Honestly, heritage paint schemes do nothing for me

Hey listen gang, I LIKE the “Heritage” paint schemes. It sure beats what we’ve got here in the Richmond Va. area. All you see around here is Norfolk-Southern basic black, which certainly is utilitarian but hardly inspiring, and CSX’s “Bright Future” and “Dark Future” paint jobs accented with varying degrees of rust and road crud. Look, since all the personality a diesel locomotive has comes out of a paint can, why not be creative?

To add a bit, remember when UP added the wings on the nose and the CNW-style Z stripe along the top of the long hood? I believe the driving force behind the change was CNW ex-pat, Mike Iden. He’s now the head motive power guy at UP, I believe, and a bit of a railfan. So, I view the UP’s heritage paint schemes as more than just trademark protection.

CTA also had a heritage livery: http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/gallery/images/2000/cta2008.jpg It is based on the original colors of the South Side Rapid Transit in 1892.

Strongly agree, makes the chase even more exciting when railfanning in various parts of the country.

Are you kidding me?! That has to be a joke. NONE of the personality comes from a paint can. It comes from the engine itself…duh.

Unfortunately, modern diesels have no personality. I remember when I was a kid, about 1946. I used to go to Church with my grandmother down on Third Street. Our timing was such that a Pennsylvainia T-1 was pulling a passenger train up the approach to the MacArthur bridge.

I normally don’t like streamlined steam engines, but the T-1 had so many moving parts and was moving so fast up the approach that I half expected it to take off and fly to New York.

That’s personality.

Plenty of personality in today’s engines.

But the people who use them get to experience moreso than the casual observer.

Like heck they don’t have personality today.

Right on that…and the best place to witness that is on a grade involving heavy double stack tonnage and maybe some superelevated curves…such as CP’s Galt sub just west of Toronto…

I can also remember a trio of IHB SW7’s working their guts out on a long load of coils past Hammond Tower.

If you’re riding on/running a locomotive, that’s true.

But if you’re trackside looking at another SD70 or AC4400CW (or four) going by, they’re all the same. Unless you fan an area that keeps the same locomotive around most of the time, what’s going by is just a crapshoot. So any visual variation is welcome.

Used to get excited when I’d see a western-origin coal train show up here with Soo or WC power…

Always the same but always good…the type of motive power isn’t what captivates me…it is the sheer size and power involved… the total visual and accoustic experience…

Nope, sorry boys, but I’ve got to stick with what I said. NOTHING beats the sheer theatricality of a steam engine getting under way, diesels don’t come close. They’re interesting, better than nothing even, but just not the same. The Maestro himself, Linn Moedinger of the Strasburg Railroad said it best: “A diesel has no soul.”

Can’t disagree - got this on one video myself (but neither of these):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASY9taoksK0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-rdm13Qb_o&feature=related

But until CSX starts running Mohawks and Hudsons up the St Lawrence Sub and on the Chicago Line, I’ve gotta live with Diesels.

Wouldn’t mind having one on the Adirondack, but there’s this slight concern about forest fires…

To tree68, thanks for posting those links to the Train Festival videos. NOW maybe the diesel fans will get what I’m talkin’ about!

Quite a bit of personality here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ubRfejpJ4&feature=related

Great sound quality if you turn it up. Diesels have lots of personality when they are working hard.

Are you kidding me? A cream and green Mac has a hell of a lot more personality than anything in Armor Yellow.

Dumb.

Thats some fightin words.

Really. how many different freight locos are in production for North American users? 4? At least paint offers some variation in what goes by.