How much can we justify spending?

[Charlie B]

I agree with you Don, as for "right" shades, there really are none. I have seen Conrail locomotives in almost every shade of blue from dark blue, (almost Navy) to a light almost pale sky blue, and that is on new painted units. given a year of weathering it was all over the spectrum. Yellows and reds are even worse, so you really don't need to worry about shades because all shades are different. A color of paint is affected by the air pressure used to spray it, the amount of thinner used to thin it, and even the temperature. I learned that years ago when I was in the auto body business. Some paints were so hard to match (for a single panel) that we had to blend it by painting portions of adjacent panels so the difference was so gradual the eye couldn't pick it up.
I admire anyone in this hobby and I don't care what they do as long as they enjoy it.
Charlie