Return of the Classiest Units on the Rails

[trainboyH16-44]

 I always felt that the early diesel era schemes were the classiest, especially on cab units. NYC, Wabash, GN, CP, CN, ATSF...they caught the idea and as a heterosexual man, I am very fond of curves

[Lyon_Wonder]

BN paint on the SD60Ms has held up a lot better over the years then former ATSF widecab GE’s still in silverbonnet paint, many of which are badly faded with their red turned to pink  The most badly faded “pinkbonnets” were the C40/41-8Ws.  Of course there won’t be as many faded silverbonnets on BNSF’s roster since the 6-axle Dash8's are currently being retired and going to CN, where they’ll be repainted into CN colors.  This leaves the #100-series GP60Ms, #500 series B40-8Ws, #600 series C44-9Ws and #8200-8249 SD75M as the remaining former ATSF “Superfleet” locos.  To be fair, GP60Ms and SD75Ms still in ATSF silverbonnet colors have fared better than their GE counterparts.  Ditto for the #700-series BNSF silverbonnet C44-9Ws that haven’t been repainted into pumpkins.     

[fredswain]

One of my favorite engine colors was always BN's green and black paint scheme, specifically applied to the SD-40-2's but I have never like the white face units. To me the white face alone made them some of the ugliest units.

[Mookie]

LWales

Classy paint job.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wales23/4804825283/

 Yeah, it is in a museum, but it runs.

 Lance

[LWales]

Classy paint job.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wales23/4804825283/

 Yeah, it is in a museum, but it runs.

 Lance

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

These are classy paint jobs: 

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=831876

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=824699

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2156626

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1062594

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1739790

[mudchicken]

Ditto on subjective ... at least the current railroad does a better job of keeping that cascade green junk running. I vote for Chinese Red and vermillion/cream or either of the other merger railroad's (SF's) paint scheme.

[Mookie]

I am with Bob (Fryml) - from a purely observers point - I would like all black and a touch of red ala CBQ.  Very classy and tailored.

However for the crews, maybe black wouldn't be so great.  But with all the new materials they make things out of today, would the color really make that much difference?  It isn't like it is being worn next to your skin like a black shirt.  And with 116 heat index in western IA today - no color is going to be cool.  Even with A/C

[Andrew Falconer]

The SD60MAC Demonstrator paint scheme turned out to be the best.

 

Andrew Falconer

[LWales]

Classiest? That green and white never looked good on those low numbered SD60Ms with the three-piece windshields. The higher-numbered ones look a bit better. But I can think of a hundred locos I'd aim my camera toward before a renumbered BN SD60M (either version) would cross my mind.

 Lance

[coborn35]

I have always loved the way the white and green played together on the SD60M's.

[zugmann]

Bob-Fryml

BNSF corporate owner Berkshire-Hathaway I don't think has any "corporate colors" in the way the Ford Motor Company does (the name "Ford" in white script on a blue oval) or the C.& N.W. did (dark green and English Stagecoach Yellow).  The closest that B-H may have to corporate colors may be the direct, well-written, black-and-white messages and reports the Company sends to shareholders.

That being said, maybe BNSF needs to change its "pumpkins" color scheme to a more dignified black-and-white - like another American Class 1 carrier whose leading financial performance the other U.S.-based carriers would do well to emulate.  But instead of displaying a four-legged equine on the nose of its units, the BNSF "swoosh," with maybe a touch of either orange or yellow around the letters and the arrow, would do just fine.

BNSF locomotives decorated in black-and-white makes sense for another reason.  If any two carriers breach the Mississippi River in a true transcontinental union, current speculation suggests an alignment of Fort Worth with Norfolk.  Working towards something resembling a common paint scheme now might serve that purpose well into the future.       

