Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe: Paint Information
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index
Locomotives
1893
New locomotives ordered from Baldwin in this year are painted black, no striping. Boiler jacket is unpainted planished iron.
Baldwin Locomotive Works Engine Specifications Vol.19 P.67, 1893
1898
New locomotives ordered from Baldwin in this year are painted black, no striping. The boiler jackets are now steel instead of planished iron and painted black to match the rest of the locomotive. The rods are painted "steel gray."
Baldwin Locomotive Works Engine Specifications Vol.22 P.10, 1898
Freight Cars
1881
Stock cars painted with "Winters Mineral Paint."
The National Car Builder, November 1881, pg. 170
1884
Fruit cars painted yellow.
The Denver Tribune (Denver, CO), 7 April 1884
Boxcars and stock cars are painted brown. An unspecified AT&SF fast freight line has boxcars painted yellow.
Tulare Advance Register (Tulare, CA), 7 November 1884
AT&SF Atlantic & Pacific fast freight boxcars bear a large cross of red and green on their doors.
The Topeka Daily Capital (Topeka, KS), 24 September 1884
1886
Refrigerator cars painted a “brilliant yellow with dark green doors.”
The Daily Tombstone (Tombstone, AZ), 13 February 1886
1890
Freight cars repainted to yellow.
The Albuquerque Morning Democrat (Albuquerque, NM), 25 February 1890
1896
Ventilated and refrigerator cars painted white.
1897
Ventilated and refrigerator cars 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
1876
Cabooses built by the St. Charles Car Company painted red.
The Daily Commonwealth (Topeka, KS), 25 July 1876
1881
Way cars painted buff [just inside?], lettered in Tuscan red shaded with drab. Battens striped dark grey, deck painted two coats lead and one of engine vermilion. Roof painted with two coats of asbestos paint; platforms and steps given two coats of mineral paint. All outside ironwork, except trucks, painted lampblack.
The National Car Builder, November 1881, pg. 139
1897
New way car standard of lettering adopted.
The Nickerson Argosy (Nickerson, KS), 25 February 1897
1899
Way cars repainted from yellow to mineral red.
The Globe-Republican (Dodge City, KS), 11 May 1899
The Wellington Journal (Wellington, KS), 1 July 1899
Passenger Equipment
1859
First AT&SF coaches painted yellow.
The Globe-Republican (Dodge City, KS), 15 February 1900 (see 1900 for excerpt)
1879
Baggage cars painted bright yellow and "handsomely ornamented."
The Atchison Daily Patriot (Atchison, KS), 24 January 1879
A day coach built by Ohio Falls Car Manufacturing Company was painted on the exterior "similar to the Pullman cars" with red, blue and gold ceiling liners inside.
The Colorado Weekly Chieftain 1 May 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
1890
Passenger cars begin to be repainted from yellow to maroon (Tuscan red).
Mesilla Valley Democrat (Las Cruces, NM), 15 July 1890
1891
Passenger cars painted Tuscan red.
The National Car and Locomotive Builder, June 1891, pg. 84
1900
Passenger cars begin to be painted Pullman brown.
El Paso Daily Herald (El Paso, TX), 9 February 1900
The Globe-Republican (Dodge City, KS), 15 February 1900
The Daily Citizen (Albuquerque, NM), 14 May 1900
Structures
1915
National Paint Works No. 400 Carbon Black is used on bridges.
[Cheeseman, Frank P. The Review of Technical Paint. New York: Cheeseman & Elliot, 1915.]