Steel Water tower color

CAP,

silver or black would be the common colors. You could get adventurous and use any shade of gray.

Silver is good for Santa Fe, not so much for PRR.  This question will be best answered by posting it on the PRRT&HS discussion group at prr.groups.io.

Googled "prr steel Water towers paint" and found image "Mike's Pennsylvania RR stuff"

CAP, fwiw, the above cite contains a black and white photo of steel tower. I don't know what steel tower design you want to paint, but the tower in the photo appears to be faded black.

CB&Q used mineral red on water towers in the 1940s & 1950s.  

By the 1960s, they were using silver paint on their water towers

Thanks everyone.  I am leaning towards flat black but the B&W photos of the lighter color had me wondering what other colors the Pennsy may have used in the post WWII period.  May try the PRRT&HS since I am a member.

I'm betting that the "lighter" color in the B&W photos is weathered mineral red.

Chuck

The PRR maybe would have painted it a medium tan color - PRR light building paint.   Google "PRR light building paint" to see the color.  The dark trim color that goes with the PRR light is called "PRR dark building paint". The PRR tower on the Strasburg RR is authentically painted with these two colors.

Dale

Here's a photo of the Lionel Postwar #38 water tower with the water pump that uses real water:

Some of the early 1900's tanks were wood.  Redwood or Cedar that would swell when wet.  An MTH tank painted, and detailed.  Upper right corner of picture. Metal roof would also be painted oxide red. 

Is the Strausburg RR water tower a steel structure?

Lots of good input.  I only had the word steel in the post, so I put it in the title.

Found two different images of late PRR steam with a very black steel water tank in the background.  Shadows indicated the tanks were in full sun, so going with flat black.

Just to close this topic out, here is the finished product.  I used Rust-Oleum Camouflage Flat Black.

Looks good; will the turntable and roundhouse be next?

Chuck

Thank you.  I have the turntable (Millhouse), just need to get around to installing it.  But my next project is the sand house and tower (Korber).