Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Paint Information

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway TOC

Freight Cars

1872

Listed as a user of “Iron Clad” metallic paints.

The National Car Builder, September 1872, pg. 18

1882

Cattle car bodies, roofs, and trucks coated with mineral paint; ironwork painted gloss black. These specifications are identical between the NYC&HRRR, Michigan Central, LS&MS, and Canada Southern, given that all four are Vanderbilt lines.

The National Car Builder, February 1882, pg. 19

Passenger Cars

1869

LS&MS Drawing Room car, “Ohio,” painted corn yellow.

The Buffalo Courier (Buffalo, NY), 5 May 1869

1872

All LS&MS passenger cars painted chrome yellow. LS&MS palace-coach, the “Northern Crown,” built in 1870, was also painted chrome yellow.

The National Car Builder, August 1872, pg. 10

1873

LS&MS palace-coaches, “Madison” and “Geneva,” had bodies painted chrome yellow. The cars’ letterboard, skirt around the platform roof, corners, door posts, and oval panels (surrounded by gold-leaf scrolling) containing the cars’ name were painted wine, while the wood-work “projecting past the panels, such as window-belts, circle-headings and mouldings” were painted green.

The National Car Builder, March 1873, pg. 56

1874

LS&MS drawing-room coaches, the “Yosemite” and “Yokohama,” had bodies painted a “rich carmine color, relieved with gold and silver gilding.”

The National Car Builder, May 1874, pg. 70

1884

LS&MS passenger coaches painted light yellow, with “gold horse-chestnut leaf” at the bottom of each panel. Corners and door-casings painted black, relieved by gilt ornamentation. Lettering in gold, shaded with light-green, upon a yellow ochre letter-board. The car numbers, in gilt, placed upon a gold-framed black shield, detailed with red line ornaments; the whole shield and number placed upon a “large oval chocolate-colored panel.” Trucks painted bright red, striped with black.

The National Car Builder, June 1884, pg. 70

1888

LS&MS mail car roofs painted with “ebony paint.”

The National Car and Locomotive Builder, December 1888, pg. 192

1893

LS&MS mail cars painted “cream color.”

The National Car and Locomotive Builder, November 1893, pg. 175

1897

Majority of LS&MS passenger cars painted yellow. Two LS&MS first class cars painted the “the Wagner standard color,” dark brown.

The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, IN), 6 January 1897

The Jackson Semi-Weekly Citizen (Jackson, MI), 4 May 1897

Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index / Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway