Pantograph colours

[Nick_Burman]

I've been watching YouTube user Susukuma channel (highly recommended!) and much to my shock on one of his latest videos he actually paints N scale pantographs. So, since I'm in the process of "upcycling" a Micro-Ace C boxcab loco, I've decided to give it a try and much to my surprise not only the paint has stuck to the alpaca used on the pan (OK, I gave the pan a coat of adhesive primer first) but it hasn't gummed the works up (yet...). So now comes the question... what colours did Japanese operators paint their pantographs? And what model colours would best match? I work mostly with Vallejo colours, so if anyone is familiar with them, I would like matching colour references.

 

 

Cheers Nicholas

[bill937ca]

Prague paints regular service T3 tram pantographs yellow and retro and museum tram pantographs red.  Is it  a designation of function?  

 

Many pantographs may just be sooty from carbon inserts to reduce wear on the catenary.

[Kamome]

I often paint my pantographs with a Tamiya copper colour on the pick up area. Modern trains have coloured winglets on the pantograph, perhaps to aid spot checking of pantograph wear. JR Kyushu stock like 813s often have red but i’ve seen some freight locos and Shinkansen with yellow.

 

To paint mine, I also use vallejo model colour, red and yellow but only on the winglets. I often use Deep Yellow or Flat red. Burnt Umber is also a great colour for rusty couplers in my view.  I have also used Tamiya acrylic sprayed from an airbrush for weathering and it’s doesn’t affect the functionality of the pantograph. 

 

Exact colours are a bit of a difficult discussion as everyone can have a slight different view on the closest match. Scaling colour is quite an art in itself as viewing distance of an N scale model really affects how the colour correctly matches what you’re trying to portray. It will also appear differently adjacent to differing colours so it may be a bit of trial and error. I’d also say that depending on the area and era you wanting to represent, colour does change.

 

Modern locos can have a black/brown muck covering as well as a lighter brown crud from the pantograph. Photos of the Itaya Pass from late JNR/early JR show EF71s/ED78s with a nutty, orange/red brown on their roof. 

 

Best to find photographs and mimic as close as you can. My only advice would be to try on a piece of plasticard. It’s doubtful you can always find an exact colour straight out of the bottle so mixing some formulas and recording mix and testing. Good to have some mixing pots handy as once you get a good colour, best to have an amount on hand for multiple trains. Saying that, I find Tamiya Nato Brown is a pretty good match sprayed lightly for general underside grime over black parts but don’t over do it.