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Black freight cars Is this a no-no??

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  • Member since
    December 2006
  • From: Piedmont, VA USA
  • 706 posts
Posted by shawnee on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:49 AM

Just a note from a Southern fan,....but why would you want to paint it black when the Southern had that wonderful green and yellow paint scheme?  One of the best paint schemes ever. 

Norfolk Southern has recently been touting it's environmental benefits...with trains being more environmentally friendly than pure truck transport and all...calling it their "green" campaign. I was hoping that they may have the spark of imagination to really bring that point home, and revive Southern green on some engines, y'know, heritage units.  Think of the Thoroughbred in Southern Green!  "Norfolk Southern gives the green light to environmental protection" Hmmm...

Shawnee
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Posted by SOU Fan on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 12:48 PM
 shawnee wrote:

Just a note from a Southern fan,....but why would you want to paint it black when the Southern had that wonderful green and yellow paint scheme?  One of the best paint schemes ever. 

Norfolk Southern has recently been touting it's environmental benefits...with trains being more environmentally friendly than pure truck transport and all...calling it their "green" campaign. I was hoping that they may have the spark of imagination to really bring that point home, and revive Southern green on some engines, y'know, heritage units.  Think of the Thoroughbred in Southern Green!  "Norfolk Southern gives the green light to environmental protection" Hmmm...

Not sure what scheme you are talking about.  Could you post a link of post a picture.  All the SOU freight cars that I have seen are red.

Thanks, 

Smoke

  • Member since
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  • From: Piedmont, VA USA
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Posted by shawnee on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 1:37 PM

The green and yellow is the Southern green and yellow, as in the logo and many engines. He's talking about painting his freight cars a specific color, different than SOU red of the past, because he's freelancing the Southern in this day and age...(if i'm understanding the post correctly).  Hence, why not paint them SOU green? 

I see old Southern cars all the time...ones in aggregate service, esp, near where I live, and a few boxcars...they're kinda beat up, but they're all that oxide (or is it Tuscan?) red, or they're white-grey. 

Shawnee
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Alabama
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Posted by cjcrescent on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 3:13 PM
 shawnee wrote:
...

I see old Southern cars all the time...ones in aggregate service, esp, near where I live, and a few boxcars...they're kinda beat up, but they're all that oxide (or is it Tuscan?) red, or they're white-grey. 

Shawnee;

That color, which is neither tuscan red nor oxide red, is called Southern freight car red. Its a lighter shade of "red". In their regular line of paint, Floquil has a color labeled that. I use it to paint my SRR cars.

Carey

Keep it between the Rails

Alabama Central Homepage

Nara member #128

NMRA &SER Life member

  • Member since
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  • From: Piedmont, VA USA
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Posted by shawnee on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 3:59 PM

Carey, there you go, that green and yellow logo, the best..."Southern Serves the South".  Gotta love it. Big Smile [:D]

Luckily, N&W is my second favorite RR, and thus the present day Norfolk Southern rules.  See how easy that choice was for me?  Wink [;)] 

Shawnee
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Carmichael, CA
  • 8,055 posts
Posted by twhite on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 7:05 PM

Nah.  Rio Grande was famous for painting almost every standard-gauge freight car they owned black--except for their box-cars and their small fleet of reefers.  Gondolas, hoppers, flats--all black.  Western Pacific gondolas and hoppers--black.  SP "Overnight" boxcars--black--at least the early ones, also a lot of their cattle cars.  C&O Boxcars and gons and hoppers--black.  Hey, the soot didn't show as bad, LOL! 

Go for it. 

Tom Big Smile [:D] 

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 1, 2007 4:44 PM
  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: Doylestown PA
  • 61 posts
Posted by johnnyx on Thursday, November 1, 2007 6:32 PM
 Dave Vollmer wrote:

The Lehigh & New England RR didn't think so!

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh the LNE......  I have done alot of research on this RR. 

 A fan of PRR, LNE, CNJ, LH&R, NYS&W, LV, PC, CR, and the DL&W
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: Omaha, NE
  • 425 posts
Posted by GTX765 on Friday, November 2, 2007 4:37 AM
I have a some N & W box cars in black. I think they look great. I have the same southern box car as you and think it would be cool to have it black.
  • Member since
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 3, 2007 12:23 PM

Actually toward the final days of Conrail a few of their gondolas were painted black and alot of their old Pennsy, Erie Lackawanna, and Penn Central hoppers remained black some still sporting their old reporting marks. CSX and Norfolk Southern have also been painting their gons and hoppers black for years. A lot of tank cars are usually painted black too.

  

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