I’m currently prepping several locomotives to be painted in Reading colors. I’ll be using both of the later paint schemes on the appropriate engines. I remember many years ago…about 1976, seeing a photo in Trains mag of Reading engines shot from the bridge that crossed through the middle of Rutherford yard and road numbers were visible on the cab roof of at least one engine. Since I cannot find the photo and also checking rrpicture archives I don’t have a clue as to what locomotives on the Reading carried the number on the cab roof. I grew up with the Reading in Reading and don’t recall seeing roof numbers. Is anyone here familiar with this practice on the Reading? And what units had them?
Two classes of Reading Company diesels had cab roof numbers, the SW 1001 and the GP 40-2.
The factory painted GP 39-2 did not have the cab roof numbers. The switcher and road switcher classes repainted by Reading Company shops did not have the cab roof numbers. Wrecked SW 1500 2763 was repainted all green at ICG Paducah, it did not get a cab roof number.
Look at Dale Woodland’s Diesels of the Reading Company Part 2 and Robert Gottschall’s Reading Railroad Green Machines for a complete look at these. Check photos before applying decals.
I wasn’t certain. I often saw the GP40-2’s pulling the ore train in from the Grace mine in downtown Reading, but never noticed roof numbers. But when your 13-14 years old, you don’t always notice details like that.
I do thank you for the info. I have a pair of GP40-2’s in the works.
Are those the Atlas GP 40-2’s? I have the CR ex RDG and the RDG ones. They are great running loco’s
The RDG GP 40-2 paint jobs have some minor variation unit to unit. For example the rectangular head light box on the rear was painted green on some, yellow on others that is why I suggested looking at photo’s. Good luck.
The last engines purchased by the RDG and delivered in the solid green scheme were the MP15’s,SW1001’s,Gp39-2’s &40-2’s.The 39’s and 15’s did not have roof numbers, the 1001’s and 40’s did.All the numbers were applied width wise and the bottom of the numbers faced forward.One exception in the application appears on 40-2 3671.The bottom of the number faces towards the rear of the unit.On the Atlas units the roof numbers are correctly applied except for 3671’s.
According to the RCT&HS Bee Line magazine summer 1982 Vol.IV,No.III all the RDG repaints received roof numbers. Photo evidence shows that some of the numbers were applied length wise and not width wise as on the 1001’s and 40-2’s.In Robert Gottsschall’s book on page 3 you can just make out the roof number applied length wise to SW 900 1519.I modeled GP7 614 and a RCT&HS member sent me a picture that clearly shows the roof number application.Currently the RCT&HS is working on restoring GP35 3640 to the final green scheme.In one of the pictures you can see the roof numbers showing through the Conrail blue paint.The RDG units repainted:
You mean for all these years I have been under the wrong impression on the repainted units? Now I have to go back and paint cab roof numbers? What about wreck rebuild/repaint SW 1500 2763?
Additionally your model photo’s show the bottom of the number faces the engineers side on the units where the roof number runs front to rear. Is this what you have seen with the photos of the EMD switchers (except 2716)? What about 3640 side to side or front to back?
I guess we can blame the black road dust that covers these units and our low angle when photographing them. At least that is my excuse!
The GP40-2’s I’ll be doing in Reading are Athearns. The rad grilles are incorrect. They should be chicken wire type to be accurate…but they are the corrugated mesh and I don’t plan on the cab roof rain gutters.
I was very much a purest 20+ years ago and would made them as accurate as possible but these days some of the effects of getting older are slowing me down…arthritis in particular. So I go for simplicity.
According to The RDG RR Green Machines by Robert Gottschall the last 3 units released in the new paint were; Sw1200m 2714 12/31/73,GP35 3640 8/26/74 and SW1500 2763 8/30/74.I believe these dates will help with the proper placement of the roof numbers.The Sw1001’s & 40-2’s were delivered in late 73 and came with roof numbers. The MP15’s & 39-2’s came to the RDG late in 74 without the roof numbers.Both the 73/74 deliveries occurred in December,accordingly, 2763 was the last repaint 8/74.I modeled an Athearn unit and after some discussion on another forum some of the old timers said they seen the roof numbered.The 1001’s & 40-2’s had their nos. width wise across the cab with the bottom of the nos.facing forward,the exception,3671 no. faced rearward.Photo evidence shows that on 2714 the no. was applied width wise and centered on the roof.3640’s no. was applied just like on 40-2’s 3672/73/74/75.
SW 1519 9/6/72 photo indicates the no. was applied length wise with the bottom of the no.towards the engineer’s side of the cab.
RS3 449 10/9/72 haven’t found a photo of the roof area.
SW1200 2716 5/4/73 no photo I modeled this unit using a Proto offering.I applied the roof no. but after researching other units I believe the number should be length wise and not width wise.
GP7 614 6/6/73 photo supports the application as on 1519
SW1200m 2712 6/16/73 no photo
NW2 104 9/19/73 I know I’ve seen a photo of this.I’ll continue looking through my collection.
SW1200m 2711 11/9/73 In Holton’s book The RDG RR Vol.2 on page 348 there’s a picture of 2711 at Rupert Pa. the no.is applied length wise as discribed above.
It seems that with the delivery of the 1001’s and 40-2’s that the RDG shifted the lengthwise application to the widthwise application on the final three repaints mentioned in the previous post.
What Reading Green and Reading Yellow can we use now that it seems Polly Scale and Floquil no longer carry a part number for these? I was just looking at the Modeltrainstuff website and they do not show it.
Since I have a small amount of Reading green and yellow by Floquil/Polly S, I’m planning on going to an automotive paint supplier in the area,take samples and do a color match, and see what they can do. I just finished painting a Reading U30C and am pleased with the results. I intend on doing quite a few more Reading units.