Trains.com

What is your favorite paint scheme from the 50's.

6701 views
70 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 4:22 PM
I stand corrected. Still, I kinda like the "garish" old New Haven paint scheme...[8D]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 1, 2005 12:22 AM
SP Daylight Orange! Also the Santa Fe War Bonnet!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 1, 2005 11:20 AM
The Frisco E-units. Especially in the earlier days when they were red with gold, and white pinstrips around the gold.

ATSF Warbonnet

CRIP Passenger

MV, KO&G, OCAA, black and orange (nearly red).

Too many others to name.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 8, 2005 1:00 PM
Santa Fe Warbonnet
  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Probably at sea, but wish I was in a roundhouse!
  • 110 posts
Posted by jlampke on Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:17 AM
SP Daylight painted GS locomotive and all matching heavy passenger train. The sight of a gleaming Daylight train passing through the evergreen covered mountains of Northern CA and Oregon just can't be beat.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 6:28 AM
Baltimore & Ohio (early Capitol Limited)

Rock Island (early Rocket)

Santa Fe (War Bonnet)
  • Member since
    January 2002
  • 370 posts
Posted by artpeterson on Monday, September 12, 2005 12:35 PM
I'll cast another vote for ACL purple and silver.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 5:58 PM
Since you didn't specify motive power or cars, here goes

Motive Power: ATSF Warbonnet and the 1936 City of Denver ... I love the grill front and the elevated (microdome) cab.

Cars: Straight stainless steel (Santa Fe, Southern, Seaboard, Burlington) is great. For painted surfaces, I'd go with the SP daylight scheme, the NYC two-tone gray, and the UP Armour yellow, gray, and red. I've never understood IC's decision to go with the chocolate and orange combination rather than using the original red, orange, and green color scheme of the City of Miami.

Interiors: The twin-unit diners for the Century and the Commodore with the serpentine seating and Atlantic Shore and Lake Shore, the club lounge cars for the 1948 century (although I've never seen color photos of either of them). I've never seen good enough photos or floorplans for the Pleasure Dome Turquoise Room lounge cars for the Super Chief to be able to judge them.

Going back a bit, I would also recommend the streamlined Hudson's for the Century (Henry Dreyfuss 1938), my favorite streamlined steam by far. And for paint schemes, the Century of 1938 (the very first version with the thicker aluminum stripes in the window band; also Henry Dreyfuss) and the Pennsylvania fleet of modernism designed by Raymond Loewy in 1938 with the "racetrack oval" window bands and lots of gold finelining against two shades of Tuscan red. One of my regrets is that I've never seen a really good color photo of that design.

I also regret never seeing color photos of the lounges and dining car of the 1938 Broadway or even a floorplan of the dining car. From the descriptions I've read they appear to have been quite colorful and far more sophisticated than what Loewy designed for the 1949 Broadway.
  • Member since
    July 2005
  • From: In the New York Soviet Socialist Republic!
  • 1,391 posts
Posted by PBenham on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 6:38 PM
10: Rutland Green w/ delux stripes, lettering,and numbers 9: DL&W Freight, Maroon,grey and yellow, nice but..8: NYC lightning stripes* 7: Nickel Plate Bluebird 6: DL&W Passenger same colors as the freight, but wider single maroon mid section. William White upgraded EL's look with a variation of this scheme. 5: Boston & Maine Maroon, with GM styling cream(?) striping. 4: PRR 5 stripe Tuscan,# made ordinary E8s special. 3. New Haven's last green scheme (late PAs,FA/B) 2. NYO&W grey with white stripe, maroon herald and orange nose bib.(reused by QNS&L,by the way) 1. Lehigh Valley Cornell Red with the black GM styling group three stripes. Note *The freight Black which weathered better than the Pacemaker Grey, which is OK. Not in the same class with the black,though.that's no.12. note# PRR Brunswick Green? no.11,with 5 stripes
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 19, 2005 12:13 AM
Gotta agree with a lot of folks...the ATSF Warbonnet was Super Chief special!

I am stuck on the Southern's green, white, and gold.

Erik
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Eastern Ohio
  • 615 posts
Posted by cnw4001 on Monday, September 19, 2005 2:12 PM
CNW Yellow/Green passenger cars and engines.
C&O Blue/Yellow

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Mile 7.5 Laggan Sub., Great White North
  • 4,201 posts
Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 1:02 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Hugh Jampton

Can't beat grey & maroon in my books. Looks good on both steamers and diesels.

Like on CP? 'Cause that has my vote.
Second is Warbonnet.
Trainboy

Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296

Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/

SUBSCRIBER & MEMBER LOGIN

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

FREE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter