I don’t know the correct name for the color, I just reffer to it as Rock Island Blue, but can you tell me what year they started using this on engines, and what was the engines that got it first. Also can you tell me what all engine got this color, and what years they recieved it? I know this is a lot to ask, so I don’t expect it to be a perfect answer. Thanks a bunch.
Rock Island started using Blue and White in 1975. The first engine was a GP-7 that had just been shopped. The RI was rebuilding their GP-7/9 at the time. I read somewhere that after the paint scheme change some geeps where painted in red/yellow, but were later repainted blue/white. Except for those first few, all later rebuilds were blue/white. Other units that received heavy shop work also would be repainted. One GP-40 came out with a blue/white cab and nose and retained the red/yellow long hood.
All the GP-38-2 received new were delivered in the blue/white. I think all freight models, except for the GP-35 and possibly the GP-18 had at least one blue/white repaint.
They also painted lots of freight cars trying to clean up their image, but it was all in vein, since the Rock gave it up in '80. I still miss that RR [:(]
http://www.rockisl.com/ for all your Rock Island needs.This site is hosted by a great guy named Jeff Prince.He has all the info you need.Plus a few oddballs like the 4710(mentioned above as the red yellow blue white mix)Has some very nice photos and history about the Rock.Yes a lot of cars got the repaint as well as sad deal too bad the government had to get involved(we wont get into that here its too hot to get my blood boiling)But Zach my man this town isnt the same since we lost that mighty fine road.(give you an idea where I am[}:)][;)][:-^])and no the IAIS doesnt cut it.BTW Zach what part of SE MO I was born in W Plains.
I have heard some one call it “ferrington blue” i think is what it was but i have always known it to be just Rock Blue. I have painted a few locos in this paint job and i am working on a U25B now. LONG LIVE THE ROCK!!!
p.s. hello jeff!!
Ingram Blue maybe we wont say B word blue thats not right.
Ingram thats it i get the two confused all the time. And yes we wont mention the b word. LONG LIVE THE ROCK!!!
route_rock, I’m near Poplar Bluff. LONG LIVE THE ROCK!!!
Love that area.Granted I havent been "Home"in a long long time.And yes long live the Rock and any thats running her rails now!(hehehehe mine included)
I always take note of any Rock Island car in a train’s consist. It always surprises me that the Rock’s been gone for over 20 years, and yet there’s still a number of blue “Route Rock” box cars and covered hoppers still around, plus a few cars with the older Rock Island speed lettering surviving as well.
Btw- does UP still roster any RI GP40s that were returned to the UP when the Rock gave up the ghost? And whatever happened to Ingram?
One of my best friends lives along the line where the Rocky Mountain Rocket ran many years ago. It’s an hour away. As close as a few years ago this line was down to 5 mph, but he says that they have done some trackwork their and beefed it up to 25-30 mph.
PS, thanks for all of the info, I defenently am going to have the RI interchange with my BN layout now.
The ingram blue doesn’t work on that site.
Have no fear just go to paint schemes and then it will give you all the Rock Island colors.Pick the Rock and away you go.At the bottom of the page is two variations one is a U 33 b with a white face and maroon body.Plus a GP-7 with all blue and white yet the old "coonskin"hearld on the cab side.Its great to see another modeler that wants the Rock on his layout.Any more questions ask away.
Did Rock Island Ever paint any SD40-2s in the Ingram Paint sheme?
To answer a few questions.
No the RI never repainted a SD40-2. All were red/yellow with speed lettering.
According to a UP roster book I have somewhere, the UP has only one ex-RI GP40. Most, if not all the GP38-2 that the RI had that went to the Mopac are still around (don’t have the book near me, can’t remember if any have been wrecked).
After the RI quit operations, the estate had a switch engine and a 1 or 2 GP7s repainted blue/white with the “coonskin” (I’ve heard it described as a buffalo hide) emblem. The switcher was original RI, but the GP7(s) were not. I remember seeing a “trustee’s train” moving equipment in the early 80s with 1 or 2 black GP7s. The paint reminded me of P&LE, and I may have read that they came from there, but it’s been a while and I’m not sure. The last RI estate moves I saw on the Chicago-Omaha main were in early 1984, a few months before the IAIS started up and before the RI emerged from bankruptcy as the Chicago Pacific Corp.
P.S. Almost every UP grain train here on the former CNW Iowa lines has it seems, at least 2 or 3 ex-RI blue covered hoppers. Also most manifests have 1 ex-RI blue box car. Other non-blue RI cars are around, but not as common.
Just what I was going to say about the SD 40-2’s none were repainted but I have seen a model of one in the BLue and wow it would have been sharp. The switcher was in EL Reno if I remeber right it was shown in a 1982 photo in the Rock tribute Trains put out in Maroon and yellow and was painted after the picture was taken. Never heard the term buffalo hide before but it is a big logo right.First heard coonskin from a Frisco fan friend of mine.You know I have seen a lot of old Rock Island cars up by La Crosse Wi. Some old style some Blue but the best was on Iowa Northern in Waterloo Ia.One of th black hoppers with a white R and reporting mark ROCX it still roams about IANR and it still says ROCX.
Awesome! That reminds me, This is off the topic, but I’ve recently seen a CBQ 4 bay hopper still lettered CBQ. GOT A GOOD PHOTO OF IT TOO.
Well back to RI talk, I’ve seen photos of their bay window cabooses, and they were in the Ingram Blue paint scheme. My Question is did any other type of caboose get the blue paint scheme like the bay window cabooses?
It’s too bad that the SD40-2s didn’t get repainted. Can you possibly imagine A SD70MAC in the Ingram Blue? I see a model…
You know the only Cabooses I have seen in Blue or even white are the bay windows and some old wodden transfer cabooses.Whoops memory jog I think a few wide vision ones were blue too. I have seen in this order one day in the yard.GN,NP,Frisco,and a BN car all in a line (all box cars too!) there used to be a NP car and two friscos on the Alcoa job the BN had here in Bett.Ia but I havent seen them in forever.I wonder if the RI would have become like CSX and gone GE crazy(god I would hope not) but that would be cool to see or even in the R&Y paint with billboard speed lettering of ROCK ISLAND down the side put em in the 5000 series number to honor the 4-8-4’s
Just saw a ROCK ISLAND blue box today, in not bad shape either, reporting marks were CNW.
OK makes sense. Did their F units survive into the early 1970’s? I feel like I’m playing 21 Qs or something. And I’m asking all the Qs.