How far into the 1970's did the old Seaboard Air Line/Coast Line dark green with yellow striped locomotives scheme linger?
I think they began painting locos into the black and yellow striped scheme after the merger with ACL in 1967, and I think the ACL already had that scheme in place in the 1960's.
I can't find many pics of SCL locos with the green and yellow scheme in the 1970s, but I assume that they couldn't have painted them all that quickly.
- Douglas
DoughlessI can't find many pics of SCL locos with the green and yellow scheme in the 1970s,
Here's one in '74:
Three Seaboard Coast Line GP-30's in two paintschemes. by rrradioman, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
Railroading was very different in the sixties and seventies. Run-through power was in its infancy, therefore, for the most part locomotives stayed on home rails instead of roaming all over North America. This makes it easier to "capture" a unit for a trip to the paint barn.
The financial health of the railroad makes a difference as well. A marginally healthy road may not be able to afford to pull operational locomotives out of service, just for a trip to the paint barn. The number of locomotives projected to be retained, requiring painting versus the availability of faciliities is another factor. Unlike today, in the 1960s/1970s the third party paint shop was yet to come. Railroads did almost everything in-house. Locomotive re-building, wreck cleanup, in many cases, freight car rebuilding or construction. Unlike today when these large, powerful "mega" railroads have bedraggled looking locomotives in original owners paint from mergers that occurred a quarter century ago, still leading their trains.
In answer to you question from my limited point of observation, on the L&N, on the Mississippi gulf coast in 1974-1975. I saw PLENTY of SCL run-through power, between New Orleans and Mobile and, not one unit that was not SCL black. Of course it was newer power-GP40, GP40-2, U33B, U36B. Ocasionally, a GP35 or GP38-2 or U30B was thrown into the mix, but still no green. By the mid 70s, most if any green would be found on older power close to being soon off the roster, such as minority builders, cab units, switchers and GP7/GP9s. Usually after a merger, there would be a great purge of marginal power, making older paint schemes scarce.
The pics online of SEABOARD Gp7s and 9s suggest that they were repainted in the early 1970s, but its not a very good sample size.
They must have been very serious about the merger to get them all into the paint shop that quickly.
You have to figure, since they adopted the ACL's black with silver striping, except for some stick-on labels reading "Seaboard" instead of "Atlantic", half the fleet was already done. By the time SAL's non-EMD power and remaining cab units were purged, what was left would not take that long to paint. Any new power being delivered from EMD or GE, would arrive in the new scheme. Done, quick, easy, and painless.