From time to time questions arise with regard to the color of things, Frisco. Color photographs from the 40's onward allow some certainty in this regard, and several texts have appeared from the late 40's which describe paint schemes. Bradley Scott has posted the url from the (S)MSU library archives where 1902 paint diagrams may be located. http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?t=1921&highlight=missouri+state I have found a July 1, 1930 document that won't answer definitively what color various items were painted, but it will answer what colors the Frisco used at that time. On the first day of January and on the first day of July the Storekeeper published a book, which listed "Miscellaneous Materials and Supplies", i.e., everything from ADZES to WIRE LAMPS in its 134 pages. The book listed the item, its cost, and its point of origin. On pages 71-73 paints are listed. It's not a whole lot on which to hang one's hat, but with a little detective work, it might be possible to draw some reasonable conclusions.
Karl's post reminds me of something that has puzzled me. For Karl or anyone: What color is "Russia Iron"? How about "Russian (Or "Prussian"??) Blue?" Thanks, Tom
Tom, Prussian Blue (in honor of meteor910 it is chemically, Iron(III)-hexacyanoferrate(II)) is the name of an insoluble bright blue pigment that is often used as a compound that is placed on a gear to check the mating pattern of a gearset. It is used in the automotive industry for setting proper contact depth between the ring and pinion in differentials. Where the teeth make contact the blue is squeezed out, leaving a perfect indication of the location of the contact patch. I could see where it might be used to detemine wear on locomotive wheels and possibly some other moving parts of a locomotive.
It also lends itself to practical jokes. A little on a wrench or hammer handle takes forever to wash off your hands.
When I was a kid in grade school, in 3rd-4th grade, my mom & dad got me a chemistry set for Christmas (Chemcraft); then a year or two later they got a much better one (Gilbert). One of the experiments in both was to react sodium ferrocynanide with something else (I forget what it was, but both were in the sets)(*) to make Prussian Blue in solution in a test tube. Don and Keith are correct - you had a heck of a time getting the stuff off of anything if it got outside of the test tube. It stayed on your hands for a day or two at least. I was in awe of chemistry as a result of those sets, and they were a major reason why I became a chemical engineer at MSM (I also had a terrific chemstry teacher in high school who sealed the deal). To this day, I am amazed that back then (1950's), it was OK to sell chemistry sets containing cyanide chemicals in the sets to kids. Under the right conditions, with the application of a strong acid, it is possible to liberate HCN (hydrogen cyanide) from them. FYI, HCN is the gas that was/is used in gas chambers for executions. HCN takes no prisoners! It was a different world then. The reaction: HCN plus a deep breath = the smell of almonds plus you are kaput. Ken (*) It might have been either sodium bisulfite or sodium bisulfate that was to be reacted with sodium ferrocyanide - both are weak acids, both were in the sets. The sets did not contain a strong acid.
Some kind of reducing agent is needed to convert the complexed Fe (III) to Fe (II). Sodium bisulfIte or sodium metabisulfite might be capable. The original prussian blue for ink used tannin for a reducing agent. The ascorbic acid from potato juice or lemon juice would probably do the trick, too. As pointed out, once you got it, you cannot get rid of it!
