Need a lookup in the L&N Fgt/Psngr Color Guide - shadow-lined HW colors

[bbussey]

Need a quick reference lookup in the L&N Freight and Passenger Color Guide.  I'm looking for a photo of shadow-lined heavyweight equipment.  I'm looking specifically for 12-1 Andrew Johnson, but I'm more interested in the colors for the windowband and the letterboards.  I have black+white photos of the AJ from the 1955 Federal wreck in Bridgeport CT, so I really just need verification on the colors.  Thanks.

[chessie system fan]

Dug my copy out.  There's only one photo of a heavyweight sleeper, the 10-1-2 Andrew Pickens, and it's in the standard blue scheme.  No pictures of any shadow-lined cars.

[pjm20]

I found this on de Intranets: http://www.lnrr.org/pdf/articles/Modeling%20Article%20Index.pdf According to this, there is an article about L&N shadowlined Pullmans in the August 2003 issue.

[bbussey]

I found a model photo on the L&N Historical Society site.  Blue window band, blue full-length letterboard, blue car nameplate, shadow lines below the windows, gray roof, deluxe gold lettering.

[thomasjmdavis]

There are a couple photos in L&N Passenger Trains- the Pan Am Era (they are black and white photos, but assuming the dark color is blue).. Paint is as you describe, Brian.  I would add a couple of notes from these photos-

The silver gray band above the windows (or between the top of the window and the letterboard stripe) looks to my eye to be about 1/2 of the total width above the window- or equal in width to the letterboard stripe.

A photo of a 12-1, Orange Dale, has a small "Humming Bird" in script in the center of the letterboard, rather than "Pullman".  It is sized about the same size as the nameplate in the lower part of side (that is, the lettering looks like it would fit- perhaps the same stencil used when the coaches were painted with the train name in the nameplate- the blue letterboard itself is full length), but the car name and the "Pullman" at the car end near the door are in RR Roman (or whatever standard Pullman lettering is). There is a very thin stripe of silver gray above the letterboard.

Another photo shows 10-1-1 Chief Joseph - same paint, but a conventional "Pullman" in the center of the letterboard, and no lettering at the end near the door (at least on the end that is clear in the photo).  I would guess that if the AJ was on lease in the northeast, it would have been lettered this way, maybe with a small "L&N" or Louisville and Nashville near the left door.  I can't state it as fact, but I don't think that sleepers received the script lettering "Pullman" until they were painted all blue.

The Humming Bird/ Georgian decal sets from Great Decals (I think he calls it a "diner-lounge" set, but it has some coach decals as well) has the "Humming Bird" nameplate decals as part of the sheet.

[bbussey]

Yes, the height of the upper letterboard stripe is the same as the PULLMAN lettering and is centered vertically between the two belt rails. The AJ has the extended Roman lettering style and no small lettering in the upper corners, so there is no visual external indication that it is L&N, from what I can see.

[bbussey]

One other observation:  the model had the steps and underbody painted gray, but they appear to be black in the Federal incident photos.

[pjm20]

Do you know what service the Andrew Johnson was on? I thought the L&N only had through service to New York for the Pan American on the Spirit of St. Louis.

[bbussey]

Do you know what service the Andrew Johnson was on? I thought the L&N only had through service to New York for the Pan American on the Spirit of St. Louis.

I don't.  But it was in the consist of the eastbound Federal that wrecked on Jenkins Curve in Bridgeport in July 1955, which was bound for Boston.  I have no idea what the origin point for the AJ was, but it obviously was added to the Federal consist in Washington by the PRR.  So
L&N at the time must have offered through service to Boston as well.

[thomasjmdavis]

I don't know that I qualify as an expert, but my educated guess would be that the car was leased from the Pullman pool- any car in regular L&N service would have been painted into the all blue scheme by 1955.  Of course, that is a "best guess"- I will see if I can find a source to back that up.

[thomasjmdavis]

Did not take long to find a citation (from the Pan Am Era by Castner, Chapman and Dorin, p. 200): "Corrosion adn tarnish were chronic problems on the unpainted aluminum panels of the lightweights, and in 1953 both the lightweights and shadow-lined heavyweights were repainted solid blue with gray roofs to match the rest of the L&N fleet."

[bbussey]

Part of the Pullman pool works for me.  There was another Pullman sleeper in that particular consist, possibly a 6-3 based on the wreck photos, but it was painted standard Pullman green.

[pjm20]

Well, the only L&N trains that got to Washington were joint operations: the Crescent and The Piedmont Limited. Both of these were New York trains. The ACL had controlling interest in the L&N, so maybe they had influence in the assignments, since many L&N cars made it to Miami on Chicago-Miami services and there were a few of Boston-Miami service sleepers.

[bbussey]

Understood.  It could have been a Pullman pool car that hadn't been repainted.  But regardless of its status, it was bound for Boston on July 14, 1955.