I am currently planning a model railroad layout and I would like to do a Seaboard Air Line layout, but I want the era to be mid '70s. Well, I recently learned via Wikipedia that the Seaboard Air Line merged with Atlantic Coast Line and became the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967. Now, would this mean that the Seaboard Air Line engines were already retired or converted to SCL / L&N engines by the seventies?
I live in South Georgia where the CSX line now runs through. When I was a kid, it was the L&N Line and then converted to CSX after 1986. After that I can’t recall ever seeing the gray L&N engines on the line again. That’s why I wonder, because I really like the SAL Diesel engines, preferably the E7 (or possibly E9) engine. I also have a few pieces of SAL rolling stock and I’d hate to know that they would no longer be in use in the mid '70s.
Generally, after a merger, locos will be repainted in the new livery during their next shop maintenance period. If the railroad has a repainting schedule, then they will usually stick to it, converting paint schemes during the scheduled repainting.
If the merger is planned, those locomotives currently in maintenance will usually be repainted in the new livery to be ready on the day the merger is effective, or shortly thereafter.
During the NYC/Pensy/NH to Penn Central to Conrail merger / transformation. It was not uncommon to see locos in 3 or 4 different liveries on the same consist. Similarly with the ATSF / BN merger.
Depending on how well the merger was planned, the new railroad may start with an excess of motive power, so many locomotives might be laid up when the merger goes into effect. Unless the power of one of the partners is significantly newer than the others, the new fleet would likely be a mixture of the two, rather than retiring all the locos of one road. Generally, railroads will keep anthing that might be useful in revenue service hanging around.
I don’t know the specifics of the ACL / Seaboard merger, but I would think that it would be prototypical to have all 3 paint schemes in use, and older rolling stock, with the old paint schemes hanging around. You might want to paint over the reporting marks and add new ones in clean letters / decals, to indicate the recent change of ownership, but larger markings would remain intact.
I live in central Florida the heart of the SAL ACL rairoads and I think you would be OK up to about 1972 after that most everyhing was painted SCL. It would be OK to have a few SAL locos especially yard switchers with very worn paint schemes alongside newer SCL diesels. Also you could mix the cabooses and freight cars. Every now and then you can find old SAL boxcars in yards.
Always wonderful seeing a fellow southeastern modeler! [8D][tup] I model the Seaboard Coast Line from the 1967-74 time period. My freight rolling stock includes cars from the L&N, ACL, SAL, and Southern. I’m also modeling SCL’s passenger service (before Amtrak of course-May 71) with Walthers Budd and Pullman Standard streamliners.
A great number of SAL and ACL locomotives made it into the SCL, including the E-units. Since SCL was partnered with L&N, it was not uncommon to see L&N locomotives roaming SCL’s system, including as far south as Miami, Florida. During the late 70s I saw (and photographed a few) a good number ex-SAL and ex-ACL freight cars. Most that I saw were covered hoppers and 50ft boxcars (with worn paint). I also remember seeing ACL and SAL 40ft boxcars stored in Tampa Yard, awaiting their turn for the scrapper, however some 40 footers could still be found on mainline service as late as 1977, So you would not be out of place at all if you have a number of pre-merger cars on an SCL era layout. So relax!
I could give you enough info to fill up a book here, but my suggestion is that you join the Yahoo ACL-SAL-SCL Forum group. I’m a member as well. Not putting this forum down, but you will literally get a wealth of information on these roads and equipment and, if you request, on the L&N as well. Two well known members, Warren Calloway and Stan Jakowski frequently post color photos from the 1960s of locomotives and rolling stock.
BTW:
Cool factor about modeling the SCL is that while so many railroads in the US were experiencing financial solubility problems in the early 70s, SCL was financially soli
You could probably have SCL, SAL, SAL paint with SCL lettering, and ACL. L&N, Family Lines, and Clinchfield gray & Clinchfield black could also show up in that time frame. Stretch a little later to get Seaboard System. But mostly what I recall seeing in the early 70s was SCL black & yellow.
You could model the former Seaboard Air Line ATLANTA-BIRMINGHMAN mainline in POWDER SPRINGS, GEORGIA as it was in the 1970’s. It is now the SILVER COMET TRAIL which is a linear PARK from Smyrna, GA to Cedartown, GA and beyond on the former SAL Railroad right of way. The SCT is named after the former SAL passenger train the SILVER COMET. There was a two mile long passing siding at Powder Springs, GA from Carter Road to Old Lost Mountain Road just located off the current Powder Springs Road and Richard Sailors Parkway. Powder Springs, GA is near the SAL 592 milepost from Richmond, VA. David Briel in Georgia
If I remember correctly, the SCL relettered most (if not all) locomotives within the first year of existence. So by 1969, you would probably not see any locos lettered for the ACL or the SAL.
When the Family Lines started in '72 with the L&N, the SCL and L&N used their normal schemes until the yellow/red stripped units in the late 70’s.
Just to piggyback off of Chuck. One cool factor that makes SCL a colorful railroad to model is that many ex-Seaboard Airline locomotives were “relettered” into SCL, however, they retained their former paint schemes into the early 70s. These units were known as “split image” locomotives.
Here are a couple of model samples from the Jacksonville Terminal group’s website:
SCL did not continue its own passenger service. I knew one switchman who quit SCL to join Amtrak in some non-operating capacity… Like me, and unlike most others, he was a college graduate. SCL continued to provide operating crew.
I was employed in the Hialeah yard of SCL from 1971 to 1975 as a switchman and transferred to road service as a trainman and eventually became a conductor. During the depression of 1975, I found employment as a switchman at US Sugar Corporation in Clewiston and was a conductor the second sugar season on the dump yard jobs.
Ask and I’ll try to help you with any detailed information from that era.
Might be a bit off topic but why not move your time back a few years to say 1966 or 1967 just prior to the merger? It would seem that nearly all of your rolling stock and motive power as well as industries would still be there and possibly more of them. 1966 was a big year for EMD and Alco was still a viable company as well. Quite possibly the things you fondly remember from the later time may still be available in the earlier time frame, however just newer and cleaner.