UP - we are ONE new paint scheme

[peteski]

“White” people aren’t white and “Black” people aren’t black. We’re all brown… just different shades from light to dark. Our ancestors all came from Africa at one time or another or remained there, and all of our ancestors have been oppressed, enslaved or been an oppressor or enslaver at some point in history.

Well, unless you believe in the creationist theories, right? You know, the "religion" thing.

[basementcalling]

Well, unless you believe in the creationist theories, right? You know, the "religion" thing.

With some religions we all descend from one man and woman, so everyone is family.

[eric220]

Race, religion, are we going to get to politics before this gets locked?

[sirenwerks]

“White” people aren’t white and “Black” people aren’t black. We’re all brown…

Funnily, my wife, who is from Africa, does not consider herself black.  She's from North Africa.  But most Americans of any pigmentation, especially the ones who fear those who have skin tones different from their own, have a limited understanding of socio-geography and couldn't grasp that concept.  The problem is judgement, our own personal gamut, our rationale is based on the limited knowledge and experience of the judge. 


Funnily, none of us are brown of any shade, since the color color we process in our retina is actually the color spectrum equation that includes the part of the spectrum available in the source light and the part of that source spectrum not absorbed by the artifact we view, but reflected from it.  And let's not even throw in juxtaposing colors ala Josef Albers and his color theorist school.  So while we "see" skin tones, we are all actually varying tones of chartreuse or violet.


IMO, no modern US railroad has a decent paint scheme, everyday or special scheme.  They even screw up the heritage schemes these days.  Meaningful graphic design is dead.

[Missaberoad]

IMO, no modern US railroad has a decent paint scheme, everyday or special scheme.  They even screw up the heritage schemes these days.  Meaningful graphic design is dead.

I think CP did a good job with their heritage units... One of my all time favorite historic paintschemes...



And the spitfire D day tribute scheme was pretty good too 

http://www.mountainrailway.com/Roster%20Archive/CP%206600C/CP%206644.htm

[sirenwerks]

Ryan,


I couldn't agree more with you, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National maintain paint shop honors (but that golden beaver weighs on my Oregonian conscious).  But unless Canada has become part of the US (I hope not, for your sake), I stick by my statement.

[learmoia]

IMO, no modern US railroad has a decent paint scheme, everyday or special scheme.  They even screw up the heritage schemes these days.  Meaningful graphic design is dead.

The paint scheme for NS have been relatively unchanged for the last 40 years (Adding horse head to logo).

And the UP scheme for non-wide cab units has been basically the same since they adopted yellow and gray.... (Apart from various lettering size/placement adjustments, slogans coming and going.. and now adding a wing logo and the stupid CNW lightning stripe)

I'm curious to know the most recent US railroad scheme you 'liked'

(I'd vote for Santa Fe War Bonnet (both Red/Silver and Yellow/Blue)..

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm curious to know the most recent US railroad scheme you 'liked'

[learmoia]

/>

Well Duhhhh.....  (but I wouldn't call Conrail's scheme bold or groundbreaking in marketing or image).

[Missaberoad]

I would vote for Missabe's Arrowhead as the "last great scheme"  with a honorable mention for Wisconsin Central...

[Englewood]

I know it's only commuter rail, but New Mexico's Railrunner has the best scheme ever.

[sirenwerks]

The paint scheme for NS have been relatively unchanged for the last 40 years (Adding horse head to logo).

And the UP scheme for non-wide cab units has been basically the same since they adopted yellow and gray.... (Apart from various lettering size/placement adjustments, slogans coming and going.. and now adding a wing logo and the stupid CNW lightning stripe)

I'm curious to know the most recent US railroad scheme you 'liked'

(I'd vote for Santa Fe War Bonnet (both Red/Silver and Yellow/Blue)..

NS? Wow, how hard is B&W?  UP? Over used the American flag as if it were his own.  ATSF war bonnet? Only popular because of the company's marketing of its trains and scenery at a time when westerns were constantly in the theater and every boy was playing cowboys and Indians.  Not to mention it is really not the Santa Fe's scheme anyway, it was created by EMD's Leland Knickerbocker.  That being said, the red warbonnet had incredible lasting power and held up the whole time it was used.


My pick of best would go to Canadian Pacific (I am expanding my 'best' to North America), and that's a tie between its classic maroon and grey and the Pacman logo era, the first being downright elegant and the latter being excellent and sassy corporate graphics. 


Ironically, I am a GN fan and I love the simplified green and orange, not the original so much, and the BSB scheme gives me the urge to reach for a bottle of Pepto.  CGW could have had the best, with its Lucky Strike logo and the two reds, if it would have combined the maroon dip and the red/black into one scheme that hinted at the original and presented the target logo larger.  Runners up would be Erie's two-tone green (the lighter of which is just a classic mid-century color and, IMO, risky on a manly locomotive) and NP's Main Streeter scheme (it's a shame they didn't use it for freight units too, but again, the pine tree belonged to EMD).

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I would vote for Missabe's Arrowhead as the "last great scheme"  with a honorable mention for Wisconsin Central...

I agree on the Wisconsin Central. It's really great and I'm sad it's become a fallen flag.

[Dave V]

KCS's executive scheme is very nice as well.

[C855B]

KCS's executive scheme is very nice as well.

Agreed. Classy. But the black scheme is still striking, too. About 10 years ago when I was working for Nebraska I drove by what had to be KCS's promotional grain train loading at an elevator just outside Lincoln. Solid train, 80-100 cars, of new grain hoppers in the black scheme behind matching power. It was very impressive. Those hoppers are scattered to the wind these days. KCS should round 'em up for a reunion before they vanish into mergerland. 

Not fond of the UP "ONE" scheme, if only for a single reason: too much white paint. Won't be white for long. Otherwise, it's cluttered nonsense, but that's been the tear they've been on lately with the commemorative schemes.

UP Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray is an enduring classic, but I don't like the tweaks starting with "We Can Handle It". The lightning zig-zag grates on me, frankly; let's modernize a classic with a meaningless tweak that makes painting more challenging. Then there's the yellow Scotchlite stripe replacing red Scotchlight on the sill, a FRA bureaucrat's baseless interpretation of the visibility rules. I agree about the overuse of the US flag motif, it's become a cynical cliché, both on the railroad and otherwise.