Nostalgia & History > Rio Grande Paint Diagram for F-Unit Friday

Quite a few years ago, a friend who works at the old Rio Grande Burnham shop in Denver, now UP's Denver Diesel, saw an office being cleaned out that had not been used in years. They were emptying out filing cabinets directly into the trash without even looking at what they were throwing out. One of the documents was an original D&RGW paint diagram for their F-Unit fleet. The 1964 document described in detail the colors, measurements and paint codes for the painters. It is sad to think of how much original paperwork, photos and manuals have been thrown out and how much is still out there in railroad offices waiting to be saved or trashed.

I was able to have a friend scan the original document for me on a drum scanner.

The original document is 48 inches by 18 inches. Below are three images, the right half, left half and a close-up on the nose diagram. It will be hard to see but I think you will be able to get the idea and feeling of the diagram. Also I have typed up some of the wording from it also below.

Wording from the top left corner:
Lettering and Painting
Diesel-Electric Road Locomotives - EMD
D&RGW Office Mech. Eng'r
Denver, CO
March 21, 1950
Reissue Date 8-14-64
Where Used 5521-5774

Roof - Black Lacquer
Sides - Above 7" Black Stripe - Orange Lacquer (Dupont Code 6479)
Sides - Below 7" Black Stripe - Aluminum
Ends - Black Lacquer
Striping and Stenciling - Black Lacquer (DUCO No. 254-2234)
Trucks - Black Lacquer
Steps - Aluminum
Top of Nose - Flat Green (Non-Skid)

Wording from the lower left corner:
7-6-51 J.H. changed truck designation from Aluminum to black lacquer.
7-8-52 H.G. changed truck designation to aluminum for locos assigned to passenger service and black lacquer for locos assigned to freight service.
7-22-53 O.D. added flat green to top of nose.
9-26-60 J.W.H. replaced multiple striping with single 7" stripe, changed color of roof from aluminum to black.
11-17-60 J.W.H. changed color ref. on nose from plastic coating "non-skid" green to S.W. Co's. flat green (G42-G39)
3-15-62 J.W.H. added ref. to ownership plates.
8-14-64 J.W.H. changed ref. from aluminum to black for trucks and below side sill. Elim. ref. to 5401-5514.

HB

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I guess the Dupont "orange" # 6479 is not the "Aspen gold"? Is that correct?

This technique of clearing out the files had been reported in a number of SP locations. It's not clear if the information is original documents or reproductions/Xerox copies of information. There's a ton of information that shows up in 'official' collections that have been cataloged and donated to established University or Museum collections.
I don't have a handle on whether information has been lost or not. Some hobbyists get very passionate about the topic.

tomstp Wrote:
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> I guess the Dupont "orange" # 6479 is not the
> "Aspen gold"? Is that correct?

I don't know when the Grande started calling it Grande Gold or if it was ever a company term or not. This document just called it orange.

HB

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This technique of clearing out the files had been
> reported in a number of SP locations. It's not
> clear if the information is original documents or
> reproductions/Xerox copies of information. There's
> a ton of information that shows up in 'official'
> collections that have been cataloged and donated
> to established University or Museum collections.
> I don't have a handle on whether information has
> been lost or not. Some hobbyists get very
> passionate about the topic.

I am glad you have seen some of it saved and sent university and museum collection. I assume a lot of it is copies and that is still worth saving also.

This document was saved in 2002. I do remember him telling me that the office being cleared out had not been opened in years that he knew of, back to the Rio Grande days. Unfortunately by the time he came across this happening, many trips to the dumpster had already taken place and even the dumpster had been hauled away. I don't remember if it was UP management or GE management that was cleaning out the office and file cabinets.

Another employee in North Yard was able to grab the original copies of books that had the grade and alignment charts for the whole Rio Grande system on it when a filing cabinet was being cleaned out in the tower.

HB

I have a sad confession to make along these lines. In 1979, while walking about the old brick buildings that still stood in the Auburn, WA, rail shops of the Northern Pacific, came across a stencil, two pieces, about 12 ft long each. I loaded them into my car (there weren't many humans around the Auburn shops by then) and stored them in my garage for about 20 years. Those 20 years included constant harassment from my wife to "get that junk out of here". Constant re-positioning during spring cleanings and such took their toll. I finally loaded them into the garbage can and sent them away. Who would ever want stencils that were used to paint "Northern Pacific" on the sides of locomotives.

Ed

From a message I posted to another group back in 2005:

Like many other railroad historians, I've certainly done my share of dumpster diving. How about the time, during a light drizzle on a Saturday morning many Aprils ago, I was ass-deep in Union Pacific's South-Central (old LA&SL) superintendent records, at the wrong end of a 24-inch cardboard tube that hung outside of the top floor of the Salt Lake depot. The stuff I was finding from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s makes me almost weepy-eyed today. Everyday stuff, like tearing down this roundhouse, or building that new spur. It was an unplanned opportunity, so all I had was a (dumped-out) grocery sack, which was soon filled to the brim. I was already late to get someplace else, and by the time I got back to the dumpster, a new one was in place. Whatever was in the first dumpster was gone. Gone forever.

My recent Ogden book gave me several more chances to see other people's stuff, and where they were keeping it. Like Blair Kooistra once said, in a box, rotting on a concrete floor. When I think of all the stuff the kids have thrown out after the old man died, oh my! Here's the scenario: Dad's been in the hospital for three weeks, and he passes on. In about a week, the kids go into his train room and say, "Now what?" They all know how important this all was to Dad, but none of them have the faintest idea of what to do with it. Depending on whatever else is going on in their lives, the photos, books, magazines, and other odd paper items, may or may not get to the local historical society. More than likely, for want of time or desire, it all goes to the dump.

Here is some additional information about D&RGW diesel paint schemes:

http://utahrails.net/drgw/rg-diesel-paint-schemes.php

Don Strack



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/10 07:02 by donstrack.

You're so correct, Don. The family looks around at one another...."Do you want this....Do you want it....Do YOU want it....? And out it goes.

I believe the worst case of removal of historic records and material I know of occurred when Union Pacific cleaned out the old "Annex" building a block from HQ in Omaha, about 1976 or so. I mean, gondola's were filled. I won't go into the depth of records and other material, just be secure in my statement that we all wish it hadn't happened.

John Bush
Omaha