union Pacific Modelers YahooGroup on January 31, 2007:
Of the 50 "Pacific" series sleepers bought by the UP, the first 25 (alphabetically) were painted UP Streamliner colors (Armour Yellow & Harbormist Gray). The second 25 (alphabetically) were painted UP 2-stripe Two-Tone Gray, when new. The interior colors might be considered expert knowledge, but not the exterior colors.
Streamliner Yellow and Gray
Dick Harley wrote on the Union Pacific Modelers YahooGroup on January 31, 2007:
The Budd UP Chair cars were painted UP Streamliner colors. The Budd UP Postal Mail - Storage (RPO) cars were the only UP passenger cars to have a major portion of the car left in bare Stainless Steel - even in MOW service. Ranks & Kratville probably talk about that in their book.
When did passenger car trucks change from gray to aluminum paint?
While PL&N drawings have not yet been located, we have found builder's photos of the Pullman-built Dome Chair cars taken in November 1959 with gray trucks. Photos of the 5007-5016 Lunch Counter Cafe Lounge cars delivered in April 1959 show aluminum (not silver) trucks. We would like to hear from anyone with PL&N drawings that show dates for this change. Note that this is quite a while after locomotives were changed to aluminum trucks, beginning in 1953 with Turbine No. 57. (Q&A 303, The Streamliner, Volume 13, Number 3, page 37, and Volume 13, Number 4, page 38)
When did UP stop painting passenger cars green?
In March 1952, UP announced that all passenger cars would be painted yellow and gray regardless of train assignment. The announcement spelled the end of not only the green (officially Dark Olive) paint scheme but also the attractive two-tone gray scheme as well. Since passenger cars were painted every tow or three years, green cars would be quite rare after about 1955. Since many of the green cars were painted two-tone gray beginning in 1946, photos or individual car records would be needed to determine what paint scheme was used on any specific car during the period 1946 thru 1955. (Q&A 335, The Streamliner, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2001, page 39)
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