Worst paint schemes

[AltonFan]

I never liked the L&N gray scheme they used before the Family Lines merger. Come to think of it, I didn't like the Family Lines paint scheme either.

While I've got it on my mind, the early Alton diesel switcher/road switcher paint scheme was a mess (all the right parts, but all in the wrong places), and I'm not keen on the pre-merger GM&O vermilion and silver, either. I was also not a big fam of the black stripe scheme used on their GP-30s. (The final red stripe scheme was only marginally better.)

The Soo Line's red and white scheme was good, until they used that strange "SOO" logo that looked like the number 500.

I'm also not real fond of pullman green - give those passenger cars some color!

[CBQ_Guy]

I just remembered the paint scheme that makes me shudder...
The PINK, ribside, covered grain hopper....uggghhhhh!

[Anonymous]

Maybe not one of the worst, but how about the old Chicago and Northwestern green and gold. I mean Green Bay Packers colors in Bear country, I ask you?

[dharmon]

The Orange Empire Rail Museum in Perris has a FP45 in ATSF silver and red warbonnet.

[AntonioFP45]

Worst scheme:

Equally: Metra, Tri-Rail (in Florida), & Penn Cental)

Targubright: BNSF donated all the remaining FP45s to museums. The F45s last I heard were going bye-bye from storage as they have "tons" of miles on them and needed repairs. The exAmtrak SDP40fs were also retired. One of the factors of retiring the cowls was that engineers did not like the lack of rearward visibility.

Any of you Santa Fe fans out in California have more info on the cowls? Hopefully some more will be spared from scrap heap. Burlington Northern got rid of their F45s years back. Pictures of the scrapping can be found on RailfanNet.

Ironically several of Florida's TRI-RAIL Commuter LIne F40ph locomotives have cabs that came from the scrapped BN F45s. So at least one can accurately say that there are "pieces" of BN cowls still running around! God Bless! Happy Railfanning!

[rrnut282]

First, I would like to say that at least the new NS "horseheads" are an attempt to jazz up a plain paint scheme. I would vote for NYC/PC "baby puke green" as ugly along with just about every other dipped in black with some lettering paint schemes.

[cpbloom]

Hmm....Seaboard System, Family Lines, CSX stealth gray and (forgive me), B & LE.

[Mikeygaw]

Amtrak is way drab, and i aint too fond of the UP's yellowish either

[TH&B]

ok yes it's the Florida Fun Train... it takes the cake!

[espeefoamer]

1.Florida Fun train.2.Sounder.[xx(][8][:(!]

[Anonymous]

I would have to say the BN green and MDOT schemes on (Now retired) MARC Commuter E-8s, which just happened to be former BNs. I think CSX has also made a good choice replacing the old scheme with the new dark blue/yellow scheme (closer to the old B&O colors)

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

Gotta be the LS&BC hot pink!

It ain't pink, it's Permangenate!

Paul - "The CB&Q Guy"
LASALLE/Peru, IL

[brilondon]

Amtrak scheme on a GG1 was also very ugly. The red and blue stripes just do not belong on a GG1

[brilondon]

I think that there could be different types of "worst paint schemes". First most boring paint schemes as in the PennCentral. The ugliest paint scheme has got to be the BNSF pumpkin scheme. I think that they tried to find the most disgusting colours availible.

[METRO]

Worst change of mind would be Amtrak phase I paint that was chosen over the experimental phase 0 scheme that the promotional E8's were clad in on the takeover day. I mean come on, we all know that Amtrak is government owned, we don't need patriotic primary colors everywhere. At least they sought redemption with the Phase IV, Phase V and regional special colors.

