Just want to show this incredible picture to you all. I also want to ask why there is three different paint shemes?
That’s funny. Three different schemes.
Allan.
The picture doesn’t come up for me. You have a link?
Doesn’t come up for me either.
I’m working on it, soon…
OK, try it now.
The photo has been there for me since you first posted it. Dave
I think there was a problem with the geocities page. The picture disappeared for me too. It’s now on my Photobucket. And you also have the original link to the picture.
The locomotives were purchased at different times. There’s a lot more different paint schemes running the rails if you look for them.
Here’s another train with three different paint schames.
Do you mean that they often change paint shemes? I ask this question because the locos looks the same age to me.
Engines can last a long time. This different paint sacheme phenomenon is more pronounced with BNSF than with other railroads. There are still old BN green ones out there, as well as Santa Fe blue and yellow. After the merger, there were a number of of different schemes tried in a short period. Paint isn’t important to the railroad, working locomotives are.
Thanks for the great answer. I think I understand now.
You’re welcome. It does make modeling more colorful.[swg]
Unless you model the Penn Central around 1968. All of our engines (with the exception of the MTA FL9s and some NH units, were all black 
True. Railroads can’t afford to paralize their entire fleet so the locos can be repainted, they must do it slowly an engine at a time to keep operations smooth. If the locos are new, they’ll come out of the shop with the new scheme, old ones must wait their turn to be repainted. A rescheming porocess like BNSF’s could take years, even decades, specially if they’ve changed schemes about 6 times in 10 years. Some really busy locos must work with their old dress until they have some spare time to waste at the painting shop. Some other locos, are just too old to be repainted; by the time they have the chance to be repainted, they will be long retired, so railroads just leave them with the old scheme.
One thing that we modelers have to keep in mind, is that in the real world paint is mostly a protective coating for the metal. What it looks like is not particularly important.
If the railroad likes an old model of locomotive, and chooses to rebuild it instead of buying new, it can come out of the shops with fresh paint.
If I’m not mistaken, this is the case of the switchers on the left of this photo. They are no newer than the ones on the right. Also note the two Santa Fe’s pulling the train on the next track, in pre merger paint. This photo was taken a couple of months ago.
Elliot, is that photo from 44th over Northtown Yard? For some reason thats what my mind tells me.
Maybe I should restate that: It CAN make modeling more colorful. [swg]
NS isn’t much better.[:0][;)]
Bingo, good eye Yoshi.[tup]
Here’s one looking south.
Yay, the hump!
Hmmmm…
Nice slug.
Brad