Railroad Oscars

[Penny Trains]

Well that got a reaction I didn't anticipate.  Let's try this again.

Best merger:  How about UP-SP for the unification of both original transcontinental lines?  (Not to mention UP's acquisition of it's rival.)

Worst merger:  Can we even count Penn Central?  Didn't everybody expect it to fail before it even got going?

Best paint scheme: diesel: Union Pacific yellow, red, gray

Best paint scheme: steam: Every road that used basic black! 

Best paint scheme: electric: New Haven MacGinnis (sp?)

Worst paint scheme: diesel: When Ann Arbor had giant letters on their Geeps.

Worst paint scheme: steam: Norfolk and Western in the years where they left the tender flanks bare and had just a small road name on the cab.

Worst paint scheme: electric: I really can't think of one.

[Overmod]

Where is the advocacy for the Southern Ps-4 for 'best paint scheme, steam' (if only to quieten DPM's shade as it clamors for attention)?

And while we are on the subject of green, tarted-up ancient Pacifics, I'd have to suggest this as the 'worst paint scheme' ... Otto Kuhler related a story about one of the Lackawanna people proudly showing one of these N-class things; he pretended to look up carefully under the valance, and when asked what he was doing, said "I'm looking for the mechanism that makes the wings flap"

Only one was green, apparently sneaked in and painted for a fantrip of some kind.  They weren't quite as silly in the 'standard' black trim ... but then you'd have to look over at the 4-4-0 that got this beauty treatment, and that was perhaps the only thing wackier than those Milwaukee streamlined 4-6-0s...

 

WHICH of the Herbert Matter color schemes were you referring to? (if I recall they were intentionally subtlely different).  Be advised that the "McGinnis" refers to Lucille, not that crook Patrick...

People don't know enough about Matter the designer; here's his official site.

 

Meanwhile -- are these the Geeps you found so awful?

I rather like that style, in the same way I like the Chessie System scheme with the broken cat dish. 

I do think we have to rule out a couple of 'worst diesel schemes', for example, anything by Cesar Vergara or designed by kids like that Bicentennial scheme I shall leave otherwise unmentioned.  But...

I submit that few are quite as just plain execrably bad as...

[Miningman]

Fabulous pics Overmod. 

As for Penny's basic black preference for all steam I respectfully disagree. 

NYC streamlined Hudsons for the century in grey were outstanding. If you ever witnessed a GTW or CN U4a and U4b Northerns in their green streamlining, at speed or at rest, it is not a forgotten sight. Ditto for CN Hudsons, B&O Cincinnatian and Presidential Pacifics in blue, Canadian Pacific grey boilers and maroon running boards on lots of locomotives, and of course the Southern Ps-4 and SP Daylights and the Hiawatha's. 

More silly stuff was Via Rail doing their F40ph in Home Hardware, Telus Mobilty, Kool Aid, Quebec Lotto and Budweiser. Fortunately these units never ran state side so you were spared. 

[Overmod]

Miningman

More silly stuff was Via Rail doing their F40ph in Home Hardware, Telus Mobility, Kool Aid ...

My word.  I stand thoroughly corrected.  Either with sharp vision or blurred, it's difficult not to give the booby prize to this (in 3D rotation for your better appreciation of the design elements)

 

Of course, this was only the first of the VIA schemes I looked at, so further agenbite might be forthcoming.  You forgot Spider-Man 2, and the not one but two different Coors engines (which are really not 'awful' so much as resembling upsized versions of cheap promo HO models...)  The Budweiser scheme actually has potential if it were to be done with some actual artistic talent.

The only bona fide weird one was Loto-Quebec, which struck me as how the Music City Express power would look if the zombie apocalypse came.  Is it known what the point of that 'weathering' treatment was supposed to be?  And I liked the trope better when it was a goose and not a chicken.

 

 

[Miningman]

[Miningman]

Was trying to post picture of the VIA Rail Spider-Man and Diet Pepsi...horrifying really. 

[Overmod]

Miningman

Was trying to post picture of the VIA Rail Spider-Man and Diet Pepsi...

Diet Pepsi was no worse than most of the 'principally white' Bicentennial schemes.  I didn't care for it principally because it looks like one of those cheap toy trains with one-piece shell decorated with stickers instead of decals.

I thought the Spider-Man 2 engines were actually kinda snazzy -- not intended to win elegant beauty contests, but they got the purpose across without decreasing the sense of the engine as a locomotive.

 

[Miningman]

Thanks for the assist Overmod. I rode behind a Spider-Man into Saskatoon from Winnipeg in July 2009 on the Canadian. I'm on the road now..stopped in at a Timmies for supplies ( coffee and doughnuts), took a break and checked in real quick. Will let you all know if I encounter anything unusual or interesting. 

[Penny Trains]

Overmod

Meanwhile -- are these the Geeps you found so awful?

Nope.  Those are beauties.  It's this scheme that I find a tad uninspired: http://www.railpictures.net/photo/481326/

[Miningman]

That paint scheme looks great in N scale! I get your point in real life though.