N scale model of LV barge #79...questions

[jaystreetcrr]

I'm building a model of LV wooden barge #79 and have a few questions and would like to talk with anyone else who's done a model of this, or other rail/marine modelers. I'm lucky enough to live in Brooklyn and can go see the barge and talk with captain David Sharps but still have questions....
What is a good color match in Floquil or other model paints for the barge when it was in service? I'm modeling 1950s era. And what color were the bitts and cleats painted?
I've seen photos of barge roofs where the tarpaper material appeared whitish or silver...what about LV #79?
Are there any LV decal sets (or alphabet sets) that come close?
I'm sure I'll think of other questions and would love to hear from anyone who's interested in this topic. Thanks, John

[umtrr-author]

I checked the LV sections of my copies of Tom Flagg's "New York Harbor Railroads in Color," Volumes 1 and 2, and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything that useful.

The barges that are shown seem to be pretty beat up; maybe some shade of boxcar red for the paint? The images show the barges at a bit of a distance so it's not really practical to pick out details.

Sorry this isn't more helpful...

[Nova55]

Did you see the N scale model of 79 that David has?

Heres a roof shot of his when we moved him:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25987785@N ... 469094072/

More here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25987785@N ... 469094072/

9 times out of 10 bitts were yellow so they show up. But often they can be black/dark grey as well.

[jaystreetcrr]

My model is coming along well, would post some pictures but having computer problems. I ended up doing the roof with strips of masking tape to simulate tarpaper. Most pictures I've seen show harbor barges roofed with approx. 4x8 pieces in an alternating pattern so I tried to simulate this. Capt. Sharps says the barge had a dark roof while in service.
I've found a dry transfer set, Woodland Scenics Gothic RR white, that seems close enough to LV 79, so I'll be piecing that together. I've got two Floquil reds that I'll mix for the paint.
Thanks for feedback and I hope to hear from others interesting in this topic.