I may purchase a U-50 that has been custom painted to UP colours…is it prototypical?Thanks.
Yes
http://www.worldrailfans.info/Articles/US/DoubleDiesels.shtml
http://utahrails.net/up/diesels/up-diesel-story-1934-1982-d.php
No question about that, I built them in the 70’s for U.P… And I mean the 1:1 type not models, I work at GE.
The original U50, with a B-B-B-B wheel arrangement was operated as UP 31-53 and SP 9900-9902.
There was a later model, the U50C, on C-C trucks with 2 FDL12 engines. They operated as UP 5000-5039.
To put it simply, UP owned all but 3 of the U50s ever produced. SP owned 3 original
4-truck U50s and UP owned both that model and all the U50Cs. Technically, the
U50C was not successful. They were notorious for high-voltage wiring fires
and were retired within 7 years of being built.