# Re inventing Floquil railroad colours



## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

Hi all, my name is Guy from the Uk.

I've joined here in the hope of some help with a very bizarre project that I'm heading.

I'm a long time Star Wars model sratchbuilder and very recently spent a lot of time on paint research. We know that ILM mostly used floquil Railroad colours and in the quest to work out which were used I've ended up purchasing a vintage Floquil catalogue from 1975 that contains the paint swatches of the actual paint.

I've been very lucky to get access to one of Europes best paint labs and am having most of the swatches colour matched. The results are flawless so far.

I'm hoping someone here may have newer catalogues with the paint swatch cards included as I'd like to extend the range to include what was available in the solvent line between 1976-1982.

The military catalogues are the same paint colours but renamed so are also very useful.

I'm in a position where I'm launching these colours in the uk very soon in a coach enamel wet paint. This came about as I have a minimum order when buying the paint for myself .

If anyone thinks they can help or if people are interested I'll be here .

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this as it's such an unusual thing to have happened in my life but it's also very exciting.

If you think you can help or love the old floquil colours then let me know. I'll have 50 colours ready by mid June hopefully and they're the closest to the original solvents you'll ever see 

Best Guy


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Some people have beat you to it, although in acrylics (and before you dismiss them, modern acrylics are fully the equal of solvent based paints... better in my book, because the health hazards are lower).

Anyway, Micromark, in conjunction with Acrylicos Vallejo, is selling paints in the Microlux line that are color matched to the old Floquil / PollyScale colors. Check them out here: http://www.micromark.com/hobby-supplies/paint?_ga=2.57651490.941806976.1493920824

Model RailRoad Hobbyist magazine has a subscriber extra that exhaustively matches paint colors to old Floquil / Pollyscale paints (some exact, some "close enough"). That may help too. Find it here: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com Subscribing is free.


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## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

Thanks, yes Ive seen many similar or reproductions but Ive found that over the years each colour has become more diluted and lost. Its a 2 fold thing searching for the cards as its a way of accurately working out which colours where available for ILM to use at the time also. So the cards come hand in hand with the research so to speak. 

Its very limited in the UK re getting hold of a good set so believe it or not its actually easier to have my own paint made than track it down elsewhere. The colour matching results are truly spot on to the original swatches I have from Floquil. I totally agree though re enamels not being the most sound re usage but I found when done in acrylics they lacked the depth compared with the coach enamel they make. Thanks you for your help and advice though but even if its just to date the colours as to when they where introduced its a huge help. 

Just owning the 1975 swatch set saved me huge amounts of research and guess work, especially as we cant get the vintage solvent paints over here. The enamel and Polyscale range are way different in hugh to the solvents, my desire is to nail all the colours and from which year if possible. Like I said its more about Star Wars modelling than Railroad but still hoping someone here may have a gem to help me out. Nothing ventured nothing gained


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Mad Panda
Keep me abreast of the colors you are putting together. I always loved the Floquil and have not been satisfied with any of the so-called replacements made by other manufacturers. Close matches but 'No Cigar'.


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## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

Yes no problem.

I hope to have around 50 or so ready sometime in June, this will include most of the colours from the 1975 range and a few enamel range place holders

And I promise the colour matching is spot on. I wouldn't bother if it wasn't . Ive had the Vintage Lacquer Grime done first which is much darker than its enamel equivalent. The results are sublime in all lighting conditions including North, Sunlight, shade and artificial. The only thing they cant get is the talcing of the old paint as its technically an imperfection. The computer disregards the info sadly. but its a tiny thing compared to the actual colour it produces which Is flawless.

Grime
Concrete
Aged Concrete
Reefer White
Reefer Grey
Reefer yellow
Reefer Orange
Weathered black
Boxcar Red 
Caboose Red
Grimy black
Tuscan
Depot buff
Foundation
Mud
Earth
Lt Green
Dk Green
Coach Green 
Weyerhaeuser Green
Pullman Green
Depot Olive
Light Blue 
Bark Blue 
GN Big sky Blue 
All the SP colours from 75
and lots more

If I can get a catalogue and swatch card set from 1980 in either RR sort military it would give me the palette from The Empire Strikes back re models and this would be priceless to a few nutters like me. Ive got pics of lots of cards but not dated with catalogues so cant work out what year the colours where introduced.


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## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

You can see here below

This is a swatch of Vintage 70's Grime next to the colour matched swatch in 3 different lighting environments.

Grime is one of the hardest to get right as it changes colour drastically depending on its environment. Each photo includes the vintage and new swatch and is pretty damn good to my eye

The Floquil enamel Grime and subsiquent Grimes from Polyscale don't come close to the solvent Grime. This is one of the most important colours in the SW Model range, to have this in unlimited supply is beyond words for me


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## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

This is the sort of Card I'm looking for and what Ive used to recreate the paint.

If anyone can help me get dated cards or similar in the military range I will gladly give them a complete set of all the colours I have made, so between 100 and 150 jars worth of Floquil colours but in modern coach enamel's


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## Mad Panda (May 3, 2017)

1975 Floquil colour chart


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## Peter Herron (Jun 30, 2015)

*There is an Acrylic Paint Guide available..............*

..........from Joe Fugate of "Model Railroad Hobbyist" magazine. You have to be a subscriber, but as that is free and takes about 30 seconds to do, it's a no brainer! Here is info on this free asset.

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/26889

Peter


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Peter Herron said:


> ..........from Joe Fugate of "Model Railroad Hobbyist" magazine. You have to be a subscriber, but as that is free and takes about 30 seconds to do, it's a no brainer! Here is info on this free asset.
> 
> http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/26889
> 
> Peter


Yeah, I suggested that way back in post #2. Didn't sound like it's what he was looking for.

The Vallejo / Microlux colors are spot on, too, but again, didn't sound like that fit the bill either


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## Peter Herron (Jun 30, 2015)

Sorry CT, how did I miss that?? 70 year old eyes and scrolling too fast, I guess!!! I was surprised no-one had mentioned it (because I missed yours) so I posted it.

Peter


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Eh, no worries. My 53 year old eyes aren't any better sometimes. I was much more surprised that the OP dismissed them out of hand.


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