Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Paint Information

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Chicago Rock Island & Pacific

Freight Cars

1879

Refrigerator cars painted bright yellow and “handsomely lettered.”

The Daily Nonpareil (Council Bluffs, IA), 3 June 1879

1894

Refrigerator fruit cars painted orange.

The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, IN), 7 February 1894

1895

Ventilator and refrigerator cars painted bright yellow with black, red, and blue lettering.

The Rock Island Argus (Rock Island, IL) 25 January 1895

1905

Refrigerator cars painted white with black stencilling.

The Goodland Republic (Goodland, KS), 24 March 1905

Passenger Equipment

? to 1872

Passenger cars painted buff.

1872

Passenger cars begin to be painted a “darker shade.”

The Daily Argus (Rock Island, IL) 6 February 1872

1880

Passenger car paint was a mix of golden ochre, drop black, and Tuscan red.

The National Car Builder, November 1880

1888

Passenger cars, including Pullman cars, painted olive and gold.

Horton Daily Headlight (Horton, KS) 16 May 1888

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.

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Chicago Rock Island & Pacific