Pullman Paint Information

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Pullman

1869

Pullman Palace car "North Star" is painted "Munich Lake" with gold leaf striping on the exterior. The interior is finished in black walnut with ebony inlays and gold molding. Interior metalwork is silver plate.

"Luxuries of Modern Travel," American Railroad Journal 27 February 1869 p254.

1871

Pullman palace cars built by Jackson & Sharp are painted "rich dark green" on the interior.

American Railroad Journal 29 July 1871

A Pullman car built for service on the Michigan Central and Great Western Railways is painted Olive, which is described as "greenish or brown, according to the light).

The National Car Builder, April 1871, pg. 3

1880

Pullman sleeping cars "Argo" and "Advance" used on the Utah & Northern painted "the usual color of Pullman cars." They were shipped to Ogden on standard gauge trucks which were replaced with narrow gauge wheelsets upon arrival. Interiors finished in raw bay wood with oak ceilings and gilded striping. Seats were scarlet plush.

The Weekly Tribune (Salt Lake City, UT), 21 August 1880

1882

Pullman passenger cars built for the New York Chicago & St. Louis are painted dark wine "almost like the Pennsylvania Railway color."

Railway Age 26 October 1882

Pullman cars Clarion and Victor are painted "dark brown or maroon." These are 73-foot-long 12-section cars.

St. Louis Railway Register, 3 June 1882

1883

Pullman uses Murphy's Varnishes in its factory.

The private car Railway Age built by Pullman is painted Sherwin-Williams Talbott Blue. Exterior railings are nickel plated. The truck springs are called out as being unpainted and polished steel.

The Modern Railway Car: as Illustrated by the Exhibition Car Built for The Railway Age by Pullman's Palace Car Company. Chicago: The Railway Age Company, 1883.

Pullman sleeping cars built for Central Vermont are painted dark green with gold leaf ornamentation. The interior is polished mahogany. The interior ceiling around the clerestory is finished in bronze leather with old gold relief.

"Elegant Cars on the Central Vermont," Railway Age 1 February 1883.

Seventeen Pullman Palace cars built in 1883 are painted "standard Pullman Color" with red plush upholstery and cherrywood interior.

Railway Age 8 February 1883

Pullman dining cars built for the Baltimore & Ohio are painted brown with gold striping on the exterior and black, gold and olive on the interior. The draperies are olive color and the seats are upholstered in olive leather.

Railway World 5 May 1883

1884

Pullman adopts a new standard paint scheme, described in newspapers as "a dark olive shade" with straw colored window sashes and lettering and striping in gold leaf and yellow.

"Spikes and Ties," The Rocky Mountain News 22 June 1884.

1887

Pullman sleeper "Utah," leased to the Colorado Midland, is painted maroon with gilt lettering and striping. The interior ceiling is painted sky blue and the seating is upholstered in the same color.

"A Beautiful New Car," The Silver Standard (Silver Plume Colorado) 19 November 1887.

1892

The paint mix for Pullman Color is given as ochre, drop black and venetian red.

Painting and Decorating, October 1892.

1893

55 coaches built for the Long Island Railroad Company are painted dark maroon.

National Car & Locomotive Builder, January 1893.

1897

Sleeping cars built for the Pennsylvania Railroad are painted cream above the belt rail and bottle green below the belt rail with gold leaf ornamentation. The belt rail itself is Roman Gold. The roofs are black and the trucks are painted bold red and bottle green.

"A Sumptuous Train," The Pittsburg Bulletin 13 November 1897.

1900

A Detroit White Lead Company catalog distributed at the Master Car Painters' meeting in Detroit includes paint samples for Rogers' Coach Body Enamels, which includes "Pullman Body," a dark brown.

On 22 February 1900 the Pullman book of standards is noted with the adoption of a "new body color for all general service cars," being Pullman Green.

1901

Parlor cars built for the Pennsylvania Railroad for Philadelphia to New York service are painted Tuscan with gold leaf lettering.

Railway Age 2 August 1901.

1902

Private car Quantzintecomatzin built for the American Tourist Association for Mexican service is painted the Pullman standard color.

Official Railway Guide October 1902.

1905

A Sherwin-Williams paint catalog offers "Pullman New" paint (olive green) and both new and old colors for Pullman trucks.

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index