I was undefr the impression until today that after Anschutz baught the SP, the D&RGW.SSW names were immiditely dropped. Yet I’ve seen pictures of RIo Grande GP60s freshly painted in the '90s. Furthermore, In Brian Solomon’s book Southern Pacific Railroad He says that both names were dropped after 1992. So, just out of curiosity, were they still painting locomotives in D&RGW and SSW paint/lettering after the merger?
If so I had no idea…
Locomotives were delivered in SSW and DRGW paint as late as 1990 (Rio Grande Industries bought SP in 1988). Sometime after SP switched to Speed Lettering (1991) they started to paint SSW and DRGW locomotives in SP paint.
Cotton Belt power has been painted in SP colors since at least the 1950’s but was lettered for Cotton Belt. Maybe it was lettered for SP after 1991.
The last SSW painted GP60 was delivered in 1990 and was the 9713. The last SSW painted locomotive was GP40M-2 7293, also in 1990. Starting from the 7294 and running through 7105 (the next unit after 7299 was 7100 since the 7300 series was assigned to SD40Es), units were painted for SP but in the Roman block lettering of old.
7106 was the first speed lettered unit delivered - this unit had smaller speed lettering than later units. GP60s delivered in 1991, starting with 9714, were all speed lettered. Any new unit from that point on was received that way, and repaints were also speed lettered.
The D&RGW GP60s were tacked on to the end of an SSW order, possibly the 9665-9713 order, delivered in 1990.
The last SSW GP60 was actually SSW 9714.
http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/gp60_photos/9714_ssw-gp60-rob_sarberenyi.jpg
You’re correct. I got my #s mixed up.