NYC F3 color

May I suggest that you either check out, or contact, The New York Central Historical  Society?

That site wasn't much help, just showed me some old paint cans and color plates

Either way could be correct depending on the number of the B unit. Some early F3s had an abbreviated lighting stripe that ended in front of the rear porthole on the A's and the B's were all black. The full lighting stripe came a little later (1948?)

Boilermaker, that's an interesting photo you have of NYC 1640 (looks like it is pictured brand-new in 1949) with the half stripe.  I had thought that they changed to the full stripe after delivery of their last F3's, but you have provided proof that NYC's earliest F7's were delivered in half stripe.

Clem, the MTH paint scheme you described is correct for 1947-'49.  After the Central changed to full stripe on the freight units, any half stripe cab units or non stripe booster units were given a full length stripe as they came due to be repainted.  I cannot say with accuracy exactly when the full stripe started, but it probably occurred in late 1949 or early 1950.

That is interesting photo. On the MTH website the A units have the full stripe. Also the lead unit in this photo as the stamped stainless grill and the rear a wire mesh. I guess its good no matter which way.

clem

Looks like the lead unit is actually an F7A while the trailing "B" and "A" units are F3 models.

The NYC F3 were numbered 1606-1635. They were painted BLACK (DuPont 254-2234) with a LIGHT GREY band (DuPont 254-35453). The "whiskers" and edge bands were WHITE. The F3's were delivered with a partial stripe on the "A" unit as shown in boilermaker1's image, (The 1640 is an F7 however, not an F3.) The NYC F3 had "chickenwire" between the portal windows and also at the top side of the loco where the FARR or GE grills appear on the F7.

The NYC F3 "B" unit was not striped when they were delivered. However, based on all available photos, all NYC FREIGHT F units, both "A" and "B" units were striped at some point in their lives, probably when shopped.

The "A" units when new were also equipped with a different pilot, sometimes referred to as a passenger pilot. That pilot had the coupler covered by doors. Sometime during their lives, this pilot was also replaced with the "standard" F unit pilot.

As info, the NYC did have FOUR Grey F3 "A" units and TWO GREY "B" units that were classed by the RR as "Combination" locomotives. They were numbered 3500-03 ("A" units) and 3600-01 ("B" units). They were built in July, 1947 and our understanding is that they were purchased specifically for passenger service on the B&A. Three of the "A" units (3500, 3501, and 3503) were converted for freight service in Dec 1958-Jan, 1959, along with both "B" units. At this time the "A" units were renumbered 1874-1877, and the "B" units were renumbered 2475-76. After they were converted, they were painted black. These units as built did not have dynamic brakes. Overhead boiler water tanks were installed instead of brake grids and blowers.

There is a common misunderstanding that "some" NYC freight units were painted grey. They were not. One reason for this misunderstanding may be that the black lacquer faded to a grey after a short time in service.

Finally, I am the author of the NYCSHS website article on paint match. the article was intended to permit a modeler to EXACTLY match wet paint samples in the collection of NYCSHS. The article was not intended to define paint schemes for the many varieties of NYC diesels.

So did you even read it?

I realize this thread is about NYCS F3s, but I just noticed something the other day, I'd never seen before on an E unit or three, NYCS, ....ever!   These were high number 4000 E8s in Diesel Era's NYCS E8 article a month or so back.  Here were modified pilots of the passenger config. more or less like what PRR did with their passenger pilots in the mid fifties.  The vast majority of NYCS E units got freight pilots later on, but this conversion business was a new one on me.