by fordhamroad
This is a difficult topic, because there aren't any color photographs of the NYW&B. Still, we have lots of black and white photographs and some verbal descriptions. Anyone who wants to imagine the line at work, or to model it, needs some idea of the colors. Let me throw up some suggestions, any advice would be most welcome.
I Structures
II Rolling Stock
I STRUCTURES: From the John Tolley construction photos (see Robert Bang's two books) ceramic block or brick construction was covered with a cement stucco. Depending on aging, and compared to similar stuccoed Spanish type homes and commercial buildings in Westchester, probably a light greyish color when new, and fading to more of a cream color as it weathered. Many buildings had trim of Spanish tiles- these would have been an orange to brown color, again see other contemporary buildings.
Station signs: were a medium Green with white gothic capital letters.
I once saw the "West Street" sign.
Door and window colors - these are a light color in the photographs. Are we talking about a light grey or a light green color? Anyone got data on this? Would a green be chosen to complement the station signs? Color of benches, light fixtures, poles for signals??
II ROLLING STOCK: as new in 1912, "standard New Haven Green" (Elec. Ry. Journ. v. 39 no.13, Mar. 30, 1912) It was a dark green, but exact shade is unclear. According to Wayne Drummond of NHRHTA the color cannot be ascertained but was not the 1930's standard NH color 212 Hunter Green. Al Lawrence of the NHRHTA advised me two decades ago that in the thirties Readville Shops of the NH was using the darker 212 Green, while Van Nest Shops, in the Bronx was using Pullman Green on the NH MU cars. It is possible that the NYW&B cars started out in a dark green, more Brewster than Brunswick, and later repaints were Pullman Green.
From the photos, early shots show lunettes over the windows painted in a white or cream color. These do not appear to have been true windows. Interior shots do not show windows on top. Some of the later 1930's shots show the lunettes same color as coach, presumably Green.
The end window lunettes had "nyWestchester&b" white leters on black background.
The car numbers were in little black rectangles, white numbers, upper outer corner of the end windows. The last 50 cars, leased from the NH Railroad, had small gothic NYNH&H at the bottom of the end windows, probably white.
The car roof: Karl Groh (1962 ERA booklet on NYW&B) says roofs were originally light grey in 1912. The original catenary wires were iron and they rusted, leaving stains, so the roofs were painted rust brown. Then the wires were replaced with copper, and grey returned.
by 1923. There is a 1929 builder's photo of a later batch of NYW&B cars, which has a very light roof. There is speculation as to whether the roof was treated with asphaltum like some NH cars If so, the same color green might have looked lighter on the roof. Anyone got data on this? At any rate, some cars do eem to be all Green in the late 1930's so perhaps they were repainted that way to save money.
NH painted the trucks and undersides Black? Did NYW&B?
{to be continued RW}
Roger Wines
I Structures
II Rolling Stock
I STRUCTURES: From the John Tolley construction photos (see Robert Bang's two books) ceramic block or brick construction was covered with a cement stucco. Depending on aging, and compared to similar stuccoed Spanish type homes and commercial buildings in Westchester, probably a light greyish color when new, and fading to more of a cream color as it weathered. Many buildings had trim of Spanish tiles- these would have been an orange to brown color, again see other contemporary buildings.
Station signs: were a medium Green with white gothic capital letters.
I once saw the "West Street" sign.
Door and window colors - these are a light color in the photographs. Are we talking about a light grey or a light green color? Anyone got data on this? Would a green be chosen to complement the station signs? Color of benches, light fixtures, poles for signals??
II ROLLING STOCK: as new in 1912, "standard New Haven Green" (Elec. Ry. Journ. v. 39 no.13, Mar. 30, 1912) It was a dark green, but exact shade is unclear. According to Wayne Drummond of NHRHTA the color cannot be ascertained but was not the 1930's standard NH color 212 Hunter Green. Al Lawrence of the NHRHTA advised me two decades ago that in the thirties Readville Shops of the NH was using the darker 212 Green, while Van Nest Shops, in the Bronx was using Pullman Green on the NH MU cars. It is possible that the NYW&B cars started out in a dark green, more Brewster than Brunswick, and later repaints were Pullman Green.
From the photos, early shots show lunettes over the windows painted in a white or cream color. These do not appear to have been true windows. Interior shots do not show windows on top. Some of the later 1930's shots show the lunettes same color as coach, presumably Green.
The end window lunettes had "nyWestchester&b" white leters on black background.
The car numbers were in little black rectangles, white numbers, upper outer corner of the end windows. The last 50 cars, leased from the NH Railroad, had small gothic NYNH&H at the bottom of the end windows, probably white.
The car roof: Karl Groh (1962 ERA booklet on NYW&B) says roofs were originally light grey in 1912. The original catenary wires were iron and they rusted, leaving stains, so the roofs were painted rust brown. Then the wires were replaced with copper, and grey returned.
by 1923. There is a 1929 builder's photo of a later batch of NYW&B cars, which has a very light roof. There is speculation as to whether the roof was treated with asphaltum like some NH cars If so, the same color green might have looked lighter on the roof. Anyone got data on this? At any rate, some cars do eem to be all Green in the late 1930's so perhaps they were repainted that way to save money.
NH painted the trucks and undersides Black? Did NYW&B?
{to be continued RW}
Roger Wines
