Jim Wrinn and his IRM host seem puzzled, on the video on the Trains website, as to the sorce of inspiration for the animal decorations of the snack-bar-grill area of these two CNS&M trains. I thought every railran knew they were directly from Animal-Crackers cookies. At one time very popular with children. Glad to see these decortions surviving and being restored.
I saw that video myself David, and never thought of the Animal Crackers connection. With the panel showing what looked like elephants ganging up on a donkey I wondered if it was supposed to be some kind of political allegory but then thought, "No, that just can't be."
An Animal Crackers whimsy would be just the thing for a food car, though.
And on at least one of my 1952 trips, you could by the cookies, and they were very popular with children.
Are they still available in the USA?
They're still made David, still in the little circus themed box and are just as popular as ever.
Unfortunately I can't say the same for Shofar Deli-Style hot dogs which the wife absolutely LOVED! They've been gone for a few years now. "Milkshake" candy bars are gone too, more's the pity.
Thanks for the "Forgotten Chicago" link wanswheel, that was interesting!
WHAT! Dr. Walker didn't like Animal Crackers? What was he, some kind of communist?
No wait a minute, in 1889 hardly anyone had heard of communism. Just a kill-joy I suppose.
And I'm assuming when he talks about "the war" he's talking about the "late unpleasantness" between the North and South.
wanswheel Nabisco Barnum’s Animals crackers http://www.snackworks.com/products/product-detail.aspx?product=4400000379 James F. Eppenstein http://forgottenchicago.com/features/good-modern-the-forgotten-work-of- part-1/
Johnny
Wanswheel that's great! Where do you come up with this stuff?
wanswheel
Me gustan las Galletitas!
Eppenstein was born to Jewish parents and apparently converted to Christianity, becoming active in a Protestant church, probably at the time he married his wife. I wonder if this had something to do with the choice of green and red, colors associated with Christmas, for the Electoliners' exterior?
daveklepperI wonder if this had something to do with the choice of green and red, colors associated with Christmas, for the Electroliners' exterior?
The Electroliner colors are probably better described as salmon (closer to orange than red to my eye) and sage, not the Santa-Claus red and evergreen green (neither of which, BTW, is a Christian symbol) of typical Yuletide holiday practice. So I think an explicit linkage here very unlikely. (Subbsequent note: I did not see this train new, and Mr. Klepper did, so don't ask me to argue. But the IRM restoration surely has accurate colors...
More likely he was trying to 'fit in' to contemporary Midwestern society more closely, not out of enthusiastic dedication to whatever Christian sect he joined (and its associated symbology). But since I didn't know him, I can't say. It would certainly be interesting to know, though.
It's not that complicated. North Shore already used those colors in various version of their paint scheme, and had St. Louis Car use similar paint.
You are corerct. Although the modernized Silverliners used shaded silver to resemble fluting and red, without any green, I do remember most of the fleet were green with red trim, some with red window bands.
But the red and green striping of the Electroliners was unlke any other passenger rail equipment, streamlined or other, that I can recall.
And to my eyes, yes, definitely red and green, a more green green than shown on the advertisement.
I have only seen pictures,and I think (aside from the problem of color dyes shifting over the years, and paint weathering) the effect of daylight on the green paint, and contrast between red and green striping with the orange pilot drawing the eye, accounts for the problems I'm having. See this RMC picture of the restoration:
To my eye, that's almost a NYC jade green 'at a glance', and the stripes are more 'Chinese red' than fire-engine red. And that effect persists even when I "know better" in a large number of the pictures of the restored Electroliner I see on the Web...
Are there good pictures taken in neutral light?
Anyway you look at it those "Electroliners" were cool-lookin' machines!
The front end reminds me of Gort the robot from the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still," that is the REAL "DTESS" with Michael Rennie as Klaatu.
I wonder if the lead end of the "Electroliner" was the inspiration for Gort?
Iam wondering if they based restoration colors on advertizements and old photos rather than on discovered paint chips under the Maeder Red Arrow Burgendy and White? I may be wrong, but the posted photos just don't square with my memoroy. The green is not that bad, but the red is too orange. Sort of McGinnis New Haven, which seemed very different to me at the time.
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