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Experimental/fictional paint schemes

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Experimental/fictional paint schemes
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 14, 2008 6:38 PM

I saw a picture of a BNSF SD60M in an experimental paint scheme and wondered if there are/were other units in experimental schemes. Please share pictures if you have them. Also if you have designed a scheme.

I will go first. I designed this scheme when I heard about the proposed CN/BNSF merger. To see the whole picture you will have to open it in paint or a similar program.

http://clcotrains.embarqspace.com/NARSES44AC

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Posted by doctorwayne on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:07 AM

Does the CLCo have any affiliation with the CLC (Canadian Locomotive Company)?  Wink [;)] They were the Canadian licensee for Fairbanks-Morse, and built C-Liners and other FMs for both the CNR and CPR, and quite a few nice-looking steamers before that. Smile,Wink, & Grin [swg]

Wayne

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Posted by wjstix on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 9:08 AM

IIRC when Great Northern was planning out the "Big Sky Blue" scheme, they painted a couple of passenger cars with one version of it on one side and a different version on the other side, so their management could look at both and decide what looked best. I think a few entire cars got painted into each variation too.

It's not that unusual for a railroad to paint one engine in a 'one off' paintscheme to see how it looks, esp. in the 50's-60's as railroads were looking to develop paint schemes that were simpler and easier to maintain than the often complicated schemes devised by EMD and other builders. I might be remembering this wrong, but I think the Chicago & NorthWestern took a GP or some other diesel and did a "dip job" on it, making it all dark green around 1960 or so. They ended up not liking it, and instead went to a simplified version of their yellow and green paintscheme.

 

 

Stix
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Posted by nbrodar on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 2:33 PM

The D&H had several one-off schemes (although after Conveance Day it seems like every locomotive was a one off.)

RS11 #5001 blue dip with yellow nose:
http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/images/diesel/dhl5001.jpg

RS11 #5002 Blue dip with script lettering:
http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/images/diesel/dhl5002.jpg

RS3 #4098 in all red after being returned by VTR:
http://gelwood.railfan.net/dh/dh4098d.jpg

RS36 #5015 in a butt ugly blue and yellow scheme:
http://www.bridge-line.org/blhs/images/diesel/dhl5015.jpg

Nick

Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/

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Posted by ndbprr on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 3:55 PM
The EMD art department often created potential schemes for railroads to consider.  I don't know how long they did that but it was fairly common for the first generation diesels.
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Posted by AltonFan on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 5:46 PM
I seem to remember seeing pictures of GN, NP, and CB&Q units in various experimental paint schemes on the eve of the BN merger in the late 1960s.  I want to say these were in a publication called "Burlington Northern Motive Power Annual 1973".

Dan

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Posted by balearic on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 9:11 PM

I remember an article in the old "Bull Session" column in MR back in 1978 or so, where this topic was discussed.  There were a couple black & white photos of some experimantal schemes, like a C&O F-unit that was described as "the south end of a northbound zebra." 

As for that "butt-ugly" D&H scheme that was posted earlier, it's more still attractive than Armour Yellow.  Shock [:O] Whistling [:-^]

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 10:16 AM

In the early 1960's, IHB had several switchers painted in jade green with red lightning stripes and heralds and white trim and lettering.

ICG had several locomotives in solid orange with black lettering but the orange paint faded quickly.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by ndbprr on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 4:04 PM
Speaking of the IC I have a friend who just retired from the IC and about ten years ago they ordered some Chinese coffee mugs.  When they came the logo colors were reversed and the president had them all destroyed," Because nobody will ever say the IC has a black I".  Knowing my interest he saved me one of them.  It might well be the only one. 
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Posted by West Coast S on Saturday, January 19, 2008 7:32 PM

Add the SP Halloween scheme to the list, done at a time when the SP desired to eliminate the Black Widow and Daylight schemes, but the stores departments had too much Daylight orange on hand, hence a black carbody with orange ends, the only E nine owned (9051) was a precurser to the future, it featured orange wings in the now familar scarlet pattern on a black carbody, in all, 9051 wore no less the five expermimental paint schemes between 1957 and 1960!!

Dave

SP the way it was in S scale

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