Top of the day to all.
On rail pictures, I am seeing several different BNSF paint schemes. Is there a story behind it, and does anyone know why?
Have a good day.
Lee
Are you talking about different paint schemes (i.e. changes in striping etc.) or actual color differences?? BNSF's "Heritage I" scheme was green and orange (roughly matching the old Great Northern Pullman green and Omaha orange" with a round BNSF logo up front. That was replaced by "Heritage II" with a herald similar to a stretched out ATSF herald but otherwise pretty similar. In recent years the green was changed to black - about the same time BNSF "swoosh" came in.
I don't have exact years at hand, but Heritage I would go back to right after the merger in 1993, with Heritage II around 2000 and the "swoosh" maybe 2005 or so.
H1 - Omaha Orange/NP Dark Green with the logo.
H2 - same colors - additional striping and the cigar band logo on the nose. The orange band is wider.
H3 - the Green was replaced with Black, and the 'Nike' style BNSF replace the old BNSF on the sides
Originally silver trucks on Safety Cab units, and green or black trucks on standard Sparten Cab units.
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Hey guys
I was looking at current photos that had orange &green, orange & black, red & silver all with different nose art and I thought there was also one green and white. Anyway thanks.
Lee,
Just after the BNSF merger, new locomotive deliveries can with either the old Santa Fe Red/Silver 'War Bonnet' paint scheme with BNSF lettering on the side(SD75M's are a good example) or BN Grinstein Green/Cream SD70MAC's with BNSF lettering. IIRC, some existing units were sort of high class 'patched' with the BNSF lettering as well. Eventually, the Orange/Green H1 scheme was applied to a new delivery of C44-9 engines. There was an interim green/cream War Bonnet scheme applied to at least one engine(Vommit Bonnet) as well.
Later mass renumbering/patching of conflicting engine numbers was done to both ex-AT&SF and BN locomotives. All in all, quite a riot of color schemes in locomotive consists.
Jim
As mentioned, you have several "proper" BNSF paint schemes. New road power comes in the "H3" scheme. It takes a long time to cycle the thousands of locomotives through a paint shop, especially in a down economy. Plus, some units will never get full BNSF paint, they will work out their last years in a patched paint job, then be retired on new units, or rebuilt for further service, at which time they will get the current paint job. On road power there are still a few ATSF "Warbonnet" units running around, although many are getting quite shabby, plus therer are a lot of BNSF "dinner train" (green/cream)SD70MACs in service. In Nebraska most road power is in some BNSF paint scheme, but local units still show the older schemes from ATSF blue and yellow to BN green/black. Those carry a patch with their BNSF number. There are a few (at least two) leased GP38s with the BNSF "swoosh" in white on an EMD blue unit. So, the bulk of BNSF locomotives are in some version of the "pumpkin" paint scheme, but things are far from universal.
Binder
That was my point / question. It's plum confusion.
Have fun
I still see red and silver ex-ATSF "warbonnet" engines and cream and green ex-BN engines once in a while...sometimes even an old green and black BN engine. But as noted BNSF proper has only had the three variations of the orange scheme. The others are pre-merger engines or leased units (or ex-leased units). It's not unusual, after the BN merger engines in GN green and orange, big sky blue, CB&Q red, NP black and silver or two-tone green were around for several years, all with "BN" and the new road number painted on what was otherwise the original paint scheme.
jrbernier H1 - Omaha Orange/NP Dark Green with the logo.
I've heard the orange and green was based on Great Northern's "Omaha Orange" and "Pullman Green" paint scheme initiated c.1941 for diesels (though oddly enough, not put on passenger cars until 1947). In any case, green and blue fade easily so BNSF replaced whatever green it was with black.
What color are the walkways, orange, black or green?
response deleted
Ed