[espeefoamer]

[V]For a paint scheme that isn't necceserally the worst,but looks like a toy,the Chessie Systsm scheme looks like it was developed by Tyco[:o)]

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rpwood

Growing up near the B&O I weathered the transgretion from the classic Blue/Gray/Black & Yellow scheme, to the plain Blue with various renditions of yellow trim without too much heartburn. But upon the creation of the Chessie System the bright Yellow carbody, Blue top, and Orange separting stripe was about the gaudiest and ugliest scheme I have seen. It looked 99% C&O, and the B&O monikers looked totally out of place. I will admit however, from a safety standpoint, they were easy to see.

rpwood
chessie wasnt a bad scheme.what was worse was the csx steath scheme Yuk[xx(]
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

Dear willy6,
Great Northern Blue definitely was not one of the best paint schemes. I wouldn't necessarily call it ugly, but why bother-GN had one of the best paint schemes of all time: the orange and black Empire Builder.[:D]
But if you want schemes which are not neccesarily the ugliest but still not high quality, look no further than the commuter trains whcih railroads used to run-they weren't supposed to look good, and all to often they were a bland and drab black or red.[:)]
-Daniel

[willy6]

GREAT NORTHERN BLUE.

[espeefoamer]

[xx(]The early Conrail solid black with a tiny "CR".

[Anonymous]

Florida Fun Train was FUGLY

[Anonymous]

Sorry to contradict my fellow forum-goers, but there were some bad paint schemes.
But where to start....Well, I like the good old Soutern Pacific, and they had the best paint scheme of all time: the Daylight (I'm going to get flack from someone for that)!!! Their Black Widow scheme was very nice as well, but the good old Espee had some doozies too. I certainly can't rave about the SP Lark scheme, and the Golden State Limited (the Chicago-Los Angeles streamliner which was a joint operation of SP and Rock Island) had a paint scheme that I definitely would not enter into a beauty contest (I am, of course, not refering to the Daylight diesels which could be found pulling it, but the red and white scheme).
Being an UP fan, I consider the UP's Armour Yellow scheme to be one of the best ever. However, the scheme that Uncle Pete applied to their bath tub-shroud streamlined mountains left much to be desired.
And then came Burlington Route. Don't get me wrong-the CB&Q did a lot of good things, like the fiirst dome car. But their paint scheme on their streamliners was a lot like my silverware: they're both solid stainless steel. The Q didn't put any paint onto their streamlined cars, like many other railroads who also left their streamliner cars unpainted. But the CB&Q hardly even painted their locomotives!

Oh well...I have just upset Burlington Route fans, SP fans, and my fellow UP fans in this posting.
-Daniel

[Train Guy 3]

I saw this really ugly paint schem on some pictures of experimental meg-lev trains of the 80's.... the future scetches looked even worse.

[Anonymous]

CP without the Multimark is boring...bring back the Pac-Man, or better yet, the Maroon livery with script lettering.

[Anonymous]

I like Norfolk Southern's Black and White, and the horse is a good symbol of power... Probably the uglist paint I have ever seen is that nasty pumpkin scheme used by BNSF.

[Anonymous]

Definitely the Penn Central jade green was the fugliest

[Anonymous]

That dull SP red and gray (looked like grime itself) back in the 70's and 80's s**k*d, in my opinion.

Jay

[Anonymous]

Good schemes, bad schemes, it's really like art in that the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. In the days of yore, i.e. first generation diesels, the railroads for the most part were trying to impress the traveling public with flashy, attractive, and powerful looking paint schemes. They also had the benefit of the fruits of the industrial designers at GM, Alco, Baldwin, and others that provided shapely carbodies upon which attractive schemes flowed. Today's angular and/or squared off carbodies do not lend themselves to the sophistication of past schemes. The question I have is, why can't EMD and GE design their carbodies to replicate the E/F Series and Alco PA types of the past? The general shape of the engine has come full circle back to what it was in the 40's and 50's. Food for thought.

[Anonymous]

Growing up near the B&O I weathered the transgretion from the classic Blue/Gray/Black & Yellow scheme, to the plain Blue with various renditions of yellow trim without too much heartburn. But upon the creation of the Chessie System the bright Yellow carbody, Blue top, and Orange separting stripe was about the gaudiest and ugliest scheme I have seen. It looked 99% C&O, and the B&O monikers looked totally out of place. I will admit however, from a safety standpoint, they were easy to see.