Painting history
There were long stretches of time during which PFE paint
schemes remained essentially constant, and there were also pe-
riods of somewhat rapid change. For the transition-era modeler,
the latter is the case. I will present only a brief summary of the
history, along with what it means for a 1953 modeler like myself.
Those modeling other periods should, of course, construct a sim-
ilar framework for themselves.
As background, it should be recognized that PFE policy was to
repaint wood-sheathed cars every four to six years, and steel
cars every 10 to 12 years. Shop data show not only that this
policy was followed, but also that repainting was freely ap-
plied for cars even with minor repairs. And recall that the cars
18: This photo show the ceaseless movement of PFE
cars, loaded eastward near Green River, Wyoming on
September 3, 1955. An important value in this image
is the vivid depiction of the variation of weathering
among the many PFE cars.
- photo, John E. Shaw
18
