Gary
I’ve airbrushed TruColor’s Black and it covers well but I’m going to use Vallejo’s acrylic black as it leaves no brush marks to avoid masking.  I assume the hatches were also black as part of the roof?  With the hopper bottoms and outlet gates being black are there any photos around for reference for painting?
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Charlie Duckworth 

Jerry,

No can do on nailing down the paint scheme on these cars.  Al Hoffman is the source of the cars having black roofs and hopper bottoms in the RP Cyc 30 article.  It would be nice if there was more than one color picture of these cars in original paint.  The official position of the BRHS seems to be all red cars and that appears to be based on trying to suss out colors in black and white images and first hand accounts from the 60s seeing these cars in service - which is why I assume they were repainted all mineral red when they were shopped.

If it is desired to have a black roof and hopper bottoms, the painting is not hard.  It is even easier it the car is put in the freezer and the top popped off (remember to pry the running board end braces away from the ends first).  A little masking tape and some Silly Putty around the difficult parts will mask that right up for painting.

Eric Mumper