New York Central No. 999
An express engine built to attract attention.
Bring the engine
to life.
Start with the suggested palette or choose your own colours. Build gentle layers around the engine's distinctive shapes.
Suggested pencil shades and approximate screen swatches. These are not historical paint specifications.
Start lightly and build the darker surfaces gradually. Preserve the printed details.
Leave fine white highlights to separate the moving parts.
Keep the surroundings quieter than the locomotive. Retain light sky areas.
Look a little closer.
Preserved No. 999 in a dark finish with pale lining and lettering, shown outdoors in snow. This later preserved form has smaller driving wheels than the original express configuration. Read each caption before using it as a colour or configuration reference.
Preserved No. 999 in a dark finish with pale lining and lettering, shown outdoors in snow. This later preserved form has smaller driving wheels than the original express configuration. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. · CC0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Historical monochrome view of No. 999 with its original large driving wheels. This photograph does not establish livery colours. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Photographer not identified in the Commons file record · Public domain · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Preserved No. 999 in a dark museum display, with black surfaces, fine warm-coloured lining and pale wheel-rim details. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Ronincmc · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Know the version.
The source below supports the locomotive identity and history. The photographs record the finish visible when each image was taken. A preserved or replica finish does not establish the original paint specification. Exact original paint shades and all period marking details have not been established for this guide.
The pencil example uses black and warm dark brown. Its palette is interpretive. The gallery records the particular appearances described in its captions; preserved engines, replicas and monochrome photographs cannot establish every original shade or marking.
Smithsonian Institution: model of New York Central No. 999Did you know?
The Smithsonian holds a model of No. 999 that was used to illustrate the technological development of the locomotive in its former Railroad Hall.
Make the details count.
Leave the large driving-wheel rims lighter than their centres.
Give the lettering a clean light surround.