Grand Trunk Railway Paint Information
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index
Freight Cars
1872
Grand Trunk "through line" fast freight cars are painted red to distinguish them from Blue Line cars.
The Indianapolis Sentinel (Indianapolis, IN), 15 July 1872
1873
Freight cars are painted buff (yellow ochre and white lead) with black ironwork and mineral brown roofs.
Specification of Platform Cars, 1873
1874
Freight cars primed with white lead and painted two coats buff color. Ironwork is black.
Specification of Box Car Bodies, 1874
1877
Freight cars are primed with white lead and painted two coats permanent buff color. Ironwork is black and roofs are mineral brown. Wood components of trucks are painted the "approved color."
Specification of Box Car Bodies and Trucks, 1877
1881
Coal cars owned by the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway are painted yellow with red ends.
The National Car Builder, December 1881, pg. 144
1884
Grand Trunk Commercial Express Line Fast Freight cars are painted buff with white letters on a red background.
The Daily Witness (Montreal, QC), 21 May 1884
1885
Freight cars are painted mineral brown and lettered in white.
The Portland Daily Press (Portland, ME), 21 October 1885
The Daily Morning Journal and Courier, 15 December 1896
1886
Freight cars are painted metallic brown.
Lewiston Evening Journal (Lewiston, ME), 24 April 1886
1898
Refrigerator cars are painted orange with white roofs and black fascia boards.
The Portland Daily Press (Portland, ME), 19 September 1898
Cabooses
1895
Conductors' Vans are painted deep reddish brown.
1896
Conductor's vans are repainted "flaming red."
The Evening Record (Windsor, ON), 23 November 1896
Passenger Equipment
1855
Passenger cars are painted "in imitation of oak."
The Portland Weekly Advertiser (Portland, ME), 27 November 1855
1860
Passenger cars are painted yellow.
New York Commercial Advertiser (New York, NY), 10 August 1860
1867
A model of a Grand Trunk sleeping car is painted yellow.
The Morning Chronicle and Commercial and Shipping Gazette, (Quebec City, QC), 12 February 1867
1875
Baggage and express cars are painted chrome yellow with brown roofs.
Specification for Bodies of Baggage and Express Cars
1883
Western Division dining car "Windsor" is painted "standard colors": yellow body with dark letterboard and "gold flowering, which is also interspersed along the whole side."
The National Car Builder, October 1883, pg. 113
1886
Passenger, baggage and mail cars are painted a new color: chrome yellow with brown, red and grey trim. Lettering is in yellow and gold leaf, with "Grand Trunk" in place of "Grand Trunk Railway." The ornamentation style is simplified from previous paint schemes.
The Portland Daily Press (Portland, ME), 16 March 1886
Tuscan red is introduced.
Lewiston Evening Journal (Lewiston, ME), 24 April 1886
The Portland Daily Press (Portland, ME), 28 April 1886
1887
Passenger cars are painted Tuscan red with gold lettering.
The Portland Daily Press (Portland, ME), 29 March 1887
The National Car and Locomotive Builder, March 1887, pg. 36
1889
Dining cars are painted Tuscan red with gold ornamentation.
The National Car and Locomotive Builder, September 1889, pg. 126
1893
Passenger cars painted dark Indian or Tuscan red with gold lettering.
The Railway Engineer, May 1893, pg. 140
1896
The Grand Trunk changes from Tuscan red to nearly-black dark maroon.
Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, NY), 19 March 1896
The Muskegon Chronicle (Muskegon, MI), 20 March 1896
The Grand Trunk changes its passenger car color yet again to "invincible green" in June.
The Grand Rapids Press (Grand Rapids, MI), 2 June 1896
1897
Passenger cars painted Pullman brown.
Engineering News Record, 26 August 1897, pg. 140
1898
Passenger cars are painted olive green with gold leaf trim.
The Gazette (Montreal, QC), 21 June 1898
1899
Passenger and baggage cars are painted "G.T.R. Standard Invisible Green" with gold leaf ornamentation.
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nlXGRaJCVsgNJeHV7PQT8GC1u2os-y1_/view?usp=sharing%7C The Gazette (Montreal, QC), 25 March 1899}
A dining car running between the Niagara suspension bridge and Port Huron is painted green and gold.
A dining car running between Port Huron and Chicago is painted maroon and gold.
The Pentwater News (Pentwater, MI), 29 September 1899
1900
The standard Grand Trunk body color is bottle green.
Cafe Parlor Cars built for the "International Limited" are painted bottle green. The interior ceiling is painted olive with gold tinting.
Chicago Post 30 July 1900
Locomotives
1896
Steam locomotives are painted red.
Engineering News Record, 26 August 1897, pg. 140
1897
Red paint is dropped from steam locomotives and all engines are painted black with planished iron jackets and aluminum leaf lettering.
Engineering News Record, 26 August 1897, pg. 140