B&O EM-1 Tender coal bunker color

Yo, Bob Heil?....any idea?

I was going to guess black () since repeated loads of coal would've probably rendered that the dominant color.  Of course, there's always "Blue Coal".....

But, OTOH, what would've been the reason for any railroad to paint the tender coal bin a unique color?  Did it help with somebody's 'aim' in spotting the engine to receive the load?  Curb appeal?  Advertising/imagery chutzpah?  Paint shop creative license?

Anyone?

I saw a number of EM-1's in operation but was only in the cab of one of them at Mt Clare in about 1955 when it was in for class repairs. As I recall the coal bunker was black and was empty.

Could Nikkormat be confusing "coal bunker" for the tender deck, which apparently a number of roads, such as the Pennsylvania, painted oxide red.

So what was the reason for painting the entire tender deck a different color?  Did the paint have a non-slip additive (grit) for safety...rain, snow, water fill-spill, ice, etc., etc.??  Or did the color help to highlight deck items...hatches, access ports, etc.?  Also, if the deck colorant had a functional role, how a lot of railroads never followed suit? 

Ditto red cab roofs?  But why?  Sun-reflective silver/aluminum paint for helping to improve cab 'comfort', I could understand.  But, red?

This calls for another cup o' Joe...

KD

Here is a video from an OGR Sponsor.  (Blue)

It may help. Gary

@trainroomgary posted:

Here is a video from an OGR Sponsor.  (Blue)

It may help. Gary

It has nothing to do with the OP's prototype question as it is a Fantasy paint scheme and no historical information is offered.

Plus, this is the Real Trains Forum.

Rusty

If it won't run 0-36 curves I have no interest.

As I recall, red oxide is or was a primer and had a lot of lead in it. So, some roads probably used it on flat surfaces, like the deck on a tender or a cab roof, something that got a lot of weather, or standing water. I too have seen a lot of EM-1's at all angles, never saw red oxide on a tender deck.

@dkdkrd posted:

So what was the reason for painting the entire tender deck a different color?  Did the paint have a non-slip additive (grit) for safety...rain, snow, water fill-spill, ice, etc., etc.??  Or did the color help to highlight deck items...hatches, access ports, etc.?  Also, if the deck colorant had a functional role, how a lot of railroads never followed suit?

Ditto red cab roofs?  But why?  Sun-reflective silver/aluminum paint for helping to improve cab 'comfort', I could understand.  But, red?

This calls for another cup o' Joe...

KD

at least on the Southern, there have been suggestions over the years that a red tender deck meant a stoker-equipped engine, so it was a warning for anyone traveling across the top to be aware of the stoker screw.  Whether that is correct, false, dependent on division or whatever is up for debate.  Obviously when it comes to Southern, there is an exception to everything and precious few people left who saw it in person, and the photographic record is incomplete at best.

Same kinda theory on cab roofs (and I'm not opening the can of worms on Southern steam cab roof colors!).  What you see as red on many engines may have been primer.  No point wasting paint on something that is going to get a considerable amount of cinder abrasion.  It may be red leaving the shop.  Without regular washings, it will just dull down in a few trips.  There are theories that primer was more resistant to the abrasion than paint was.  Silver/aluminum would be even worse.

There is a great Sunday River video following Southern 4501 on a Roanoke to Bluefield excursion in the early 70s by helicopter.  What starts off as a nice and clean cab roof is pretty dull by the time they get up the hill into Bluefield.  The cab roof of a coal burning steam engine isn't the best place to stay clean for very long!

I have heard that the current red cab roof on Southern 630 at Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a test of the reflective heat ability.

Interesting theory on the safety angle (stoker screw), but my bet would go to the railroad just wanting to dress up a dull black machine. After all, it was the President of the Southern Ry who visited England and saw the green painted engines there, who decided that would look good on his engines in passenger service !

@mark s posted:

Interesting theory on the safety angle (stoker screw), but my bet would go to the railroad just wanting to dress up a dull black machine.

Especially since 99 percent of the time the stoker screw is buried under coal.

Rusty