Sometime circa 1980 the Illinois Central Gulf adopted a new paint scheme consisting of orange and grey with Silver trucks and fuel tank.
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=106287
This ICG differed from the older IC-derived ICG white on orange with “Illinois Central Gulf” spelled out on the long hood.
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=106297
Except for the silver trucks and underframe, the early 1980s ICG looked sort of bland, though IMO, I think this paint scheme would look better on a modern widecab GE Dash 9, GEVO, or SD70ACe/M-2. I’m just trying to image a variation of this ICG scheme on a widecab GE or EMD with orange on the cab that ends behind the cab CN-style with the CN diagonal white stripe followed by a gray long hood with a orange “IC” in CN’s noodle font. I’d replace the grey stripes on the cab-nose with solid orange and either the late 1960s-70s dark-blue IC logo or “IC” lettering with CN’s font. Now back to reality. After ICG sold off or abandoned most of their GM&O tracks in the late 1980s, ICG again became IC and adopted the “deathstar" black scheme. I think IC’s 1990s plain black scheme would have looked better had they kept ICG’s silver trucks and underframe.
IMHO, my favorite out of the GM&O/IC/ICG paint schemes is GM&O's red scheme they had on their SD40s and GP38/38-2s. I think GM&O red would have looked even better had ICG adopted it instead of completely looking like IC.
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=103255
Personally, the all black paint of the 50's/60's with the green diamond logo looked really good to me. Particularly on the high hood GP7/9s. But, I am old school.
ed
Well, if Ed is old school, I'm no doubt older school. In 1947 I hired out on the GM&O in Bloomington, IL, shortly after they had acquired the Alton which ran through my home town. The Alton scheme was a little muddy and the brighter colors the GM&O used in repainting were very eye-catching. They even applied it to the Rebels, IIRC.
I left the railroad after 5 years but still like that scheme the best. That all red GM&O repaint reminded me too much of the original Rebel scheme. Guess I'm just a Dangyankee at heart
I can barely remember the IC's black w/green diamond logo from the 60's which in retrospect looked pretty sharp, IMHO. The orange and white scheme that IC/ICG had in the 70's I thought was okay but was hard to keep clean. The slate gray and orange was acceptable (I guess) but that short-lived solid orange scheme (came out in 1978 IIRC ) mercifully died a quick death.
This is kind of a sore spot to me.
Everyone picks on the IC orange and white paint scheme. I always though, in the abstract, it was awesome. To prove that point, most people seem to talk highly of Western Maryland's paint scheme, which was virtually the same as IC's only one shade of the spectrum over. The real problem with IC's colors was, when you use cheap paint that chiped easily and never washed your locomotives, you would be much better off with black--especially if you are a coal hauler.
Also, someone was talking about the Alton colors. Did they have colors independent of the GM&O? Does anyone have any pictures? I didn't know that the Alton had an independent existence past the steam era?
Gabe
gabe This is kind of a sore spot to me. Everyone picks on the IC orange and white paint scheme. I always though, in the abstract, it was awesome. To prove that point, most people seem to talk highly of Western Maryland's paint scheme, which was virtually the same as IC's only one shade of the spectrum over. The real problem with IC's colors was, when you use cheap paint that chiped easily and never washed your locomotives, you would be much better off with black--especially if you are a coal hauler. Also, someone was talking about the Alton colors. Did they have colors independent of the GM&O? Does anyone have any pictures? I didn't know that the Alton had an independent existence past the steam era? Gabe
I think Gabe is right on in the aspect of CHEAP Paint-- The actual colors were no better or worse than many other paint schemes utilizing two colors- I was told that the onrange and white was done by the railroiad as a strictly safety oriented issue- authorized and pushed by some IC 'legal-eagle'. The problem was in the application of the paint, and somebody else's idea of cutting costs. The paint used lost its gloss,fading rather rapidly, becoming shaby in a pretty rapid time frame becoming more of an esthetic rather than operational; issue. The cost of repainting locomotives reflected in the "bottom line."
I really liked the old IC black scheme of the 1960s. It had an understated sort of class. The IC used to run time freight #94 from Minneapolis to Albert Lea on the M&StL. The train always ran with a red and white M&StL GP9 leading, followed by a black and white IC GP9. It made a nice point-counterpoint color statement. I heard that the president of the IC wanted the black and white color scheme because he liked it on steam locomotives.
