At the California Pen Show, Dromgoole’s unveiled a new ink line: Switchman Pen Co. This is a line of ink exclusive to Dromgoole’s and it’s actually created by an employee from the shop. The brand was inspired by the creator’s grandfather who was a railroad man. Each ink color name is inspired with the history of the railroad in the United States. The inks are packaged in 35ml glass bottles that are packed in simple white boxes . Each bottle has a retro label with a vintage image, the name of the ink and a color name. And of course, all inks are made in the USA.
Eash bottle has a color coded sticker that helps if you store the bottles in a drawer (which I recommend if you don’t keep the inks in their boxes as water soluble inks can fade in sunlight, even in the bottle).
Let’s look at the colors!
The Switchman Pen Co. ink collection features 11 colors in the initial release and the range of colors is wide and coherent. Switchman chose not to launch with a Crayola-style range of stock colors and I am glad. The color collection features all shading and somewhat multichromatic.
I tested the inks on Col-o-ring paper, Cosmo Air Light, Dominant Industry Ink Archiving Book and even in the back of my planner (Tomoe River which is the same paper Dromgoole’s uses for their ink samples). The colors appeared a little lighter on the Dominant Industry paper. And of course, Tomoe River gives the greatest range of color, sheen and shading.
Ink Comparisons:
I’m always surprised that no matter how many ink samples I collect, new colors come in and they are distinctly different than the 1000s I already have. How is that even possible?!?!
The Legendary Orient is a purply brown color that was a challenge to find a comparison. It’s neither a brown nor a purple. The closest I could find were nowhere near the same color.
Vatican on Wheels is my favorite ink name in the set and definitely feels like a tomato red. Vinta Damili Terracotta is a little less saturated and probably the closest. Penlux Mo Tangerine is more red and more saturated. Other colors like Fire on Fire were nowhere similar to Vatican on Wheels.
Old Shmbashi Blossoms is a very bright pinky-red color. The undertone does remind me of those almost shimmery qualities that some flower petals get. It’s quite vivid and oddly unique. The closest comparison I could find was probably Colorverse 49 Félicette. Both Diamine Ho Ho Ho and Ferris Wheel Press Algonquin Maple are similarly bright but more red than pinky.
One of the most popular Switchman inks at the California Pen Show was Grand Trunk Newsboy which is a slightly multichromatic light brown. While Seguin’s Dream is a warmer, orange-y brown, Grand Trunk Newsboy has a more reddish hue. TRying to find a similar ink in my stash was a challenge and the closest I could find was Pen BBS #401 Afternoon Ink though it is a lighter color overall. While few have probably seen the other ink swatch I found for comparison Bookpens #25g is a bit more golden brown. I really had to dig for similar swatches.
Switchman Seguin’s Dream is a warm light brown. The closest color I found was Dominant Industry Unknown Land. The other colors shown above lean a little too red or too orange.
Switchman Talyllyn Honey most closely matches Colorverse Ornament Yellow, I did want to compare it to another “honey” ink and Talyllyn is closest is Robert Oster Honey Bee though Honey Bee is a little darker. J. Herbin Ambre de Brimaine is a little darker. If you like golden inks, this is a good option as it feels like a yellowy gold without being too dark or too light.
One of my favorite colors in the Switchman collection is The Silver Zephyr which is a purply grey. I thought Diamine Earl Grey or Lady Grey would be similar. Earl Grey is darker and Silver Zephyr has more multichromatic effects. Robert Oster Viola has some of the same mutlichrome qualities but is more reddish purple.
There are two shades of green in the collection. The Great Siberian Pines is a slightly pine-y green but it is not super dark. The closest I could find was Robert Oster Avocado which is a little more yellowy. Robert Oster Kelp Forest is more multichromatic so it feels quite different. Gateway of Liberty is a lighter green. It is a bit light for finer linework, IMHO and reminds me a bit of Dominant Industry Seaweed which is a little bit darker.
The last two inks: The Big Iron and Candied Valley are the bluest colors in the collection. The Big Iron is sort of a blue-black but with a greyish tone. Once again, I only had a couple similar inks, one was a shimmer — Vinta Marbles 1946 Holen. The other was Colorverse 75t Rocket Engine but its a little darker. Candied Valley is a light sky blue and the only other color in my stash that was similar is J. Herbin Bleu Azur though its a little more saturated.
My Final Thoughts
I love that there are folks making new inks. The packaging, concept and overall aesthetic of the Switchman Pen Co. inks is excellent. I love the these inks are being made in the US and by a true pen fan.
I love the historical aspect as well. As a fan of the retro vibe, can I request Harvey Girls as the next ink color?
