Nostalgia & History > OTD: Warbonnet F, but not red ....

The real Warbonnet is just sneaking into this pic, but the 'blue bonnet' was center stage @ Denver on 3/25/72. Can someone provide background of how/why this blue bonnet paint scheme was chosen?

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Like the red better, but that is not a bad looking paint scheme.  Nice shot!

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX
 

Wasn't that the freight version of the warbonnet scheme at one point in time?

Somebody chime in if I'm wrong!

Frank 30

After Amtrak took over, Santa Fe had a lot of spare F's in the passenger scheme. They turned it into a "freight" scheme by substituting freight blue for passenger red.

Very good catch valmont. The bonnets looked good in red, blue and yellow. It appears the lettering was adjusted for the equipment tag?

There's a TO member that I have purchased several ATSF books from that may know the details and reasons of the bonnet variations.

Frank30 Wrote:
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> Wasn't that the freight version of the warbonnet
> scheme at one point in time?
>
> Somebody chime in if I'm wrong!
>
> Frank 30

here's a couple pics of F's in frieght schemes
Pic 1 is my shot @ Rice Yard in Denver
Pic 2 is @ Barstow in 1948 by Frank Peterson
 

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The 325-class F units were to be repainted from red to blue when the units transitioned from passenger to freight service.  After 18 were painted in blue, the railroad  ".,,,decided that the repainting of the locomotives is to be delayed, pending suggestions for implementation of an FRA-sponsored report/study on train visibility and audibility."  This from a letter dated October 22, 1971 from the motive power department in Chicago to mechanical personnel.  On May 23, 1972, in a letter from General Manager Mechanical Department H.N. Chastain to J. T. Wade,  Manager Engineering Mechanical in Topeka,  referring to the yellowbonnet livery, said   "....request that you have prints drawn up for each class of power so we can start painting the locomotives with this color scheme as soon as possible.  We will start painting in our major shops, Argentine, San Bernardino and Cleburne, as soon as prints are available."  So there we have it.   Source:  Santa Fe Railway Diesel Locomotive Painting & Lettering Guide for Model Railroaders,  by Stephen Priest,  pp. 179-80.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/19 15:12 by utwazoo.

Thanks utwazoo .... got my answer!!! Actually we all did!

utwazoo Wrote:

> The 325-class F units were to be repainted from
> red.............
> Stephen Priest,  pp. 179-80.

Perfect. This is why I stay marked up to TO. You are a positive educational contributor. Always an opportunity to learn more. Thank you.

They also had "yellow bonnets".

love it better than a cf7

santafedan Wrote:
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> They also had "yellow bonnets".

If you search for a post of mine from 10/04/12, subject was 'those yellow bonnets ... variations' you'll find a few Yellow bonnets on that one

 

like that paint scheme