Jim Wilke's drawings

Jim Wilke is a Railroad Historian who discovered our Mason Bogie Project and has offered his vast knowledge of historic Locomotive paint schemes to MC2002!
Jim is the guy responsible for researching the historic paint schemes of the"119" and "Jupiter" replica locomotives at "Golden Spike National Historic Site"

                         photo compliments of  Michael "Jolly" Goodfellow

read about the the "Golden Spike" locomotives, and their paint schemes, here:
http://www.nps.gov/gosp/history/everlasting_steam.html

Please note, even though these may be among the most accurate color renderings so far, based on a great deal of historical research, we still have no absolute, 100%, without a doubt, known scheme for any one actual Mason Bogie!

Now here is a collection of Jim's drawings, with his comments.
thanks Jim!
Scot


 
 









William Mason went into the locomotive business to make a betterand more elegant machine.
He succeeded - by 1870 nearly all locomotive builders were producing engines on the same handsome lines.

The Mason Bogie was no exception.  Resplendent in polished brass and dark green and gold leaf, these sturdy little machines were at work everywhere from the Pacific to the Atlantic.  Here are the most authentic colorschemes possible for the bogie - all using known Mason colors combined with the style of the 1870s.

When using these colors for your model, remember to paint the entire engine to match - domes, cylinder saddle, cowcatcher, headlight brackets,engine frame, pilot beam, cylinders, truck assembly, bell stand, fenders and all.
This was the unified color scheme advocated by Mason and universal in the1870s.  If you want, you can paint the wheels to match or in a contrasting red or wine color.  The bogie frame can either match or be black, a Mason detail.  The boiler jacket on all Mason bogies was Russia iron with
brass bands, and many Masons had brass cylinders and dome wrappers.
Look at the photo of your prototype to be sure.

I hope you will enjoy these color schemes as much as I have had inresearching and recreating them. - Jim
 
 

Greens were the most popular locomotive colors in the 1800s, and a Mason standard -  probably the most common color of all Mason engines!
This  scheme shows an 1870s dark green combined with gold
and green stripes. Wheels can either be dark green, red, or wine.
 
 




Dark blue was a Mason favorite, documented from the 1850s to the early 1870s.  It was frequently combined with red or wine wheels for a handsome effect.  B&O Royal Blue is a good match
 
 


Lake, a very dark Indian red, became popular in the aesthetic era 1870s and 80s.  Many versions were used, and while we have no confirmation it was used by Mason, it should be part of the bogie list.   Lake or red wheels will look handsome with this color.
 
 

Black became popular in the 1870s, and with gold leaf striping was a stylish option.   Mason built several engines painted "black as the devil" beginning in 1870.  This scheme shows a glossy black with gold and green stripes.The wheels should be black, with gold and red stripes.
 
 


This black scheme takes its cue from the black, gold and Tuscan colors used by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1870s.   It creates a warm black scheme, and can use black or Tuscan wheels
 
 


 


 
 





 New Drawings, January 10, 2003
 


 
 
 












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