That’s a decription I recently read, of the colors of CNW diesel locomotives. I wonder where the railroads came up with the names of colors used on their equipment. I know GM’s styling people worked with a lot of railroads for paint schemes on their original passenger diesels. Santa Fe’s classic warbonnets come to mind. But then, some colors, like PRR’s Tuscan Red, and Brunswick green, must predate that era. Anybody have iseas about where some of these names came from? Cascade green, Armour Yellow, Harbor Mist, Chinese Red, Zito yellow…?
Zito yellow was named after Jim Zito. He was an officer for the CNW and was responsible for the change from stagecoach yellow to what would be known as Zito yellow.
Bert
Zito Yellow is a railfan name.
The offical name of the Bright Yellow applied by Chicago & North Western employees in the 1980’s is Safety Yellow.
Ask the Chicago & North Western Historical Society members.
Andrew
Armour Yellow is for the color of the refrigerated freight cars owned by the Armour meatpacking company. Phillip Armour was a grain merchant from Chicago during the Civil War. He got into the meatpacking business, but at that time all meat had to be preserved by smoking, salting, drying or canning – or shipped to a site near the consumer on the hoof.
His competitor, Gustavus Swift, invented the refrigerated car after the Civil War. It made possible the big central stockyards with co-located meatpacking operations that shipped fresh meat all over the country. Swift’s cars were white, Armour’s were yellow; both companies owned large fleets of them.
Any idea where Zito comes from?
http://utahrails.net/cnw/cnw-roster-notes.php
Look down about half way under the title, locomotive paint, it gives a explaination similar to the one I gave earlier in this thread.
Bert
You have to admit, that “Zito Yellow” sounds more zippy than “Pantone102C”
Yes, you are right about that!
Bert
I’m not sure where the name “English Stagecoach Yellow” came from as the use of this color by C&NW predates the diesel era.
What were others railroad’s official diesel colorrs called? I like the Lehigh Valley colors, of some sort of red, with trim, but I don’t know what it was called. Is there an official name for Conrail blue?
n012944 has the story right.
During the summer of 1995 I was working an assignment at the newly acquired Union Pacific yard office in Rapid City, So. Dak. One afternoon two old duffers walked in and asked to speak with a local official.
“Hi,” the first fellow said. “I’m Jim Zito and I’m looking for Mr. so and so.”
“Oh,” I replied. “So you’re the retired Vice President of Operations off the C.N.W.” Instantly a startled look overcame his face brought on by the fact that this complete stranger (“stranger to him,” that is) knew instantly who he was.
“So,” I continued, “So you’re the originator of that sickly looking Zito yellow that I’ve seen on C.N.W. equipment for all these years.”
“Yes, (expletive deleted)!” he shot back. “And I suppose that’s all I’ll ever be remember for.” For the briefest of moments he seemed a little down hearted because he probably heard a comment like mine way too many times.
Seconds later his demeanor swiftly changed. He, his good buddy, and I had a good laugh over that incident; but, you can assured that I knew my place. I always made it a point to address him as Mr. Zito after that (with heavy emphasis on the word mister!).
Bob-out of curiosity, was the yard office south of town, of Hwy 79, or downtown, by the post office, along Main?
Lehigh Valley called their color Cornell Red, for an Ivy League college along their ROW. I don’t know about Conrail.
CNW was using yellow carbodies and green letterboards at the turn of century 19/20
As far as I know it’s always been called Conrail Blue. Although, if you look at some of the early repaints, it tended more toward turquoise.
Reading’s orignal hood and switch diesels were Pullman Green. But the later colors were Reading Green and Reading Yellow (which faded quickly, and was generally called Cream).
Nick
“M.S.:-”
On several occasions while passing through Rapid City, I do remember seeing the abandoned brick C.& N.W. downtown passenger station; but, alas, I seem to recall that it was torn down sometime during the late '70s or early '80s. I believe a high rise Sheraton Hotel went up in its place.
The newer yard office located on the far southeast side of town was where I was working. It’s near the junction of where the lines to Dakota Jct. (southerly), Pierre (easterly), and Belle Fourche/Colony (northwesterly) come together. It was NOT the spot a little closer to downtown where the roundhouse and turntable were located.
Unlike my colleagues who just had to stay at some modern chain motel located hard by I90, I was forever loyal to the cause: I made camp at the Hotel Alex Johnson in downtown Rapid City. The hotel was built in the 1920s by a C.& N.W. vice president who was quite enamored with the Black Hills. Located about a block south of the Wyoming mainline, with a window open one can enjoy the serenade of EMD 645 prime movers, locomotive horns, and the pounding of steel wheels on rail frogs as each train makes its way through downtown. It’s a great place to stay!
Anyone care to guess which railroad used Enchantment Blue and Federal Safety Yellow?
(I had my share of encounters with Mr. Zito [Proviso folks called him Jimmy, but not to his face], both good and bad, while he was climbing the corporate ladder. If he worked with you, he’d never forget you.)
Carl: I have a good guess but won’t spoil fun for other guessers.
The first thing that comes to mind is DM&E/IC&E?
C&O