So, quick background. I must have 16-18 2343 Santa Fe (post-war) that I have collected over the years. Most of them are pretty badly beat up. It is my intent to re-paint some of them as the original Santa Fe 2343s, but several, I would like to completely change the livery on them to one of the other paint schemes that were on that period F3s. I have sourced decals for these in various liveries (New York Central, Baltimore and Ohio and Northern Pacific are the three I am focusing on). What I want to do is strip or sand down the existing paint and decals and repaint them. I plan to prime them, fill in any dings and knicks, then paint them with the, as close to, original Lionel colors as possible. It is my preference to spray them and since I neither own a sprayer nor have any experience with one, I think it would be best to stick with rattle can spray paint.
My search so far has focused on retailers that specialize in train paints, especially Lionel. I have looked at Hennings, MyPerfectColor.com and one other that escapes me at the moment. What I cannot find is a link between the various colors used on the other F3 post-war locomotives and the paint colors called out on their websites. For example, the Baltimore and Ohio used three different colors, not counting the frame. It has blue on the lower 2/3s, white on the upper and then grey on top. Which paint from which store is the RIGHT paint for that particular locomotive? Same with New York Central, they have two different shades of grey.
We do have an English Color store near us (automotive paints) and what would be perfect would be if someone has the industry standard paint codes for those three locomotives. There, they can mix it and put it into 12 ounce spray cans for a nominal fee. They can also color match, IF I bring them a sample of what I want. Since I don't own any of those units, I can't do that.
My second option is to locate a paint supply that sells the necessary train paint in the spray can form. Hennings has a large selection, but I do not believe that it is in spray form and brushing it on would look awful. I don't know of a location in the Dallas area (where I am) that can take outside provided paint and put it into a spray can form.
So, if someone can help me do two things. Help me match a particular company's paint offerings to the specific colors of the three F3 I mentioned AND let me know if you are aware of a company that provides that paint in spray form.
This is turning into a much greater effort than I ever imagined. I just assumed that after almost 75 years, someone would have the industry paint codes for a company like English Color to provide a darn close match from their database.
If someone has an idea or two that would help me in my quest, please feel free to voice it. I just don't want or need 18 Santa Fe units. I would love to restore these to something else and have some fun running various diesels.
Thanks in advance for any help you are able to provide.
Scott
Allen, TX
