Great Northern E-7A paint scheme.....

[Anonymous]

Most GN diesels have the "standard" paint job, with green on
top and bottom, and orange in the middle. I have seen photos
of the early GN diesels (E-7A's) and they have a mostly orange
front section with a green stripe at the bottom, and then about
one third back down the engine (E-7A), the paint scheme goes
to the conventional GN green-orange-green.

I guess I have made this about as clear as mud, but I hope you
get the drift of my question.... as I am thinking about basing my
HO layout on the last days of steam & the early diesel period
of the Great Northern - somewhere around 1949-1950, and I
would like to be correct on my E-7A paint schemes.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I think you're talking about the very first 'Empire Builder' paint on an E-7. The alternating green and orange began with a 'Rocky' herald on the sides. I don't think this particular paint job lasted very long and was replaced by the more common 'as delivered' scheme that had the bottom green band start on the nose with a point, widening to full width. The 'gold' stripes outlined everything. If you have access to the 'Pictorial History of the Great Northern' books, there are photos of E-7s in all paint jobs.

At some point the E-7s were again repainted into the 'standard' Empire Builder scheme with the bottom green band now sweeping into a point under the upper headlight. Some time later, many, if not all got the 'simplified' scheme.

Think they changed the 'look' of these locos enough? I'd say for '49 or '50 you'd be safe with the common 'as delivered'. You can buy in virtually any E7 by any manufacturer already painted like that.

I bought a P2K undecorated E7 that I plan to paint in the 'simplified' scheme. The orange should be ready for masking, I painted it Winter 2002! Maybe I'll get the green painted THIS year!

[MudHen_462]

Thanks for the info, DCMANIA.... I have ordered a Broadway Limited e-7A, and I am awaiting its arrival, but I think I am in for a "wait" according to BLI. The paint job on it is the early one, but with the GN herald "low on the nose". I expect to get my Broadway Intl. GN Mikado 2-8-2 in a week or so, and I think the two of them should fit that time frame (1949-1951). I will try to locate the "Pictorial History of the GN", for reference. I have the "GN Color Pictorial, Vol. 1" but the E-7's are scarce (and none with the original paint job).

Thanks again for the information. Good luck on your E-7....

Bob Hollowell
[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Bob,

On pages 48, 49 and 50 of the Great Northern Pictorial Volume 3 are some photos of the first version of the EB paint on the E7. The Rocky Herald is actually closer to the nose than we thought. There are a lot of other pictures of E7s in this volume which deals with the postwar streamliners.

There happens to be a copy of this book on ebay if you need one for reference. (no, I'm not selling one!) I hope this helps some more!

Thanks for the kind wishes on my paint project.