 

 

I like the current BNSF swoosh paint job.  A lot better than the old heritage orange paint jobs (I was never crazy about 50,000 lines on a freight engine.)  And why would they go black and white?  Besides the problem with black engines (NS doesn't run through many deserts), those colors are used by another road.    And the customer really doesn't care if the engine is pink with purple polka dots - they just want their cars delivered and picked up in a timely, safe, and cheap manner.

 

You get on a black engine that has been baking in the 100 degree sun all day with a broken AC and see how wonderful it is...

[challenger3980]

I expected to see Uncle Pete's E9s, the three piece windshields never really appealed to me, but then reading units, I expected  diseasels, and not the 844.

Doug

[Bob-Fryml]

BNSF corporate owner Berkshire-Hathaway I don't think has any "corporate colors" in the way the Ford Motor Company does (the name "Ford" in white script on a blue oval) or the C.& N.W. did (dark green and English Stagecoach Yellow).  The closest that B-H may have to corporate colors may be the direct, well-written, black-and-white messages and reports the Company sends to shareholders.

That being said, maybe BNSF needs to change its "pumpkins" color scheme to a more dignified black-and-white - like another American Class 1 carrier whose leading financial performance the other U.S.-based carriers would do well to emulate.  But instead of displaying a four-legged equine on the nose of its units, the BNSF "swoosh," with maybe a touch of either orange or yellow around the letters and the arrow, would do just fine.

BNSF locomotives decorated in black-and-white makes sense for another reason.  If any two carriers breach the Mississippi River in a true transcontinental union, current speculation suggests an alignment of Fort Worth with Norfolk.  Working towards something resembling a common paint scheme now might serve that purpose well into the future.       

[RRKen]

tomikawaTT

Very nice photo of a typical North American wheeled diesel generator package.

"Classiest unit on the rails," is, obviously, subjective - and I'm not impressed by any box with a diesel genset in it.  IMHO, it isn't even the classiest North American diesel-electric - and NO North American diesel will ever make my top twenty classy units list.

Chuck

I see you did not take the advice of Mr. Morgan a few decades ago, and look away.

As far as classy, hands down, it was the ATSF GP60M's.      Dignified, and proper.   BN was the last road I would have thought of as "classy".  Heck, they still do not have a uniform appearance after all those years since the merger.    I am not just talking variations as in UP, but flat a mixed up message. 

[tomikawaTT]

Very nice photo of a typical North American wheeled diesel generator package.

"Classiest unit on the rails," is, obviously, subjective - and I'm not impressed by any box with a diesel genset in it.  IMHO, it isn't even the classiest North American diesel-electric - and NO North American diesel will ever make my top twenty classy units list.

Chuck

[Modelcar]

coborn35

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333876&nseq=0 I am so glad 23 of these beauties are finally back in service

What a really nice clear shot of this railroad scene.  And I too, wondered about the fuel tank dent....

[zugmann]

 It's all personal opinion.  I think the widebodies have more horizontal lines as opposed to the standard cabs.  Plus I don't like how the logo is wrapped all int he headlight. 

 

60Ms are fun engines though.  Esp. through 40mph crossovers...

[Bob-Fryml]

zugmann

 The green/white looked good on the standard cabs... but kind of goofy on the widebodies. 

Zugmann:-

Yes, I agree that the green/white looks good on low-nose hood units.  But I also kinda understand, in a very limited way, where you might think that such a paint scheme looks goofy on wide bodies.

Although I've seen quite a few Burlington Northern "Cascade Green, black and white" decorated units, BNSF 8143 sports a color scheme I cannot ever recall seeing on an SD60M.

One last comment:  it looks like the front right corner of the fuel tank took quite a pounding.  I wonder how that happened? 

[zugmann]

 The green/white looked good on the standard cabs... but kind of goofy on the widebodies. 

 

 

[carnej1]

coborn35

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333876&nseq=0

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333876&nseq=0

fixed your link(always hit "Enter" after pasting a link)

[coborn35]

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333876&nseq=0 I am so glad 23 of these beauties are finally back in service!