Here are the photos of IAIS ES44AC 510 in black, red, and yellow paint! Taken by Jeff Carlson, not me. Just wanted to post the links so people could see them!
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1308483
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1308482
Enjoy!
Chase Z.
Edit note - the forums will not hyperlink the links today for some reason - you’ll have to copy & paste this time… [sigh]
That works.
Meh.
The red and black are classy, but a lot of blank black there. Looks like CSX with a swoosh of red.
But I’m sure the crews will absolutely love the quietness and comfort of them. (except when they do that violent shuddering before they shut down)
When I first saw the pictures I thought the same thing that a few of the commenters on the photos said - the red stripe should go all the way back, and they need black stripes on the rear end. But I like the zig-zag and nose logo!
The text and stripe is too small… It should take up more of the side of the long hood. It looks like someone used N Scale decals on an HO Scale model![swg]
It perplexes me as to why they wouldn’t order rear ditch lights on them. It’s not hard to do, so why not. At least they would be there.
Never thought these “regional shortlines” would have major league units like that.
My opinion is that is a fine looking locomotive. Then again, I prefer black for locos.
The Rock Island form on the nose is somewhat of a mystery. What do they plan to do with it? Also, I think the stripe should be straight. It’s more conservative that way. But overall, it’s a good job.
I saw another shot of the 510 with a freshly-painted KCS unit in the background. I’ve heard that KCS doesn’t really use black on their units, but they did look like distant cousins!
IAIS uses the Rock Island profile for its own logo. It looks like it’s going to be quite a bit larger on these units.
The new NS ES44ACs will reportedly be missing rear ditchlights as well. Reason being that they are piggybacked onto the Chessie order. But they are intent on retrofitting them once GE offers a kit (from what I’ve been told).
So I wonder if htese are CSX piggybacks as well, or 100% IAIS?
I can’t imagine a shortline/regional not equipping their locos to run in either direction. The ditchlights (and perhaps a rear snowplow) will come, I’m sure.
I think the strip looks fine - extending it would carry it across the louvered doors.
I do agree the rear end needs something. Maybe it’ll get a herald, too.
Wow I lke it , it is claasy and looks great Larry
Hmm… I’ve never seen a widecab GE running backwards… Not much visibility with such a long hood. Although I bet NS runs GE’s like that backwards… [:-^]
All of Iowa Interstate’s current engines have rear ditch lights, and they do run them long hood forward sometimes, even on the road trains. I would hate to have to try looking ahead all the way from Blue Island to Rock Island with those big radiators blocking part of the view. I think they look good, but they should’ve extended the stripe all the way through like they did with all their previous engines. I also think they should’ve put the black chevron stripes on tha back like what they did with all their current engines.
Keep in mind that the logo on the nose was yet to be applied, so it’s possible that striping of some sort might yet be added to the rear, too. I agree with you, Robby, that the stripe should have gone through to the rear, to make it more like the other IAIS units.
I can’t visualize the railroad buying units like these to be used in any service that requires just one unit (they would have gone for units like the PTRA has, and more of them). Ditch lights on the rear, if required, could easily have been added to the order even if it were an add-on to someone else’s order.
Come to think of it, has GE ever done this before, with add-ons? I’ve heard of it being done at GM, but can’t think of any GE orders where this happened.
Maybe one reason that the striping wasn’t carried to the rear of the locomotive is that appyling vinyl decals over louvers or openings of any kind is a costly and time consuming process.
IAIS has entered the big leagues! I like the way it looks.
I’ve heard rumors IAIS plans to use the GEVOs in pairs on the road trains (BICB and CBBI), but nothing official, but I can easily see them replacing 4 GP38-2s with two GEVOs. On the official IAIS site it said when they bought them that one GEVO could replace three GP38-2s or SD38-2s. I’m not sure if that is still up. It will look good when the nose logo is applied, they are using a lot bigger nose logos than on any current engine. I like how they are giving the front and back a yellow dip job very similar to Rock Island, but the back would look better with stripes or another IAIS logo. One thing is for sure, there is no doubt Iowa is doing pretty well business-wise with these new GEVOs. They are still a great railway and a very classy operation.
I think the engine looks excellent. I was hoping they’d stick with the same paint scheme, and they did. True, it is a little different, but I think just little updates to the paint scheme makes it look a lot better without scrapping it completely. Actually, when you think about it, just about every Class I has done small “updates” to their old paint scheme to what they have today. Like UP with the wings, lightning stripe, and the flag - or the BNSF with black and the new “swoosh” - or Norfolk Southern with the horsehead logo and the white across the number boards.
Some other rumors that have appeared on the IAIS list.
They are equipped for distributed power operation. I’ve also heard they will be used in pairs on ethanol trains.
There is a rumor that the UP lost the contract for Powder River coal going to ADM at Cedar Rapids, IA to the BNSF/IAIS. Supposedly this will mean about 3 loaded trains per week beginning sometime next year.
We will have to wait and see.
Jeff