Question : Russian Railway 1900-1920

[former user]

we do have a public library here which even rents DvD very cheap

you maybe too?

[Bako]

we do have a public library here which even rents DvD very cheap

you maybe too?

Yeah, ours too. Don't think they would have 007 though. But what do I know? I usually just get History Bites from their movie selection.

[argsilverson]

Not quite a railway fan and at all not knowing anything about railways I would like to add a small answer in some question former user has posted:

The use of bauxite red colour might was just a copy, but a very interesting copy for the following reason:

bauxite ore (and hence bauxite pigment) prior to WW2 was regarded as a very poor iron ore (since it contains can have an average percentage of iron of about 5%). Being cheap, bauxite powder used to be used as a pigment. However, it has perfect anti rust properties, so, offered higher protection in cold and humid areas like north europe and vast Russia/Siberia.

Just a tip of information: bauxite became a strategic ore when the demand for aluminium increased due to the production of lighter weighted planes.

[former user]

thankk You sir

I had kind of suspected that myself, but cant understand the need to paint wooden wagons red
however bauxite might have emerged as pigment from the time they stareted to make steel ones, and then possibly painted all red


who knows

thanks again

[Bungle]

The reasons to paint wagons is to preserve the wood, the same reason garden fences are painted.

In the UK they tended to be red oxide or grey lead type colours.

[former user]

I was told so
red oxide is actually the "bauxite red", the main pigment being iron oxide
they would weather to a dark brownish red

is iron oxide suitable for preserving wood?

[Bungle]

Any covering that seals wood and prevents water getting to it will help preserve it.

[former user]

sure

but Iron Oxide is a pigment
to seal wood You need something.... else, the binder of the iron oxide paint
otherwise it's only a powder

the trick with the iron oxide on steel is that it is then already covered with rust, so it won't rust anymore

anyway, they painted the wooden waggons red too, so red it is

[Cory]

I was told so
red oxide is actually the "bauxite red", the main pigment being iron oxide
they would weather to a dark brownish red

is iron oxide suitable for preserving wood?

In the US the ferrous oxide was the primary indredient used in the paint for 19th century wooden barns, so much so the color here is called "Barn Red".

[former user]

now that is interesting again, thank You
getting closer...

here we go:
"Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grow on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay. "

this iron oxide is good for everything apparently

maybe also against tobacco chew stains 

[Michi]

In the US the ferrous oxide was the primary indredient used in the paint for 19th century wooden barns, so much so the color here is called "Barn Red".

I visited Falun in Sweden some years ago. There is an iron ore mine that supplies the entire country with iron oxide pigments for the "Falun Red" paint the Swedes use to paint their wooden houses for centuries. This should be proof enough...

[former user]

wasn't about the proof, was about the context
and I did not know about the fungicide aspect

thought swedes would fancy red houses....

but there is another context here, namely the availability of a cheap bauxite mud as industrial by-product

I am always interested how many thing come together to one aspect - in this case, red freight cars (and barns and swedish houses)

[argsilverson]

I'll give some basics about the paints and pigments. By all means it is not an authoritative account since coating is a science by itself. Sorry if I take much of your time.
In order to preserve something you need a pigment which doesnot react with the rusting agent:
Hence, in order to preserve metals for water and air you need a pigment which is already oxidised. Thus iron oxide, lead oxide, zinc oxide etc (also known as "minium") is a good anti rusting media. The best for iron is lead oxides. Due to health issues lead is banned and so they changed and nowdays they use (at a higher cost) zinc phosphate.

For the preservesion of the wood, the paint should contain poisons (toxic substances) able to kill pests, worms, fungi and microorganisms. Thus the use of copper, copper oxide and copper sulphate plus other substances. That is why period ships used copper sheets.

The main factor was cost and availability of raw materials.

Colours: Iron oxides are lemon yellow and dark red/terracotta, lead oxide is a bright orange colour, zinc oxide and zinc phosphate are whites (as most of the additives in the paint like calcium carbonate, barium sulphate, talc etc etc), copper oxides are mostly green, copper sulphate is a mid blue. The carrier (linseed oil) used at the time ensured water insolubility of the paint.
Usually if they had to preseve wooden and metallic structures used in the trains, they treated first with some of the above and then paint them over with the desired colour.

So, reds etc were more usually used.

BTW some of the above are used for the making of our model colours, though recently they tend to use some non toxic materials mostly organic pigments and new binders like acrylic resins, which although they are  water soluble they dry as waterproof.

[former user]

thank You very much

don't forget "schweinfurter Grün" which was used extensively to paint bridges and street lamps, but is banned today because it is highly poisonous

is it true that lead oxide weathers to a dark brown?
I guess the Golden Gate bridge is not painted in lead oxide any more?