[PRCo] Re: color change

[Fred Schneider]

The standard color was red or maroon up through the delivery of low-floor
trailers and low floor motor cars in the 4200s, 4300s, 4700s, 4800s, and 4900s
and the 6000s.  Orange became the standard with the delivery of the 5000-5099
series, apparently for better visibility.

The first car repainted in from maroon to orange appears to have been 4746 on
October 21, 1924.  Thereafter all low-floor cars including trailers, and high
floor carfs in the 4000s and 4100s were repainted in orange as they came due for
painting.   The first car repainted in orange appears to be 4746 on October 21,
1924.  However, Dennis, if you stop in here on one of your trips east and take
more time than I did scanning the paint book, you may find an earlier car.  Of
course Ed has custody over the original paint book in the library.

Some interurban cars in the 3700-3714 series also received orange paint starting
in 1925 but these were repainted beginning in 1930 in scarlet and gray to match
the 3800s.

Older high floor cars, principally the 3500s, 3550, 3551, 3556, and some 3100s
were repained in red as late as 1932.  Phrased differently, the all wood high
floor cars were never repainted in orange.

The double deck low-floor cars were retired before the orange paint became
standard, and were thus scrapped in red paint.

"Dennis F. Cramer" wrote: