What year did the SP give up the Black Widow schemes and start using the Scarlet/grey on their diesels. Thanks
The Espee began experimenting with different paint schemes in 1958. The Black Widow color scheme had too many different colors and maskings to make it a low cost paint job. After going through a black and orange Halloween phase the railroad settled on the bloody nose paint scheme. The first unit to get the paint was F7A #6378. This unit was on the cover of the Fall 1958 edition of Espee employee’s magazine.
The black widow scheme could be seen at least until the very late 1960s because it took many years for all the locomotives could be repainted.
Mark
I regret that I don’t have any information to add, but just wanted to say that it’s funny you should bring this topic up because it just so happens I’ve got an SP F-7 black widow A,B,B set pulling a freight consist on my layout right now. It’s my all time favorite paint scheme of any road…
“Long live Southern Pacific!” (Even if it is only in our hearts and memories.)
Tracklayer
The last locomotive SP received in black widow colors was #5865, a high-nosed Alco RS11. That was in August 1959. That marks the end of an era (and my period for acquiring SP models).
Mark
The first new locomotives SP received in gray and scarlet colors were under order #P-1068, starting with #5800. They were EMD GP9s received March and April 1959. That’s odd: order #P-1069 was for the black-widowed Alcos mentioned above, received August 1959.
Mark