I was going back in some old threads and I found an interesting one from 2007. So what is your F Unit paint scheme? My favorite is Northern Pacific's freight scheme.
Gotta be the ATSF "Warbonnet"!
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
The B&O blue/grey/black and gold.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL The B&O blue/grey/black and gold.
I'll second that!
Tom
Thinkin' on that question gets me, well, thinkin'.
There's at least 3 different types of F unit paint schemes.
The first and basic one is the "safe" one. I guess it's pretty much what EMD thought was flashy. It consists of 2, maybe 3 colors running down the sides. They're separated by 1-2 inch strips. The striping sorta "resolves" on the nose. Examples are the B&O mentioned above, GN, SP Daylight. ALL are very attractive. In fact, it's tough to do that ugly-ly. I think. But like I said, it's safe.
There's another type of attractive scheme. I guess it's the "daring" one. SP's Black Widow comes to mind. So does the NYC Lightning Stripes. And NP's Loewy Two Tone.
And then there's just the uglies. The uglies are usually just one color with the railroad name lettered on the side. If there's a logo, it's typically uninspired. Let's not dwell on them.
But I do find it interesting that I somehow came up with the first two groups.
Ed
While I'm partial to the NYC lightning stripe, the Sante Fe warbonnet is a classic and eye-catching design. And another vote for the B&O, as well.
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
For me it has always been the Rio Grande Zephyr single stripe Grande gold/silver scheme.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I'm going to show a bit of national pride here. My favourite F series livery is Canadian Pacific's maroon and grey, with either block or script lettering. The colours are not paticularly flashy but I like them none the less.
My second favourite is Canadian National's green and gold, although I don't own anything (yet anyhow) in CN's earlier colours.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
NYC's lightning stripes, CNR's green&gold, and also their green/gold/black, Erie's yellow on black, Wabash blue/grey/white, Santa Fe's Warbonnet, B&M's gold-on-maroon, DL&W's maroon-on-grey, and probably many more. Most of the ones I've mentioned are right out of EMD's catalogue on paint schemes.
Many of these, where applicable, looked even better on E-units and Alco cab units often improved on things even more.
Wayne
Southern Pacific Black Widow #1, a close second is the many times mentioned B&O.
My favorite and one of the most eye catching paint schemes on the EMD F units are the Wabash F7 Blue Birds!
Second for me are the New Haven FL9's
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
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Oh, boy, that's a tough one for me:
1. Gotta go with Centrail Railway of New Jersey Tangerine and Blue F-3's. Gorgeous, and rarely offered in HO (I don't understand why--Athearn has responded negatively to Facebook suggestions of a rerun).
2. Santa Fe red/silver warbonnet.
3. Rio Grande "gold" and silver single stripe scheme.
John
Well, having ridden the Empire Builder back in the '50s, GN's green and orange with the yellow stripes.
mobilman44 Gotta be the ATSF "Warbonnet"!
Alton Junction
richhotrain mobilman44 Gotta be the ATSF "Warbonnet"! Gotta be.
Gotta be.
Tink' So?......
Take Care!
Frank
My vote: .... Burlington
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Atlantic Coast Line passenger livery.
Wisconson & Southern
Great Northern
BN Executive paint scheme
Northern Pacific
I guess there are too many to name.
Garry,
Had a feeling, You were going to say that!
I've always been partial--after Santa Fepassenger Warbonnet and NYC Lightning Stripes--to the early Soo Line maroon and DuLux Gold pine tree on the nose scheme. I saw a ton of 'em on EMD's ALCO FAs and FBs, and Geeps when I was a kid first getting my feet wet in the Hobby.
Deano
I'll go one further on dotorwayne's motion for the DL&W maroon on gray and yellow and say the after-merger EL maroon on gray and yellow with the 'E' (actually EL, if you look close) in the diamond. I'll also have to say the pre-merger Erie yellow on black, with the 'ERIE' in the diamond.
I agree, Tom...
The above Stewart Erie FT A-B I purchased earlier on before settling on the NYC. I really like the contrast of the yellow against the black, as well as the herald on the nose. Ultimately, I'd like to incorporate it into a future layout, where the Erie crossed the NYC.
Being the only ones I could almost justify running on my layout, I've got to go with this one.
Or maybe this one.
My layout is set in 1975. L&N had trackage rights over this section of the N&W Clinch Valley Line. I believe only one or two of the L&N F's lasted that long. Some of the Clinchfield's (partner of L&N) ran a little longer. Close enough if you like F's (and I do).
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Santa Fe warbonnets in all of their iterations; red bonnets; yellow bonnets and blue bonnets. They looked good on F units and modern power, as well.
NYC lightning stripes by far favorite. After that Boston and Maine Maroon/Gold and Maine Central Green/Gold.
NJT F7A (my Thanks to Intermountain).
All the best.
Joe F
While there was several F unit schemes I liked I gotta go with NYC's black or gray Lightening Stripes scheme.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Some of the younger posters may not know about how two color schemes got popularized way back when (late '40s) and were impressed upon us kids of that time............
Lionel worked with builder EMD (may have been called EMC back then), the Santa Fe, and the New York Central to build Lionel's new F units in those two color schemes. They even got the RRs to pony up some for the cost of the dies!
And pretty much everyone soon saw these locos - either in their basement, stores, many tv shows, magazine and later on tv ads.
Their popularity soared (more so the colorful ATSF), and many versions of those F units were produced over the next 15 years or so.
PRR FP7 in Brunswick Green and gold strip
1. AT&SF silver warbonnets
2. NYC black lightning stripes
3. SP black widow
Mike