Paint Querie

[barrysfp45]

I have been painting the roofs of my Deluxe containers silver as all the videos I have seen show smooth side containers have unpainted roofs, my question to the knowing US railfans is this, do the Walthers rib side containers have painted or unpainted roofs and do the Deluxe corrugated containers have painted or unpainted roofs, prototype containers that is, the only containers here are either 20' or 40' and usually so rusty you can't tell, I know this isn't essential information, I would just like to know. ]:)

[dl85vette]

I can check my collection Barry. However I would assume that container roofs would be painted body color. (cheaper to manufacture right as far as paint costs to the company) Any show I've seen about intermodal industry, I don't recall the container roofs being anything but body color. (generic ons like hapag lloyd, evergreen.

[ginzokid]

Barry, I just looked at Walthers.com and their pictures show all the containers roofs, no matter what mfg., to be painted the same as the body color. B-)

[barrysfp45]

Yes I know the packet containers have body color roofs, Con Cor paint their roofs silver and Kato did their container roofs silver with the support beem painted white, as I said the videos I have seen with containers are smooth side and do have the same set up as the Kato boxes, I figured the small corrugated would probably be the same color, just trying to find if the rib side has silver or body color. ]:)

[ginzokid]

Try this link. http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/pics/701507.jpg http://www.udisco.com/hobbies/pics/001508.jpg B-)

[barrysfp45]

They are models, what I want to know is if real containers have painted roofs or just raw metal ]:)

[ginzokid]

Try this: http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part1/images/oldseau40.jpg One in back looks like bare aluminum and the one in front is painted white like the sides. Here's another. It's red all over. http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part1/images/caiu4026849.jpg -- Edited by ginzokid at 04/14/2008 8:14 AM PDT

[barrysfp45]

Great that gives me a bit of an idea at least, seems some are painted and others aren't. ]:)

[dl85vette]

Don't forget too Barry that it in one sense doesn't matter what you do because chances are, the prototype did it once. You could paint the roof purple and somewhere out there there is a container with purple top.

[ginzokid]

I just realized that there is a container storage facility right across the street from Kim's office. I looked and all the 40' and 53' contianers, smooth and rib sided, were the same color on all sides, top and bottom, except for the rust that is. There were red, orange, white, blue and green containers from various lines. So, you can paint them any way you want I guess. B-)

[70novahound]

Some even have numbers on the roof for the crane operators. I have also seen them with a white fiberglass panel in the roof for interior lighting. CJ]:)

[dl85vette]

I was on a overpass the other day that passes over the yard and container trains on tracks were all monochromatic paintjobs (ref: containers painted sides vs roofs) So ya can't go wrong painted the whole container one color. Less airbrush cleaning.

[barrysfp45]

I was watching disc 2 of the ultimate Tehachapi DVD yesterday and there are a few double stack trains running through a cutting, the camera was set up on the top of the cutting and most of the containers had silver or raw metal roofs, so I guess I had the info all the time and just didn't know, even the JB Hunt 53'corrugated containers have silvery roofs, nearly all the 20' and 40' are the same color top and sides, some of the bigger containers have the same color all over but mostly silver on top, problem solved. ]:)

[barrysfp45]

I am just painting the roofs of ready to use DI and Walthers containers, they are already decorated, it would be great if manufacurers actually decorated their stuff as the real world units are, even M/T trailers have to have the door hardware and tail lights painted in by the modeler, 99% of trailer roofs are silverish colored in the real world and nearly all the manufacturers paint the whole trailer the one color and then suggest the modeler can detail the doors and wheels if they desire, I know it gives us something to do, but I have plenty to do already. ]:)