1938 And 1940 20th Century Limited Colors, What Actually Are They?

Honestly, did we have to do this again?  Will you guys give the mods no rest?  Please take heed to the OP's request to not go down the same path as the last thread.

A different question about colors Does anyone know the proper Interior colors of the passenger cars that were just released to match up with the new Hudson? I love Joe like to paint the seats and other parts and f the car s before I add passengers Any assistance will Ilene appreciated

Yikes forgive my typos

@J Class Hudson Fan posted:

If you look closely, the cars in the 1940 scheme look significantly lighter in color than the 1938 cars. This makes me wonder if the shade of gray changed between the two schemes. I know that different shops likely had ever so slight inconsistencies between their paint colors, but the difference is quite noticeable with the video being shot in color.

Some of the cars also have a strange transition scheme that is identical to the 1938 colors, except the blue stripes are white, leaving the car with thick stripes that are all white.

So, after all this, I feel the Lionel Smithsonian is likely correct, but only in 1938 colors, as it should be as it represents the as-built look. But for the 1940 scheme, something like the 3rd Rail Dreyfuss is probably more accurate in my opinion.

These are just my opinions on the matter based on personal preference and observations such as the video above, but I'm curious to hear what those who know more would have to say..

Based on the video you linked, I agree.

I had the 1990s Weaver, early-aughts Lionel, and 3rd Rail Dreyfii in my (yet to be built) roundhouse.  And the K-Line 1938 18" cars, early-aughts MTH 18" cars, and GGD 21" 1938 cars in my (virtual) coach yard.  I sold the Lionel Dreyfuss and the MTH cars last winter.  Why?  Engine-car color match and car prototype dissimilarity.  The Weaver and 3rd Rail engines match the K-Line and GGD cars quite well - and that's what matters to me more than absolute prototype color tone accuracy.  My p/o/v was that the Lionel version looked as if it had accumulated a lot of leaked oil, especially in comparison to the passenger cars, though it was otherwise a very attractive locomotive.  While the MTH gray was darker than GGD and K-Line, it didn't match or come close to any of the locomotive colors - and the cars weren't labeled "Pullman".  Given the reported lightness of the current Lionel offerings, I'm glad that I didn't commit to them.  But the locos and cars I kept look great, run well, are reasonably close to reality, and that's good enough for me.  Passenger car detailing is another matter, for another year.

@J Class Hudson Fan posted:

With all this talk of 20th century limited colors recently, I thought I'd give my own thoughts on the matter. I do not want this to devolve into harsh criticisms of the newest Lionel offering as that has already been done and we've seen what happened to that forum thread. I would like this to be a place where people put there own opinions out and people consider those of others.

I myself have always cared more for detail accuracy than exact color matching as long as the colors look close enough to me. I don't know exact color names and shades but am always interested in what those more knowledgeable than me have to say in the matter.

With recent talk of the Lionel Smithsonian Dreyfuss being almost exactly the correct color, I felt conflicted. I always thought the Lionel Smithsonian, Lionel tmcc, and Later MTH Dreyfuss's to be too dark in color. However, I have never cared much for the 1938 paint scheme as it was short lived and prefer the 1940 scheme.

After scrolling around on the internet for a while, I found some color videos of the century and in one of them I noticed something. Starting at 1 minute into the video, you will see a Dreyfuss Hudson in 1938 colors pulling the century. The cars though, are a mix of the 1938 scheme, 1940 scheme, and a very short lived transition scheme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...op&v=i0AGYIVjNIg

If you look closely, the cars in the 1940 scheme look significantly lighter in color than the 1938 cars. This makes me wonder if the shade of gray changed between the two schemes. I know that different shops likely had ever so slight inconsistencies between their paint colors, but the difference is quite noticeable with the video being shot in color.

Some of the cars also have a strange transition scheme that is identical to the 1938 colors, except the blue stripes are white, leaving the car with thick stripes that are all white.

So, after all this, I feel the Lionel Smithsonian is likely correct, but only in 1938 colors, as it should be as it represents the as-built look. But for the 1940 scheme, something like the 3rd Rail Dreyfuss is probably more accurate in my opinion.

These are just my opinions on the matter based on personal preference and observations such as the video above, but I'm curious to hear what those who know more would have to say.

-Cole

ps - please don't bring any hate for the latest Lionel Dreyfuss here as I would like this thread to stay up since this thread will do no good for anyone if it's deleted.

Guys these are toys, and you bought them if you like them the color is correct. If you don’t like a particular color don’t buy it…..but don’t knock what other people like. The idea is we enjoy toy trains……right?

Maybe the 1940 cars looked lighter in the video because they were newer, and not as weathered as the older 1938 cars? JohnA