"As a side note, does anyone

   I don't know but the SP used the same light green for their caboose interiors( at least the ones I rode in back in the 50's)..... DaveB

Suede Gray

EMD used a Dulux color called "Suede Gray" on many of their locomotives.  I have seen Tamiya Cockpit Green suggested as a close match.

Jade Green or Suede Gray

The following search will yield many discussions on this over the past 15 years.

https://www.google.com/search?q=locomotive+cab+interior+color

As for "why," to me, the logical answer is that it is visually neutral. It is not too white, which could cause problems with glare from the outside (during daytime) or reflectance against the windscreen (at night) and get dirty fast, and also not too dark, which would require a lot of interior light and make things hard to see. The result is a choice in which glare from sun or other outside light sources is minimized and gauges, controls or other objects should stand out against the neutral background.

There are Several Colors

There have actually been quite a few colors used in cab interiors.  I've seen a light green and a darker green.  Same for gray, light and dark.  I've also seen several locos with a light tan interior.  And yes, I've seen a white interior (though as you might imagine, it looked terrible with the filth).

Cab colors

There are a variety of colors, most fall into a grey, a pale green and tan.  Different colors have been used at different times, and different manufacturers provide different colors or shades of color.

A group restoring an old RDG caboose, found about a dozen layers of paint in a variety of greens, greys and blues on the interior of the caboose.

Almost all EMDs are going to

Almost all EMDs are going to be Suede Gray though. Faded or grimy might change that and of course they may get repainted during an overhaul, but Suede gray was likely original color.

In modern locos, the desktops in desktop control locos tend to be a tan/brown color.

Oddly enough

Oddly enough I use Vallejo Goblin Green for the insides of my steam locomotive cabs.

Green Or Grey

I recall during the Penn Central era that PRR Geeps had a grey interior and NYC Geeps had a green interior.

Soo Line used a color called postal green for the interior of their steel wide vision cabooses which was a very pale green.

Many roads appear to have used green as the interior color on their steam locomotives.

Robert

it changed over the years

Thank you

Thank you, guys, for providing may intersting answers.
I have earlier seen this photo of ATSF RS2 #2099, the only Santa Fe owned of this type. The cab door is open and looks like it is a dark green.

The Tamya XF71 seems apropriate,
or maybe the Vallejo 70.891 Intermediate Green could be used?



 

Experience

I worked on a short line with first generation power for a couple of years. We had an old C&O GP9 with original medium green shade of paint. Very dirty and worn. A B&O GP9 with light green interior. Three rebuilt GP9's of N&W heritage all a neutral gray color and two rebuilt SD9's and an SD18 of B&LE and DM&IR heritage also with a neutral tan color. If I remember correctly, the old B&O and C&O geeks were also light green inside the long hood and on and around the prime mover and other mechanical equipment "under the hood". Of course 50 years of grime, soot, oil and rust covered most of it, but it was visible.

Cab Colors

If you go to railpictures.net, and sort for the category of in cab photos, you'll find some examples.

Here is one from a steam

Here is one from a steam loco. It is on display at the B&O museum in Baltimore. The locomotive is a 2-6-6-6.

These locomotives were made during and just after the second world war. It makes me wonder if some of the color choices were because the railroads already had paint in that green color. I suspect that at some time a major manufacturer of locomotives starting using this color and the same color began being requested by railroads so they could do repainting as needed and not need lots of different paint colors. I took the photo while on a visit and it is really amazing as to the size of these things. Knowing the dimensions does not really convey the same feeling as being there.

Institutional Green.

The rest of the folks have the colour right, but my old flatmate used to call it "Institutional green" and had painted his room, and most of the house that colour. He called it that, because it's the same shade of green that used to be used in asylums, and nut houses, as it supposedly had a calming effect on the human psyche... his claim, is that shade of green prevents a person from being quite as homicidal as they probably should be in any situation.

As for why so many railroads used it? Well... I'm sure they have their reasons, and speculation is always fun, especially if one has just enough information to make the guess work entertaining!

SP cab color

Institutional Green

Is that why the interior of all my submarines were painter Sea Foam Green?

Howard Garner

A note of a different color

Why were the top of steam engine cab roofs painted dark red?

Light Gray