PMS Color Match - Rail Link

[Puddington]

Does anyone have any information on a PMS match for Rail Link blue or red? Any help appreciated.

[Philip H]

Pud,
Are you REALLY SURE you want to ask this forum about a PMS Match to anything?   

[C855B]

Pantone Matching System, wiseguy.

Mike, after using PMS for... OMG... 40 years, I've come to the unfortunate conclusion it's not the best authority for matching RR colors. PMS has a lot of gaps, and I've personally encountered too many proto RR paints where a clean color chip falls between PMS values. Of course, insert the usual caveats about indoor/outdoor lighting and sheen influencing color perception, but typically when the match was important I had access to a 5000K color proofing booth. Frankly, I was pretty frustrated by how often the shade wasn't in the swatch book.

If the manufacturers are relying on PMS and going with "the closest", it could easily explain why there are so many interpretations of paint colors.

[Puddington]

Pantone Matching System, wiseguy.

Mike, after using PMS for... OMG... 40 years, I've come to the unfortunate conclusion it's not the best authority for matching RR colors. PMS has a lot of gaps, and I've personally encountered too many proto RR paints where a clean color chip falls between PMS values. Of course, insert the usual caveats about indoor/outdoor lighting and sheen influencing color perception, but typically when the match was important I had access to a 5000K color proofing booth. Frankly, I was pretty frustrated by how often the shade wasn't in the swatch book.

If the manufacturers are relying on PMS and going with "the closest", it could easily explain why there are so many interpretations of paint colors.

I concur except that we've been "reliably told by one of those experts" we're told to consult before breathing ( ) that Rail link chose colours using PMS... could be true, could be false... given their reasonably new heritage it's possible because marketing and ad agencies use PMS as a base for their designs... So; I'm asking......

[C855B]

I wouldn't doubt that, actually. Modern corporate "trade dress" designers certainly are fearful to depart from PMS swatch books because, after all, it's "the authority". OTOH, Pantone has multiple systems, and something in the printing palette may not be in the opaque molded plastics palette and may not be in the Munsell palette. Also to bear in mind is that PMS colors taken from the printing swatchbook may or may not execute in exterior industrial finishes as you would expect.

Remember BNSF's "vomit bonnet" scheme? I strongly suspect the colors were from the swatch book and they paid some design house big bucks for something that looked great on paper, and maybe even as color chips. In real life in the sunlight, it deserved exactly the reaction it got - just hideous. Thankfully the one example has been repainted.

What I'm saying... get a paint chip, and match traditionally. PMS is likely to be "off" in the execution between 1:1 and the model, and outdoor vs. indoor. If you guys want to go the PMS route, consider it no more than a starting reference which will need to be tweaked.

[Missaberoad]

The barf bonnet was simply the same executive colors used on BN's order of SD70macs, I think it was more the design rather then the colour combination...

They also painted up that awful SD60m in Orange and green with red stripes... Thankfully they left both ideas in the closet

[Puddington]

I concur Mike wholeheartedly.... having come from the printing and packaging industry I know only too well the "danger" of relying on a PMS match for these kinds of things. My post was a bit of an experiment - a "reliable expert" (the kind we are always told to seek out over the internet and heed) contended that the colors were, indeed, PMS based so I am asking... to date, no one can confirm this. I am getting a "sample match" and want to see if they are, indeed, PMS based....

Guess ya gotta ask......

[peteski]

Um, have you even tried to actually ask the railroad itself?  They are still around, aren't they? 

[Puddington]

Um, have you even tried to actually ask the railroad itself?  They are still around, aren't they? 

Yes, and yes..... and "no"....

[Missaberoad]

Perhaps Tom Danneman would have the connections to get you the answer you seek... He's written many mrl based articles and seems to know people on the inside...
He might be willing to help out a kalmbach advertiser

Do they still paint locomotives at Livingston?

Failing that get a door off a locomotive and take it to home Depot!