Wonder what things would look like today if that happened?
BN + SPSF?
SPSF + CNW?
UP + SPSF?
Commissar_Elmothe way they spaced it on the ATSF units allowed for it, the S already on the unit would become the S for SP. so baasiccally one one side was a S on the other was the F but the left enough room between the letters for a PS to be added in between. at least thats what i think
Maybe on some, but judging by my recollections, most of them are like this unit I just randomly picked in the link that DSchmitt posted.
No way a P and a S were going to fit in that gap with the same size letters.
Edit: Going through most all of those pictures, there are definitely a few that looked ready-made for the PS to be added. The vast majority though clearly weren't. And even a few of the exceptions, I'm skeptical about like this F45.
Is it spaced that way for the easy addition of two more letters? I suspect not and that the wide gap was due simply to the door obstruction in the middle of the nose rather than advance planning for converting it to SPSF.
While we presumably will never know for sure, I suspect had merger approval happened that we'd of seen the nose band be repainted on this unit rather than tacking in two extra letters that overlap the door. I bet it would've been amended by applying a centered SP on one flank to the left of the nose door to replace the lone S and a centered SF on the right side, with the gap left as-is in the door area.
Then again I could be wrong. :)
you know how BNSF uses predacessor roads reporting marks for unneeded units? i bet what was going to happen was that the nose would stay the same as to not have conflicting locomotive numbers, and to have more units in the fleet
the way they spaced it on the ATSF units allowed for it, the S already on the unit would become the S for SP. so baasiccally one one side was a S on the other was the F but the left enough room between the letters for a PS to be added in between. at least thats what i think
Leo_AmesI only ever saw them centered on the nose, with the S on one side and the F or P as appropriate on the other side.
Overmod Leo_Ames Always wondered why the nose initials weren't arranged for easy amending like the initials on the long hoods were. Funny... I remembered at the time thinking most of them were, with either "SF" on the left or "SP" on the right as appropriate. Wouldn't be the first time memory fails to persist correctly... ... like how, in the world I remember, that awful song was a Paul Simon solo effort, not "Simon and Garfunkel" at all.
Leo_Ames Always wondered why the nose initials weren't arranged for easy amending like the initials on the long hoods were.
Funny... I remembered at the time thinking most of them were, with either "SF" on the left or "SP" on the right as appropriate.
Wouldn't be the first time memory fails to persist correctly...
... like how, in the world I remember, that awful song was a Paul Simon solo effort, not "Simon and Garfunkel" at all.
I only ever saw them centered on the nose, with the S on one side and the F or P as appropriate on the other side. Never saw one with a nose that looked ready-made for the easy addition of two extra letters, although it seems as if it would've been easy enough to do on at least the Santa Fe repaints.
I suppose it probably was viewed as too unattractive to leave the nose initials uncentered on the SP units or leave a big gap on the Santa Fe repaints, even if just temporary. Perhaps some more involved nose touchups after the hoped for merger approval was viewed as a reasonable downside in getting a head start on repainting and renumberings?
Part of me though has wondered if they were just planning to simply leave the nose untouched on the pre-merger repaints. While I don't know the story behind it, I remember quite a few BNSF Warbonnets for instance with BNSF on the long hoods but Santa Fe spelled out on the nose (And plenty more with BNSF initials on the nose).
I am always reminded of a wag that said that "SPSF" meant "Should'nt Paint So Fast".
Ed Burns
Leo_AmesAlways wondered why the nose initials weren't arranged for easy amending like the initials on the long hoods were.
Always wondered why the nose initials weren't arranged for easy amending like the initials on the long hoods were. Don't think I ever saw one where it looked like there was room to add the extra letters to the nose.
rdamonSince this thread got this song stuck in my head. I thought I would share.
Along with some bars of Chuck Berry cover.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Since this thread got this song stuck in my head. I thought I would share.
This site links to lists for both SP and SF
http://www.pwrr.org/kodachrome.html
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
how many Kodachrome units did Santa Fe paint? and what units were they?
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