The other factor just may be the state of the paint industry.
Nowdays, you have colorimeters (OK they were around 40 years ago too) which can process the primary colors and reproduce the shade of paint using a sophisticated pigment dispenser.
Way back when, paint batches were created via formula dependent upon batch size. The smaller the batch, the more room for error given that the pigments were a small part of the overall content of paint.
So, when the New Haven went to paint - what 50 coaches each taking about 20 gallons of paint (old school paint guns - modern High Volume Low Pressure guns are much more efficient), you have a batch of 1000 gallons. Really small batch for the paint companies. So errors will creep in.
And did the New Haven give a hoot? The answer would be "close enough, we are in receivership" - this is not the 20th Century Limited. Probably the New York Central adopted the attitude in the late 1950's as well.
And do we want to get into the topic of photographic film emulsions.
Perhaps the only way is to find a New Haven car in existence, and gently "sand" down the layers of paint, down to the original coat, just past the few thousand atoms of that surface which was oxidized due to exposure to the elements, and then subject that layer to a color matching system.
OK, now you have the color - but will it weather as the New Haven paint did????
I mean, we want to be perfect, don't we??
Too much turkey tryptophan .....
Nowdays, you have colorimeters (OK they were around 40 years ago too) which can process the primary colors and reproduce the shade of paint using a sophisticated pigment dispenser.
Way back when, paint batches were created via formula dependent upon batch size. The smaller the batch, the more room for error given that the pigments were a small part of the overall content of paint.
So, when the New Haven went to paint - what 50 coaches each taking about 20 gallons of paint (old school paint guns - modern High Volume Low Pressure guns are much more efficient), you have a batch of 1000 gallons. Really small batch for the paint companies. So errors will creep in.
And did the New Haven give a hoot? The answer would be "close enough, we are in receivership" - this is not the 20th Century Limited. Probably the New York Central adopted the attitude in the late 1950's as well.
And do we want to get into the topic of photographic film emulsions.
Perhaps the only way is to find a New Haven car in existence, and gently "sand" down the layers of paint, down to the original coat, just past the few thousand atoms of that surface which was oxidized due to exposure to the elements, and then subject that layer to a color matching system.
OK, now you have the color - but will it weather as the New Haven paint did????
I mean, we want to be perfect, don't we??
Too much turkey tryptophan .....
If you can't dazzle them with brilliance -
Baffle 'em with bulls**t...
Baffle 'em with bulls**t...