The IC geeps were the only engines that I have ever seen that applied little sheet metal visors above the marker lights.
Here is #94’s power getting ready to depart Cedar Lake yard in Minneapolis after the C&NW bought the M&StL in 1960. The first geep is painted in C&NW green and yellow.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=62742
Here is #94 rolling through Hopkins. Note the marker light visors.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=62740
Bucyrus:Those two shots of IC high nosed geeps made my day. The photos brought back a ton of memories of the IC locomotives running on the branch line thru town, usually two geeps, sometimes three.
By the mid 1970's it seemed the orange and whites were everywhere and it was difficult to find a solid black lashup.
My aunt lived in Mattoon and during visits a westbound passenger train would pass thru town midmorning on the NYC. It usually had high nosed geeps running long hood forward. Now that was special.
I believe that Wayne Johnston did mandate that all IC freight units would be painted black. I think that IC never owned a freight F unit. I believe that the Iowa division was one of the first dieselized
I remember seeing train 94 on M&StL tracks with M&StL Geeps in the lead in the late 1950's. They often had an IC caboose. That changed in the early 1960's when C&NW took over the M&StL. IC Geeps often led. I think sometimes the train worked with a single IC geep from Waterloo Iowa to Albert Lea Minnesota. They were discontinued around 1969 and IC did try to buy the MN&S around that time to gain access to the Twin Cities but couldn't obtain trackage rights over the Rock Island from Albert Lea Minnesota to Northfield Minnesota.
I recall that that IC only ran southbound (actually eastbound on the M&StL) as #94. The train needed two units. So rather than run two IC units south, and then run them back light, they ran one IC and one M&StL unit on #94, and then IC paid the M&StL for their unit going south by letting the M&StL work the IC unit back north with the power on M&StL time freight #1.
gabe Also, someone was talking about the Alton colors. Did they have colors independent of the GM&O? Does anyone have any pictures? I didn't know that the Alton had an independent existence past the steam era? Gabe
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Contrary to the opinion posted above on the change to the orange and white paint, it was not the result of a legal opinion from the IC's Law Department. The change to the paint scheme was a relatively small part of a complex and extensive program to change things of both substance and image.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
In the late 30's, the Alton fielded two streamliners that the B&O found unsatisfactory. The 'Abraham Lincoln' was pulled by a 4-6-4 called the Lord Baltimore and the 'Ann Rutledge' was pulled by the Lady Baltimore, a 4-4-4. This didn't last long as the IC had the Green Diamond which did not have to stop for coal and water which allowed a higher overall speed between Chicago and St.Louis. Both streamliners were painted in Alton (ex C&A) colors, maroon and red.
Diesel power allowed the two streamliners to more than match the IC schedules. Although they were in control from '46, the GM&O, which was a merger of the GM&N and M&O, bought the Alton in 1947. The GM&O used the Alton colors, although they seemed a bit brighter than the Alton's from color pictures of that time.
I rode the Ann Rutledge while in the Navy and worked for the GM&O after they bought the Alton.
For more info, see the Chicago & Alton Railroad by Gene V. Glendinnning and The Gulf Mobile and Ohio Color Pictorial by R.R."Dick" Wallin.
Art
Orange is a high-visibility color.
Black is low visibility.
Orange would be a much better color to paint a speeding locomotive than black.
Employees have to wear neon green and yellow vests for high visbility when working on the tracks. A black vest would be nice looking for a formal function.
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Orange is indeed a high-visibility color but South Shore still suffered a fair number of grade crossing accidents.
The comments about using off-brand orange paint seem to hit the nail on the head. The orange on IC power faded pretty quickly but the orange currently in use on IHB has held up pretty well.
My first contact with IC was in 1968, when I arrived at Chanute AFB for nine months of tech school.
As I recall, the orange and white was in use, and would have been fairly fresh.
When I returned to Chanute in 1973, ICG would have been in force, and I think I recall that the "Gulf" was still being added to rolling stock. The creamsicle paint scheme was also still in use.
The Paducah rebuild program was in full swing, leading to two memories of the time - the "ox yoke" air filter systems and "frog eye" headlights..."
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
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