okay. i’m very, very confused. I’ve been doing research, and i’m stumped as to the whole orange vs. yellow coloring. Reading on drgw.org, the only thing that mentions the difference in color is that the GP40’s that it bought from Conrail were painted darker. And in every prototype photo i can find, everything else is painted in the yellow.
However, EVERYTHING Athearn has put out is in the orange. The only engines painted in the yellow are from Atlas and Kato, and they’re all in the small lettering of pre-1969. This doesn’t make any sense at all.
Am I missing something?
This is SOOOO effing confusing, because I’m trying to establish a roster, and i want to be as accurate as possible, but I so am not going to strip and repaint my engines…
does anyone have any insight here? argaragahgahghghafheoafehfepawoifaespoi2!!!
edit: After doing more digging, I’ve found that Atlas makes/made engines in both colors. They have GP40’s in both colors, which is prototypically correct and lettering sizes, according to road #. I actually bought a GP40 today, although unfortunately it is the small lettering one, which i don’t want. However, i’m comparing equal quality pictures, and the Athearn color is sliiiightly darker than the Atlas yellow.
GAHHH!!! effing… stupid train makers. WHY CAN"T THEY BE THE SAAAAME.
i think ive found the answer to my questions now… but i remember earlier tonight that the color difference between my Athearns and the new Atlas to be markedly different… so I’m going to have to check it later.
By yellow do you mean the Aspen Gold used on passenger cars? By orange do you mean the heavy orange used on the large speed lettering for the black locomotives?
You, Atlas, and Athearn are not the only ones confused. Also remember when checking photographs the color is not a fixed thing. Depending on the lighting conditions, exposure, and processing the colors can come out anyway one wants. I once had a processor change my photo of a blue flower into a yellow flower. Check out the three distinct yellow gold/orange colors in these models from Proto-2000 (the PA), Intermountain, and Genesis. That is not a fluke of the photo, they really are three different colors.
If you really want a puzzle check out and try to find the prototype color for the green used on the nose under the windshields.
I think the real answer is that the yellow/gold color faded getting more and more yellowish as time took its toll. Sort of like a faded BNSF unit looks very UP yellow.
What I’ve been able to find out of the D&RGW’s units is that the ‘Aspen Gold’ was used up to their SD40T-2’s. A much darker (rather Orange) colour was used on the SD50’s and was named ‘Anschutz Orange’ after Phil Anschutz.
Because Rio Grande didn’t do everything the same, and they wouldn’t be model manufacturers if they did everything the same. An excellent resource is UtahRails’ article on the subject:
Texas Zephyr is right–the Rio Grande Aspen Gold tended to fade in use. I’ve got some color photographs of Rio Grande F-units from various periods, and there are at least 3 shades of ‘yellow’ between the photographs.
I also have a Technicolor copy of a film called DENVER AND RIO GRANDE which begins with contemporary (1952) shots of Rio Grande diesel power, showing everything from black and yellow F-3’s to the silver w/yellow nose PA’s. The difference in shading is very noticeable.
Frankly, I wouldn’t worry about it too much–if someone notices a difference in the shading on your various Rio Grande diesels, just mention that it’s the Colorado sun, LOL! When Rio Grande decided on the black and orange scheme, most of the fading problem of the basic colors went away. But Aspen Gold could appear to be everything from a yellow-orange to a pale yellow.
