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Katy GP7 Original Paint Scheme

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  • Member since
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  • From: Sterling Heights, Michigan
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Katy GP7 Original Paint Scheme
Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Friday, June 14, 2024 8:17 AM

From my understanding Katy, ordered GP7's around 1951. I've read these units were delivered in red, with a striped end on the long hood and short hood. I've only seen photos of them in the Deramus era, and before the merger with UP. Does anyone know of photos, or articles available that have pictures of KATY's GP7's when they were delivered? Or sometime before the simpler paint scheme was adopted?

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by Overmod on Friday, June 14, 2024 9:59 AM

I am not a MKT specialist, but there is this picture of PA (!) 151-C in 1965, flanked by a couple of RS units in red with striped ends.  That may be as close a guide as you'd need to model them...

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/80973530182092674/filePointer/80973530189681597/fodoid/80973530189681592/imageType/LARGE/inlineImage/true/MKT-XXXX-Parsons-KS-11-29-65-2.jpg

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, June 15, 2024 3:58 PM

MTH has an O Scale MKT GP7 in this red-with-nose-stripes paint scheme. I don't know if that is the original scheme or just the MTH version of it.

But as we know for new diesels they often came with more complicated paint schemes from the builder which then tended to be simplified over time.

https://www.grahamstrains.com/store/MTH-30-2721-1-and-30-2721-3-MKT-GP-7-Diesel-Powered-and-Non-Powered-Units-ProtoSound-2.0.html

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, June 15, 2024 5:29 PM

Here is a link to the Katy Historical Society. It has a description of how diesels were painted and there is a color photo of a 1952 SW-8 in red with cream safety stripes on both ends.

https://katyrailroad.org/diesels/

 

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, June 15, 2024 6:50 PM

kgbw49
Here is a link to the Katy Historical Society. It has a description of how diesels were painted and there is a color photo of a 1952 SW-8 in red with cream safety stripes on both ends.

https://katyrailroad.org/diesels/

It is amazing how few Katy photos have ended up in the Fallen Flags site

https://www.rr-fallenflags.org/mkt/katy.html

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by jeffhergert on Sunday, June 16, 2024 5:10 PM

kgbw49

MTH has an O Scale MKT GP7 in this red-with-nose-stripes paint scheme. I don't know if that is the original scheme of just the MTH version of it.

But as we know for new diesels they often came with more complicated paint schemes from the builder which then tended to be simplified over time.

https://www.grahamstrains.com/store/MTH-30-2721-1-and-30-2721-3-MKT-GP-7-Diesel-Powered-and-Non-Powered-Units-ProtoSound-2.0.html

 

I have the book "Katy Power" and there are two photos of GP7s in the scheme the models depict.  The pictures are in black and white, but the caption says red was the standard used by then, the early 1950s.  Of course, B&W photos can't say if the model's red was the same.  The red on the models seems very close to the red used after the Demarus era.  It may have been used previously, that I can't say.

The book does have some photos of other diesels (from other builders) that had a red with 3 stripe chevron style design as delivered.  Again, B&W photos so can't say what the red looked like.  

The basic design of the sceme was used or proposed by EMD for other railroads.  I've seen a kind of trading card/souvenior using black with white stripes instead of red (as Katy used) for Rock Island GP7s.  RI never received engines in that type of scheme. 

Jeff

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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Sunday, June 16, 2024 8:10 PM

Thanks guys for the info. 

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!

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