Eastern Railroad Discussion > Silly Conrail Question

Upon the formation of Conrail out of the Penn Central mess, who decide on the blue paint scheme of the new railroad? How was it decided upon? It was a snazzy blue to come out of the drab PC black.

always remember when I saw my 1st Conrail unit and was so shocked and happy to see something new.  Lots of color in those days was a PC logo and yellow handlerails.  But no matter what a nice clean PC unit was great to see

I can imagine seeing the new blue after the drab black! 

http://cs.trains.com/trn/b/staff/archive/2012/06/01/fifty-shades-of-blue-how-conrail-s-paint-scheme-changed-from-brown-to-blue.aspx

Not too silly. Interesting question and answer. Learned something.

Posted from iPhone

Disagree with the statement about the dull colors of predecessor railroads it ignores the bright Reading and Lehigh Valley colors.

Posted from iPhone

This is just a guess but if we look at the colors of the predecessor railroads, none of them--or at least none of the major ones--used blue paint.  NYC, PRR, LV, Reading, etc.did not feature a blue paint scheme.  So i'm thinking the management of CR wanted to signify a departure from the troubled past, and that would include a color that none of the failed RRs had.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 20:48 by calumet.

RDG630 Wrote:
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> Disagree with the statement about the dull colors
> of predecessor railroads it ignores the bright
> Reading and Lehigh Valley colors.
>
Amazing that there's no mention of the Erie Lackawanna paint scheme...
 

calumet Wrote:
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> This is just a guess but if we look at the colors
> of the predecessor railroads, none of them--or at
> least none of the major ones--used blue paint. 
> NYC, PRR, LV, Reading, etc.did feature a blue
> paint scheme.  So i'm thinking the management of
> CR wanted to signify a departure from the troubled
> past, and that would include a color that none of
> the failed RRs had.

While hardly a major player, L&HR had blue.

Posted from iPhone

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

Than ks for all of the replies. That link to Trains was really interesting. Just what I was looking for

I've always heard that the paint was surplus from Navy ships that were de-commisioned. Once they were idled the inside of them would get shot (sprayed) with the blue paint. This was what i was always told. Maybe someone knows more.

Fred

RayH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RDG630 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Disagree with the statement about the dull
> colors
> > of predecessor railroads it ignores the bright
> > Reading and Lehigh Valley colors.
> >
> Amazing that there's no mention of the Erie
> Lackawanna paint scheme...

They probably weren't as prominent wherever RDG630 lived at the time (consider the handle). He fondly recalls what he remembers.

Ford auto engines were all painted blue at that time. Rumor had it they could buy the same blue paint at great discount. And that is why all the Conrail engines look like Ford's engines.
OK that is as believeable as some of the stories!
Go

One of the reasons the Rock Island became "The Rock" was that the trustee said the blue paint was cheaper than most of the other available colors.

Anyone know anything about this very early CR paint job? I've never found any info on it.

Looks like the old Erie's colors.

E'port, New Jersey.
June, 1978.

---

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RayH Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > RDG630 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Disagree with the statement about the dull
> > colors
> > > of predecessor railroads it ignores the
> bright
> > > Reading and Lehigh Valley colors.
> > >
> > Amazing that there's no mention of the Erie
> > Lackawanna paint scheme...
>
> They probably weren't as prominent wherever RDG630
> lived at the time (consider the handle). He fondly
> recalls what he remembers.

NOBODY mentioned the EL. I just chose to quote one person.

 

overniteman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone know anything about this very early CR
> paint job? I've never found any info on it.
>
> Looks like the old Erie's colors.
>
> E'port, New Jersey.
> June, 1978.

I don't have my 1976 Conrail roster handy right  now, but I remember that this unit had been in EL gray yellow and maroon colors, and somehow was painted completely black. I think it was done at E'port, but might have been Croxton. I remember the first time I saw this unit..."WTF did they do?"

yes, an exErie unit, but most recently in EL paint.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/20 07:07 by RayH.

Gonut1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ford auto engines were all painted blue at that
> time. Rumor had it they could buy the same blue
> paint at great discount. And that is why all the
> Conrail engines look like Ford's engines.
> OK that is as believeable as some of the stories!
> Go
 Actually Conrail Blue is the exact same color as a Fiat 1976 blue. Seems a 1976 Fiat was owned by a Conrail exec's wife . Before any loco's were painted Conrail had Excelsior Truck Leasing  which was 100% owned by PRR/PC and CR paint some vehicles in both the Brown and Blue. The Blue won. --  Ken 

My friend said the color was known as Federal Blue.

Jim

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> My friend said the color was known as Federal
> Blue.
>
> Jim

Federal colors are (where) the US Government Standards for colors.  Known as Federal Standard 595, it was stared in the 50' and had 358 colors, growing to 650 colors by 2008.  Colors are identified by a 5 digit code.  The blue Conrail used is one of 16 shades of "Federal blue", code number 15180.  FS595 was replace in 2017 with with the 692 color International AMS 595 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/20 15:14 by scraphauler.