It strikes me as incredibly disrespectful to the American flag if a railroad locomotive with very large “Old Glory” decals on it roams the system chronically unwashed, totally filthy, and covered with grime. Is this view too narrow and the odd man out, or does the majority of the forum have similar sentiments?
i understand where your coming from…but you have to keep in mind… regardless of what decal is on the locomotive…its going to get dirty, they are out and about in all weather almost 24/7… and a pull in car wash arnt evey other mile along the railroad like they are in towns for your personal car… unless you want to pay out of your own pocket to wash evey last one of the UP locos with the flag on them… they will get dirty…and stay dirty untill the get cleaned at some point down the road… washing locomotives costs money just like washing your personal car is going to cost you money…either with the water bill at home or paying the quarters at a car wash… insted of complaining about them being dirty…just be happy that UP spent the money on old glory decals in the first place…
csx engineer
Groan, not another railfan “it ain’t puurdy enuff…”
Well said CSX-eng,
LC
Look at the percentages. If the railroad has clean Old Glories on 99% of the locomotives and dirty on 1%, it shows the railroad is trying and cannot be criticised.
Groan, not another "criticize UP over anything because they merged someone’s beloved: put your RR’s name here " out of existence…is it[?]
If you are talking of the UPRR personally I think they should get kudos for displaying the flag on their locos. That is more then other class 1 RRs are doing from what I have seen in my recent rail fan adventures. [:o)][:p][:)]
[quote]
Originally posted by K. P. Harrier
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CP uses the Canadian flag on their locomotives and they get really dirty at times. I have not heard of a single Canadian griping about it though; probably because there is more important things to gripe about.
The other choice would be not displaying the flag. I’ll settle for dirty. My personal vehicle isn’t always pristene…
Now those folks with a tattered rag on their flagpoles - that’s another story.
The Union Pacific “Building America” logo is very nice. Union Pacific did a great job painting the flags on their engines, however, it it hard for them to keep all of their engines clean and nice all the time. I am sure that Union Pacific tries to keep their engines clean, but it is almost impossible to keep every engine clean.
If a company erects a flagpole to display the American flag, I believe it is recognized common proper tradition that a raised flag thereon be lowered and removed from the pole at night, unless that pole was accompanied with burning night floodlights. Just because a firm cannot afford floodlights doesn’t negate its responsibility to remove the flag at night. Likewise, I believe that if a railroad wants to display patriotism with large decaled flags, it has the obligation to keep those flags clean, irregardless of the expense. If it finds that it cannot fully fulfill its obligations because of cost-prohibitiveness, immediate corrective action is in order before that it itself becomes cost-prohibitive.
I can agree with that. But then, I also agree with Tree68.
Personally, I think you have way too much time on your hands. It’s a decal!
Mook
Listen, to the people out there who are blabbing about the locomotives being dirty, stop complaining about the stupidist thing out there to complain about.
1.) Like other people have been saying, BE HAPPY THEY TOOK THE TIME/MONEY TO PUT THE FLAG ON THEIR LOCOMOTIVES…they could of spent the money on other things, like more railcars or something…but they were nice enough to spend there company money by putting an american flag on their locomotives.
2.) Also, another thing, if the locomotive is dirty it shows that they are tuff working americans and they dont rest until their job is done.
I dont even think they should have flags on every units. Maybe do a WC and put it under the cab, but now them units dont even say “Union Pacific” anywear except the logo.
Alec
Mook:
So, you think I have too much time on my hands, do you?
Haven’t you noticed I’m absent from the forum weeks at a time? I have no time, except for a little foolishness today!
My wife just cannot understand how I can come up with so many weird things. YOU ARE NOT MY WIFE, ARE YOU?
If so, which one? I have one in the 6th century B.C., one in George Washington’s time, one in the present, five in the 22nd century when men almost became extinct, and one in the 24th century.
And, for the record, how could anyone with that many wives have too much time on their hands?
PS: Has anyone ever thought what patriotism must be like when living in so many different centuries simultaneously? A simple confusing of when one is at can make patriotism unpatriotism!
Ouch!
It’s a freakin decal…and if not mistaken, a reflective one…
…no dishonor to the flag and more than having a flag sticker on your car and the car being dirty…
It shows pride and support. It’s a good thing…
I agree. Better to have a dirty flag DECAL than none at all. [8D]
[#ditto]
You guys are way too hard on the UP it is the thought that counts. They are dispaying they love the USA. To keep it clean you would almost need a wash at the end of every long tunnel. We should be proud of them. If you have a flag bumper sticker on your car should you have to buy flood lights? If you don’t or your car gets dirty are you now dishonoring the country you are trying to proclaim you love? I love the paint scheme the more we see of old glory the better.
James[C):-)]
Now I am no UP fan (and not because they merged some fallen flag out of existence) but I have to defend them here. The big Old Glory is the one thing I do like about that railroad. I have noticed though that most of the locomotives I see running up the East Bay line from San Jose to Oakland are filthier than Pigpen from Peanuts. But I don’t see a dirty flag decal as disrespectful.
Now I saw a UP SD60M in San Luis Obispo with graffiti on its fuel tank. THAT was disrespectful.