Western Railroad Discussion > What's your LEAST favorite paint scheme?

Since there seems to be so much dread around regarding the old SPSF Kodachrome paint scheme - What is either your least favorite locomotive paint scheme or the one you feel least needs preserving at one of the many fine railroad museums around the country.

I don't think too much of the Penn Central myself, though I haven't decided whether that's because the PC was on the opposite side of the continent from the San Diego I called home at the time.

Kit (as he throws the match in the pool of gasoline and stands back . . .)

Least Favorite: Rock Island blue & white, not sure why, just EEEWWW!!


Should Be Preserved: ATSF blue & yellow. Maybe because living in Colorado from '77 to '84 that's pretty much ALL I saw. SANTA FE - ALL THE MOTHERHUMPIN' WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!


GO BIG TRAIN

Matt

That's really easy................UP!

Least favorite: IC black and the current version of CN (liked those long hood stripes, wish they would bring them back).

Favorite: C&NW (any scheme)

L.G.

the old color scheme of the failed merger of atsf-sp: yellow and red.
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perhaps that is one reason the i.c.c. ruled against it.

well i like them all. really. but if theres one i must dislike it would be CSX. just does nothing for me.

casey

There is one scheme that stands out from the crowd for being especially bad, and it's a damn good thing only one loco suffered from such a horrible paint scheme. I present you with "Barf Bonnet".

I don't know why everyone is dissn' the "Kodachrome" scheme, I reather liked it. Better than the blue/yellow bonnet in my opinion. But then again I have several old Pacific Rail News mags from the 80's that show lashups when these units were newly painted, Pretty! 5 or 6 of those leading a train up Cajon really stood out from the background.

Ted Curphey
funnelfan@icehouse.net

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Easy question - 1. UP Yellow. 2. The current Amtrak scheme - really sucks!!!! 3. Rail Generica Red, white, and blue. Favourites. ACL Silver and purple; ATSF warbonnet; Southern Green and cream. Regards, Peter+

RI blue&white
NS black

I nominate the NW scheme from the 70s. A black dip paint job with white NW letters on the hood. Cheap, easy and ugly.

I don't know if I would consider BNSF #9647 a paint scheme since it's only one of a kind. Maybe I'm taking this question too literal, but I thought a paint scheme would be something that is put on a lot of the locomotives.

My personal least favorite? Norfolk Southern's Dark Horse, if you will. The Thoroubred of Transportation? More like a pony. The CSX scheme leaves a lot to be disired, but at least those yellow noses look decent when clean and shiny.

As for the SPSF, I've said it before, I think I would have hated to see these on every unit, every train. I wish I had seen them when they were clean... but only here and there. You took the nice SF blue bonnet and the nice SP grey and red and came up with one of the ugliest loudest, most vile paints every.

That's just my opinion, of course. But you're all entitled to it.


Joe H.

Definitely RailAmerica. Pretty boring and lacks imagination.

Xingman
http://home.internetcds.com/~xingman/

BNSF green and orange. Both schemes SUUUUCK. I can't STAND them. (And vommit bonnet too, that being the absoulute UGLIEST paint scheme I EVER did see). Amtrak's new scheme is pretty bad too. Rail Generica's scheme wouldn't be as bad if the underframes were silver. Amtrak California's is pretty fugly too, never did like it. Represents the State of California and their naieveness and gullability in getting taken for equipment aquisitions well though. Man they got screwed on those cars...... a fitting scheme for the worst railcars I have ever seen or heard of.

Early Amtrak bothered me the most. Those SDP-40F's with the huge red nose was gross. Runner-up was the evenly spaced red, white and blue stripes on the cars with the pointless arrow logo.

In a rare disagreement with Xingman, the Rail America scheme is starting to grow on me, though far from my fave of two-tone NYC lightning stripe (there go those Eastern roots again.)

Larry
http://www.alpharail.net

The UP's new lightning bolt enhanced scheme. For the simple reason that they took a timeless classic and disfigured it by 'enhancing' it. The wings are a valid, welcome addition.

Worst ever paint scheme decision? The GN going with Big Sky Blue just in time for the BN merger to wipe it out. If they just could have waited a year or two, maybe Big Sky Blue would have been BN's scheme, and that would have been totally awesome. Other than the Santa Fe Warbonnet on just about anything, you'd have to go some to find a better match between paint scheme and locomotive than Big Sky Blue on an F45.

RI blue & white
BNSF Premium Heritage {HII}
Grungie-stein green {although I like the patch jobs with the new nose logo}

1) BNSF Heritage 2 - They were unique when they came out but now that there's a 1000 of them around I can't stand the sight of them. The faded units (4400's) look even worse. Bring back the red & silver and/or the yellow & blue.

2) Anything UP in California - The wings and the flag units are nice additions but armour yellow, 4 stroke engines and the multitude of tunnels in California, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado make for ugly/dirty locomotives. The units used in DPU service are the worst (AC4400's, SD90mac's & the 93/9400's). SP had the right paint job for the west coast - Grey & Red.

This is just my opinion for now, not the past, cause the past is history. My choices are based soley on design for futureness.
Worst; (and decisions)
1. Amtrak phase 1, you cant get more 70s than that.(Had to put this in!) :o)
2. UP removing the lightning stripe....you guys are CHEAP!
3. Rail America....who was the bright person who thought of that scheme?
4. CSX...another bunch of corporate people
5. NS...although like UPS, they have the right idea when it comes to cash savings...hard to see the dirt on the black.
6. Amtrak Acela...whomever thought of that shouldve been shot!

Best; (and decisions)
1. Amtrak California cars..wow, finally someone has some design sense, if any of you guys havent been to Europe...just wait!
2. Amtrak Cascades (talgo)...I dont like the fins, but the color scheme relates directly to the area in which it travels.
3. BNSF....if they would just seperate the warbonnets and the orange/green units. Warbonnets (south-west) directly relates to the area traveled. The orange/green (north-NW), again relates to the area.
4. UP...great, but put back on the lightning stripe.
Thats all for now!
TheHammer
Mark

Worst: New York Central Jade green.
Penn Central Black with "blushing worm logo"
S.P. Bloody nose
B.N Cascade green
Any Lehigh Valley (pick one)

Best: Pennsy Brunswick green w 5 gold stripes
New York Central Black w Grey Lightning stripes
S.P. Black Widow
Delaware & Hudson Blue&Grey
Union Pacific, but only when clean.
Note that these are not in any order of like or dislike, and alas, my eastern roots show.
Paul
Redlands, Ca.

Surprised it wasn't mentioned yet...

Worst:
IC/ICG orange and white (White is not a good locomotive color.)
Conrail "quality" blue (Bleh.)
RI blue and white (white again....)

Best:
Erie Lackawanna
GM&O (all)
Warbonnet
Wabash