Pennsylvania Railroad K4s No. 3750
A Pennsylvania standard with a distinctive firebox.
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.
Historical monochrome photograph of Pennsylvania Railroad No. 3750. The view shows its Pacific proportions and large headlight but does not establish paint colour. Read each caption before using it as a colour or configuration reference.
Historical monochrome photograph of Pennsylvania Railroad No. 3750. The view shows its Pacific proportions and large headlight but does not establish paint colour. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Arthur Dubin · Public domain · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
No. 3750 on static display in a weathered black finish with dark running gear and a small red front number disc. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Front view of No. 3750 in weathered dark grey-black with a red keystone number plate. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
No. 3750 in heavily weathered static-display condition, with grey-black surfaces, rust staining and faded running gear. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Mac Tíre Liath · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Close front three-quarter view of No. 3750 showing a dark smokebox and the red-and-gold keystone number plate. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
O484 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 green-black and cool grey. 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.
US National Park Service: Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania inventoryDid you know?
No. 3750 was once displayed under the identity of the scrapped prototype K4s No. 1737 before its own number was restored.
Make the details count.
Use a small tonal shift to show the firebox shoulders.
Keep the pale rods separate from the dark wheels.