South Pacific Coast Railroad Paint Information
From PacificNG
Reference / Historic Railroad Paint Color Index
Passenger Equipment
April 15, 1884 San Jose Daily Mercury News, page 5
California Built Cars.
Carter Brothers, the car builders at Newark, Alameda county, have just completed and put upon the rail six elegant passenger coaches for the South Pacific Coast Railroad Company. They are designed and patterned on an entirely new principle, and are exceptionally fine. The coaches are set on two four-wheel trucks of new design, with 28 inch iron wheels, and cushioned with a liberal and intelligent distribution of springs, which give a perfectly free action to the movement of the coach body, which is set close to the track to insure steadiness and safety at a rapid speed, which is attainable with the 28-inch wheels—the largest ever used in a narrow gauge truck. The outside of the coaches is painted a canary color and ornamented in Eastlake designs. Each coach is fitted with the Westinghouse air brake, Miller platforms, hooks and buffers. These coaches are intended to be run in all the through trains between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, and have been constructed specially to meet the wants of its increasing travel. They are at the new ferry landing in Alameda county, and a visit to the new wharf and depot and an inspection of the new coaches will repay a trip.
- John Hall’s comment: These are probably coaches 56-61 with Thomas Carter’s patented truck. See Nov. 14, 1885 for a repainting from “yallery clay” to olive green.
November 14, 1885 The Alameda Argus, page 3
We notice that a new color has been adopted for the passenger cars of the narrow gauge [SPC]. The “yallery clay” color that has heretofore prevailed has been superseded on use of the through trains by olive green, and we suppose the change will be made on all the passenger cars as soon as they can be run through the shops. We think the change is an improvement.
January 7, 1886 Santa Cruz Surf, page 3
A new train of cars was added to the rolling stock of the South Pacific Coast Railroad Company yesterday. It consists of a baggage car and four passenger coaches all built at Newark recently. The cars are painted brown, with trimmings of gold.