Worst painted engine in BNSF's fleet

[Trailryder]

BNSF Warbonnet 542 assembles the Ringling Bros train at Moline Illinois. http://www.pbase.com/trailryder/image/66393040

Heres another sad paint job that I caught in Moline, Illinois last summer moving around the Circus train.  You would think BNSF would have put a nicer looking engine in charge of a train that the general public is going to see.

 

Later Bill

 

[anb740]

I seem to recall that BNSF had a lawsuit against Dupont for the crappy quality of their so-called durable paint. I believe the paint was advertised with a 3 or 5 year no fading warranty. (as can be seen on the 4437)  Ironically, it seems that the orange paint on the original H1 Dash-9's is still holding up for the most part....which is more than I can say for these H2 disasters!  Don't even get me started on the rustbucket "pinkbonnets"!

anb740

[EJE818]

824 is starting to look pretty bad. I just saw it yesterday. I have seen quite a few chipping up ATSF Dash 8s and 9s. I haven't seen too many GP60Ms that look too bad, and the bluebonnets seem to be holding up quite well. It seems to just be the warbonnet Dash 8s and 9s. Ive seen some of those faded H2 Dash 9 pinkbonnets.

[SFbrkmn]

Several of the redheads in the 600 & 800 series as stated in above posts I agree are looking sick. The worst though of any seen is GP7 3832. This is former SF 1322 which was renumbered about 1999. Even back then the unit was starting to look bad w/paint peeling off all over the body and it isn't any better now.  Granted this is a eng held captive in yd service, so it is fair to cut a little slack, but not an eng one would want to photograph.

[Poppa_Zit]

So I'm curious...

Did GE use different paint than EMD did? I was looking through some shots last night, and I came across this Geep 60 that I shot only a few months before the shot of 832:

I would have thought that on something like the warbonnet units, the Santa Fe would have spec'd a paint manufacturer that both builders would have used. Were GE and EMD free to use who they wanted as long as the color matched?

Chris, did you shoot this with film or digital? I haven't shot film for years but when I was going through 200 to 300 rolls a year I discovered the red hues as captured by Fuji and Kodak were distinctly different -- Fuji's red was more fiery, more vibrant.

My contribution to the discussion (cannot see loco number):

   

[CopCarSS]

Chris, did you shoot this with film or digital? I haven't shot film for years but when I was going through 200 to 300 rolls a year I discovered the red hues as captured by Fuji and Kodak were distinctly different -- Fuji's red was more fiery, more vibrant.   

Pop_Z,

It was digital, but it was with my Canon D60, which had a very Provia flavor to it (part of why I really liked that body so much...Provia 100F was my favorite film). All my new stuff on the Pentax has a very different feel to it...still Fuji-ish, but a lot more like Astia 100. It's great for portraits, but post-processing for railroad or landscape stuff takes a little more work to get it to a "look" that I like.

[Poppa_Zit]

Chris, did you shoot this with film or digital? I haven't shot film for years but when I was going through 200 to 300 rolls a year I discovered the red hues as captured by Fuji and Kodak were distinctly different -- Fuji's red was more fiery, more vibrant.   

Pop_Z,

It was digital, but it was with my Canon D60, which had a very Provia flavor to it (part of why I really liked that body so much...Provia 100F was my favorite film). All my new stuff on the Pentax has a very different feel to it...still Fuji-ish, but a lot more like Astia 100. It's great for portraits, but post-processing for railroad or landscape stuff takes a little more work to get it to a "look" that I like.

Thanks. Discovered the difference in reds when we were shooting magazine pages with Kodak graphic arts film -- but the photos were off prints made with Fuji film & paper. Couldn't figure out why a guy's red shirt wasn't reproducing properly. 

[Anonymous]

I think BNSF #4437 comes pretty close to being the worst looking.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=195287&nseq=0

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=137633&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=61698&nseq=2

At least #832 has some character. #4437 looks just plain disgusting.

There is more than one C44 fading like that. Caught both of these at the Tehachapi Loop.

BNSF 4527

http://neil300.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=450539

BNSF 5387

http://neil300.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=450614

 

[Anonymous]

I think BNSF #4437 comes pretty close to being the worst looking.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=195287&nseq=0

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=137633&nseq=1

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=61698&nseq=2

At least #832 has some character. #4437 looks just plain disgusting.

There is more than one C44 fading like that. Caught both of these at the Tehachapi Loop.

BNSF 4527

http://neil300.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=450539

BNSF 5387

http://neil300.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=450614

 

[Doublestack]

About a decade ago I had the chance to attend Topeka RR Days.  ATSF 844 was pretty new and pulled an excursion train from Topeka to Lawrence.   I got some nice shots of this nearly brand-new locomotive.  (I thought it ironic that UP 3985 was at RR days along w/ Santa Fe 844).   Anyway - about 2 yrs ago, I was at Corwith in Chicago and saw 844 again.  All I could say was pitiful.  It looked like she'd had a fire so the middle was in bad shape.  Where she wasn't scorched, it was painfully apparent that Neil Young was right when he said, "Rust never sleeps."   Amazing what 10 yrs or so did to that engine.

Here's a latter day photo.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=129089&nseq=1

 

[Lord Atmo]

i find that the BN unitn with noselights looks worse.

Noselights and BN dont mix at all. blugh 

[route_rock]

   What does the 832 look like on the inside? Well the ceiling is falling down and moist from the SC blowing on it ( hanging down from by where the AC vents are) and its black lets call it mold I bet. The floor nasty, the desks on both sides NASTY. The controls, loose and the notches are more like speed bumps not notches. The lights behind the guages are dim . All in all these motors are B unit only in my mind. But still on the point.

   Junk em all, Give me good old Cascade green, Or better yet bring back the Rock and I will work for them instead.