Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe: Paint Information
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index
Freight Cars
1876
Cabooses built by the St. Charles Car Company are painted red.
The Daily Commonwealth (Topeka, KS), 25 July 1876
1880
Stock cars painted with "Winters Mineral Paint."
The National Car Builder, November 1881, pg. 170
1881
Cabooses painted buff with tuscan red lettering shaded in drab. End platforms painted with mineral color and platform floors painted "engine vermilion." Trucks and ironwork in black. Interior ceiling in pea green.
The National Car Builder, November 1881, pg. 139
1884
Fruit cars are painted yellow.
The Denver Tribune (Denver, CO), 7 April 1884
Boxcars and stock cars are painted brown. Fast freight cars are painted yellow.
Tulare Advance Register (Tulare, CA), 7 November 1884
ATSF's Atlantic & Pacific Fast Freight cars are decorated with a large red and green cross.
The Topeka Daily Capital (Topeka, KS), 24 September 1884
1890
Freight cars are repainted to yellow.
The Albuquerque Morning Democrat (Albuquerque, NM), 25 February 1890
1896
Ventilated and refrigerator cars are painted white.
1897
Ventilated and refrigerator cars are repainted from white to yellow with black lettering and trim.
Topeka State Journal (Topeka, KS), 14 December 1897
1899
Boxcars are mineral red.
The Globe-Republican (Dodge City, KS), 11 May 1899
Cabooses repainted from yellow to mineral red.
The Globe-Republican (Dodge City, KS), 11 May 1899
Passenger Equipment
1879
Passenger cars painted bright yellow and "handsomely ornamented."
The Atchison Daily Patriot (Atchison, KS), 24 January 1879
1881
Baggage car roofs painted with Asbestos paint, trucks painted drab with striping, ceilings "zinc with Demar varnish", and interior walls imitation grained oak.
The National Car Builder, January 1881, pg6
1882
Passenger cars painted light yellow.
The Harrisburg Daily Patriot (Harrisburg, PA), 27 March 1882
1886
Passenger cars painted Canary color
The National Car Builder, December 1886, pg155
1891
Passenger cars changed from yellow to Tuscan Red.