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50 years later - CSX heritage units

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Friday, July 21, 2023 6:23 PM

Chessie wasn't incorporated until 1973. They were just getting a head start on painting locomotives in the new scheme, not unlike the Kodachrome units on the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific.

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, July 22, 2023 10:55 AM

We could still be seeing, among others (and not counting the Conrail split):

Atlantic Coast Line

Seaboard Airline

Louisville & Nashville

Western Maryland

Chesapeake & Ohio

Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis

Pere Marquette

Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast

There are numerous others depending how far out on the limbs and branches of the family tree they want to go.

 

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Posted by CMStPnP on Saturday, July 22, 2023 3:26 PM

Did anyone else here get the Facebook Post sent out by Conrail, mocking CSX for their CSX - Conrail heritage unit?    It's pretty humorous.    It looks like the Conrail logo is backwards as well but I am not an expert.

https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/362267749_309245168115804_5773361487377132434_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=N3zJcT2tYQgAX8qR8Sk&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=00_AfA1cvCpeWyujhDc8B5ZF3keVN3-YMq_g2UjKS9q8oLXTA&oe=64C1AAE7

 

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Posted by n012944 on Saturday, July 22, 2023 6:42 PM

CMStPnP

   It looks like the Conrail logo is backwards as well but I am not an expert.

 

 

 https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=529993&nseq=37

An "expensive model collector"

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, July 22, 2023 7:12 PM

n012944
 
CMStPnP

   It looks like the Conrail logo is backwards as well but I am not an expert. 

 https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=529993&nseq=37

From that picture it looks like ConRail swung both ways.

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Posted by Psychot on Sunday, July 23, 2023 4:37 AM

BaltACD

As a B&O guy, I wasn't thrilled when the Chessie paint scheme came on the scene, however, over time and with the transition to CSX - the Chessie scheme grows on one.

 

I have to admit it hasn't really grown on me. It still seems very garish, especially compared to B&O blue. 

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, July 23, 2023 1:08 PM

The Conrail logo has the C (which is a stylized pair of wheels on track) the same way as Chessie has the broken dish (which is the reverse silhouette of a sleeping kitten complete with the edge of an ear).

Conrail Quality came along much later.  I thought it had something to do with leased-out power but never bothered to find out exactly.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, July 23, 2023 4:06 PM

Psychot
 
BaltACD

As a B&O guy, I wasn't thrilled when the Chessie paint scheme came on the scene, however, over time and with the transition to CSX - the Chessie scheme grows on one. 

I have to admit it hasn't really grown on me. It still seems very garish, especially compared to B&O blue. 

The original B&O Blue, Gray, Black and Gold has always been #1.  The all blue period sucked.  Chessie was a breath of 'fresh air' and color.

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Sunday, July 23, 2023 4:09 PM

Overmod
Conrail Quality came along much later.  I thought it had something to do with leased-out power but never bothered to find out exactly.

I always thought it was a nod to the concept of "Total Quality Management" that came into vogue in the corporate world around that time.

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, July 23, 2023 9:57 PM

Leo_Ames
 
Overmod
Conrail Quality came along much later.  I thought it had something to do with leased-out power but never bothered to find out exactly. 

I always thought it was a nod to the concept of "Total Quality Management" that came into vogue in the corporate world around that time.

That was about the same point in time that CSX changed their merchandise train ID's from being R trains for Regular into Q trains for Quality.....ie R137 became Q137.

In the past year or so, CSX has moved on from that system of train identities to another based on L for Local, M for Merchandise, C for Coal and other letters for other types of traffic.

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Posted by CMStPnP on Monday, July 24, 2023 9:01 PM

BaltACD
In the past year or so, CSX has moved on from that system of train identities to another based on L for Local, M for Merchandise, C for Coal and other letters for other types of traffic.

So can we call that the "Cookie Monster" system?Big SmileDevil

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Posted by rdamon on Friday, August 11, 2023 12:54 PM

#5 is alive ...

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, August 11, 2023 2:59 PM

No, sponsored by the letters 'C', 'S', 'X' and number 2.

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Posted by VIPER1 on Saturday, August 12, 2023 7:22 AM

I like the heratige , but hate the paint job

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, August 12, 2023 6:00 PM

Somebody had a bit of skill and had to work fast to produce this unofficial Chessie The Cat heritage unit:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/838332/

And of course, this is probably close to what a B&O F40PH-2 would have looked like:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/773742/

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, August 12, 2023 9:16 PM

kgbw49
Somebody had a bit of skill and had to work fast to produce this unofficial Chessie The Cat heritage unit:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/838332/

And of course, this is probably close to what a B&O F40PH-2 would have looked like:

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/773742/

The irony of the the Chessie cat is that it made its debut in the middle of ACL/SAL territory

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Posted by mvlandsw on Sunday, August 13, 2023 8:50 PM
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Posted by fifedog on Monday, August 14, 2023 8:30 AM
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Posted by gmpullman on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 10:51 PM

Chessie News:

 Chessie_news by Edmund, on Flickr

 Chessie_news_6 by Edmund, on Flickr

 1977_8-72 by Edmund, on Flickr



 

I was at West Third St. in Cleveland (C&O's HQ) for the official 'unveiling' back on August 30, 1972:

Chessie Hotpants Whistling

Regards, Ed

 

 

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Posted by fifedog on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 7:22 AM

gmpullman - Nice memories. Thanks for sharing. YesCool

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Posted by rdamon on Monday, August 28, 2023 6:32 AM

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Posted by fifedog on Saturday, September 2, 2023 7:29 AM

CSX probably left the spraygun loaded when they shot the 1982, which was leading symbol I015 in Cumberland, yesterday. I think the fade works on the L&N and Seaboard units.

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Posted by fifedog on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 7:24 AM

1869 finally made it to Cumberland, and I'm a fan...

CSX 1869 C&O Heritage Unit - YouTube

 

 

 

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Posted by rdamon on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 10:02 AM

#1871

It also looks like CSX6394 may have gotten a RF&P nose job by someone

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, November 30, 2023 3:40 PM

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by OWTX on Friday, December 1, 2023 8:01 AM

As a concept piece the hi-lo mix works pretty well. They probably should have cut the long hood paint at the cab, but I get trying to symbolize transition.

Since prototypical accuracy isn't really the goal (and all of their "honoring" units), maybe they could mash up a paint scheme for a historical never diesel road. That Big 4 cross would look good.

Or how about the P&E logo on a PC or NYC unit?

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Posted by OWTX on Thursday, January 4, 2024 7:23 AM
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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, January 4, 2024 8:34 AM

My only complaint is that the NYC's lettering standards got lost in the transitions fron NYC to PC to ConRail to CSX.

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Posted by OWTX on Thursday, January 4, 2024 3:21 PM

It's a mashup with an Easter egg. Their Alco FAs had a similar lettering size and placement. The font is called "Grand Central" and is based on the signage at Grand Central Terminal.

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, January 4, 2024 4:38 PM

22 days to do a paint job.  

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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