So, this came up in the trains locomotive forum, and I’ve had the discussion many times before, figured maybe someone here knows an answer.
I know the following ATSF scheme names
Cat Whiskers (fan name?)
Warbonnet
Tiger Stripe
Bookend/Freight (Bookend is a fan name?)
Yellowbonnet and Bluebonnet
Superfleet.
But what is the name for the Yellow and Blue bonnet scheme introduced in 1972? I’ve had people tell me that Texas ATSF crews called it Cub Scout, but that’s not a universal name. I’ve had people call it yellow or blue bonnet, but those names refer to specific F-unit schemes. Did ATSF have a name for it?
Good question. I cannot find any referance to a specific ‘name’ …I’ve read “a very attractive blue and yellow scheme” and numerous referances calling it the Bluebonnet or Yellowbonnet, which you correctly identify as being specific to F Units.
Here is one article you may or may not have seen.
Freight
Diesels used as switchers between 1935 and 1960 were painted black, with just a thin white or silver horizontal accent stripe (the sills were painted similarly). The letters “A.T.& S.F.” were applied in a small font centered on the sides of the unit, as was the standard blue and white “Santa Fe” box logo. After World War II, diagonal white or silver stripes were added to the ends and cab sides to increase the visibility at grade crossings (typically referred to as the Zebra Stripe scheme). “A.T.& S.F.” was now placed along the sides of the unit just above the accent stripe, with the blue and white “Santa Fe” box logo below.
Due to the lack of abundant water sources in the American desert, the Santa Fe Railway was among the first railroads to receive large numbers of streamlined diesel locomotives for use in freight service, in the form of the EMD FT. For the first group of FTs, delivered between December, 1940 and March, 1943 (#100–#119), the railroad selected a color scheme consisting of dark blue accented by a pale yellow stripe up the nose, and pale yellow highlights around the cab and along the mesh and framing of openings in the sides of the engine
Since you have access to ATSF paint-shop information that documents the “Super Fleet” name: exactly what is the orthography (capitalization and spacing) of the word ‘Superfleet’ as they use it? That would then be the thing to standardize all discussions of “Cooper Black-lettered ‘Warbonnet’ paint” around.
Still grateful to have the Grinstein-green/Executive scheme ambiguity properly resolved. (I had been on the ‘wrong side’ of that usage for years – curse you, slipshod railfans!)
For some reason the term “freight bonnet” comes to mind looking at the blue as well as yellow schemes, but that would almost certainly be a railfan-derived name. Is there not something on the respective paint diagrams for them that is used to denote this, or is the only real thing ‘different’ the choice of paint between yellow or blue without formally defining the two schemes as different?
Please post the link here that you put in the other post, as it’s valuable.