This one is out of left field/end zone, etc. (depending on your sport), but for those of us that freelance, a question: Have any of you out there painted any engines/cars/etc. in the colors of your team(s)? In my case, I have painted an SW7 switcher in the colors of my football team. Those colors being CSX Blue, GN Orange, and Reefer White for the Denver Broncos of course (no logo). I also have an industry that the SW7 services whose main colors are those colors.
I have seen pictures in West Lafayette of a Monon steam enginge lettered as the "Boilermaker Special" in the 1920's, to take the team to Bloomington, to play the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Monon's freight colors were black and gold, for Purdue's colors. Their passenger colors were crimson and cream, for the University of Indiana.
I have a Monon F3A&B in black and gold that I will renumber to #66 (my son's number). Monon's F's didn't go above 65 (65 was a wreck replacement); I can justify 66 as a later wreck replacement as well.
I have seen photos from the early part of the 20th century, drumheads (on open observation cars) announcing "(Fillintheblank) University Alumni Football Special." Also, contemporary baseball teams traveled by train - which is why there were no MLB teams farther west than Saint Louis. (Improved air service made the great New York - California leap of the Giants and Dodgers possible.)
These days, for any distance over a few hundred miles the alumni fly. Shorter distances are covered in rubber-wheelers.
In my modeling there's no room for team colors - my prototypes were pretty color specific, with no allowance for deviation. I can't think of a single team in any sport that plays in unadorned black uniforms, or in outfits that look like red clay mud...
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
My teams are the Raiders (black and silver) and the Athletics (green and yellow). The latter is suspiciously similar to C&NW. And I have a couple of Kato's painted for that railroad. And I have a Southern cow and calf switcher in black and silver. So I s'pose I'm set.
But I must admit it's a total accident. An acceptable one.
Ed
Well, one version of my layout for modern times would be the Carolina Upstate and I've done a couple of test paint jobs in orange and purple. There might be a university in the upstate of SC with the initials CU and orange/purple school colors.
jim
This brings to mind something my old trainmaster buddy once said. I asked him if he was a fan of professional sports and he replied, "those guys never cared about my work and I don't care about theirs."
Charlie
I can relate to Charlie's post (above)
I suppose getting trains painted for sports teams falls more into the catagory of collecting any general sports shlock/swag/memorabilia of all types - mugs, flags, clothing, you name it. It's only marginally related to the train hobby and IMO more related to a different genre - i.e. sports.
I tend to look at sports nuts probably the way many people look at train nuts, like they are an animal I can't relate to! But like anything else, some hobbies overlap a tiny fraction - only barely. While I have gone through a few minor phases in my younger days, any more it's just a distraction in the news and media that I have to page past to get to stuff thats interesting to me.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 I can relate to Charlie's post (above) I suppose getting trains painted for sports teams falls more into the catagory of collecting any general sports shlock/swag/memorabilia of all types - mugs, flags, clothing, you name it. It's only marginally related to the train hobby and IMO more related to a different genre - i.e. sports. I tend to look at sports nuts probably the way many people look at train nuts, like they are an animal I can't relate to! But like anything else, some hobbies overlap a tiny fraction - only barely. While I have gone through a few minor phases in my younger days, any more it's just a distraction in the news and media that I have to page past to get to stuff thats interesting to me.
Agreed. The last football game I watched all the way through was when the Bears won the Super Bowl. I do go with my son in law to an occasional baseball game, but for the most part I find sports boring. Now a good video about trains or model railroading, I am there!
I thought about painting some cars in the paint schemes of the local Philadelphia area teams. But I was not able to find Loser Lavender and Incompetent Indigo at the local hobby store.
You could always do the Cubs. The crew runs out of time before reaching their home terminal.
Here is a modern prototypical example. The Paducah and Louisville Railroad painted locomotives for rival basketball teams. University of Kentucky vs. Universoty of Louisville. This was when the two teams were to play agaisnt each other in the NCAA tournament in March 2014. Both engines look great !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Heartland Division CB&Q Here is a modern prototypical example. The Paducah and Louisville Railroad painted locomotives for rival basketball teams. University of Kentucky vs. Universoty of Louisville. This was when the two teams were to play agaisnt each other in the NCAA tournament in March 2014. Both engines look great !
With that, one could say the statement of "There is a prototype for most anything." applies again.
Here is a Metrolink commuter car decorated for the Angels, there is also one for the Dodgers. I think there is a guy selling models on the web. I want one of each.
In a DVD I have about Donner Pass, there is footage of an entire passenger train decorated from the San Francisco 49ers. I think it was an excursion that ran from Reno to the home games. That would be an interesting model. Maybe one day...
And, I have a photo in my computer of a CSX locomotive that the engineer and/or conductor had applied a decal and a sign on the side from when the Red Sox won the World Series, and wrote "World Champs!" on the side of the fuel tank.
So, special "sports" units are more of a Proto-lance type thing.... Not so far into left field as you thought. (Yes, baseball pun intended. )
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I thought about using the purple and gold of the MN Vikings for my St.Paul Route, but ended up going with a two-tone blue with gold striping.
BTW quite a few real railroads used the colors of the local / home state college or university team as the colors for their railroad. This became especially common when diesels came along; before that most railroads used 'generic' paint schemes (passenger cars were Pullman green, reefers were yellow, cabooses were red, etc.).
The Monon painted some engines in Purdue's black and gold, and some in the University of Indiana's red and white. The DM&IR used the maroon and gold shared by the University of Minnesota Gophers and the UMD (University of MN - Duluth) Bulldogs.
BTW, some people believe the Green Bay Packers green and yellow uniforms were based on the colors of the Chicago & NorthWestern, but from 1920 to 1952 the Packers wore dark blue jerseys, not green. Curly Lambeau based their uniforms on the uniforms of his alma mater, Notre Dame.
I lost interest in team sports many many years ago, but my railroad, the Reading, in it's post 1964 paint scheme would be a close match to the GB Packers green and yellow. These days the only sport I somewhat follow is NHRA Top fuel racing. But I don't plan on painting any locomotives after nitro funny cars.
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
That would require me to pay attention to sports beyond mine (swimming and running)... However, I have been contemplating decorating a caboose in the colors of my local high school, green and gold.
Not a team logo, but how about the Olympics or other special events.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
The Southern Pacific SD40 decorated for 1984 Los Angeles Olympics is a classic. I've seen the real one on Cajon Pass and Athearn makes a model of it.
That is a beautiful engine.
As mentioned:
CSX "Red Sox" unit... Linked to here: http://ricktrains4824.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3376865
I'm not going to say that it is THE reason, but the Nittany & Bald Eagle Railroad has blue, white, and gold locomotives maybe because of the closeness of Penn State University.
Robert H. Shilling II
I'd assume that its 100% likely that the N&BE is Penn State's colors on purpose.
Here is the far side of the Angels coach in case you were wondering who was on the other end. The more I think about it the more I want one! These are really cool.
p.s. the toy train makers like Tyco have boxcars for every NFL team but they are not prototype.
Lone Wolf and Santa Fe p.s. the toy train makers like Tyco have boxcars for every NFL team but they are not prototype.
I actually have the boxcars that Mantua produced for the Denver Broncos' two Super Bowl wins.