Model Railroading > C&NW ZITO Yellow question

Hi,

has anyone seen a fresh painted ZITO yellow C&NW locomotive and the C40-8 from Atlas? The model has a yellow like a text marker. Does this match the prototype?

Pictures of any fresh painted Zito yellow machine are welcome!


Regards


5401



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/09 14:25 by DRGW5401.

Don't get torked, but please, it's C&NW - Chicago & North Western.

Now, on with the show.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

If you're refering to the Atlas ones from several years back, yes they were way to lemony.

Some white or yellow chalk powders dulls them down much better if you want to model them in their pre-faded scheme. That's what I did to mine.

I know that the Zito yellow faded very fast. Did the Atlas models (8501... C40-8) match the as new paitend yellow tone?


Regards

DRGW 5401

I would say no. I never saw any new CNW Zito look like the Atlas units did.

The first-2 orders of Dash-8s for C&NW (30, 8501-8530 in 1989 and 12, 8531-8542 in 1990) were delivered from GE-Erie in "Zito yellow". After going into service at South Morrill, where they spent almost all of their first-2 years at high-altitude under the Nebraska and Wyoming sun, they started to fade and turn "chalky white" very quickly. The paint which GE used contained an inorganic yellow pigment. All 42 units were rotated thru Mid-America Car at Kansas City where "traditional C&NW yellow" was applied to replace the faded "Zito yellow". The last Dash-8s (35, 8543-8577, all-130 of the Dash-9s 8601-8730 from 1993-1994 and the 35 C44ACs 8801-8835 in December 1994) all came from Erie wearing "traditional C&NW yellow".

"Zito" yellow was actaully based on the Pantone hue number 102C. The label "Zito" yellow got stuck because Jim Zito was the VP-Operations when the mechanical department started applying that color instead of "traditional" yellow.

As for "fading" paint ... The problem with the C&NW units wasn't the hue (color) but actually the pigment. Yellow, red and blue paints are susceptible to fading particularly from sunlight (the invisible ultraviolet light is what "attacks" the pigment). Organic pigments are more expensive than inorganic pigments but also tend to "weather" less.

Another factor is the chemistry of soap used in washing locomotives. I've even seen BNSF Omaha Orange faded chalky.