Yes you read it correctly! What about a UP locomotive in UP heritage paint? Wasn’t it technically merged into SP?
What number should it have, 1994 or 1981?
What paint scheme would you like to see on it? I realise there hasn’t been much variation in the UP paint scheme.
greetings,
Marc Immeker
I would say that 1862 would be the best number for such a unit; 1869 would also be a good choice due to its significance.
I’m sure that a paint scheme for such a unit would probably include some Challenger Gray and M-10000 brown, in addition to the yellow and red. If they did it up like a steam locomotive (something which I think has been discussed before), they should probably use a GE unit for authenticity. [}:)]
I asked this because I like most of the heritage paint schemes. Well, I am not sure yet of the CNW unit yet. I find the UP scheme boring and it could do with an update after something like 60 years.
greetings,
Marc Immeker
To my knowledge, and correct me if I’m wrong, UP has never merged with anything. They’ve simply bought and devoured whatever railroad they wanted/desired, and dumped yellow paint on the locomotives…and ruined some really good paint schemes in the process!
I could hardly believe my eyes today but while up in Geneva, IL along the U.P. (ex C&NW) main line I saw the C&NW Heritage unit again…the second time since Saturday afternoon. The first time on Saturday she was accompanied by the other two unpatched C&NW units but today she had two U.P. units with her (she was leading)…how lucky can I get!
Use 4-8-4 844 as the heritage unit and repaint it into the two tone gray scheme.[:)]
[#ditto][#ditto][#ditto]
I was a bit too young to remember her last time she was painted that way. Would love to see her in that dress again.
Nope, Southern Pacific bought/took them over and then renamed themselves Union Pacifc.
UP bought SP, but merged into SP for tax reasons. There was about an hour that UP as a company did not exist - the new SP renamed itself UP. Don’t let that fool you though - UP was always the controlling road.
Of course UP controlled the show. But technically they merged into SP so they qualify for a heritage unit, yes? [;)]
greetings,
Marc Immeker
So the 390 railroads which became BNSF don’t matter because they keep changing their paint scheme?
HEAR HEAR!
It’s not boring - it is consistent.
Like the blue Ford oval, or the brown UPS truck - yellow is their identity. There’s something to be said for not changing a paint scheme every time you order another round of engines. This is nice to see in this day and age when every company feels the need to hire a design firm to change their name every 3 yrs.
the scheme on all their repainted CNW, SP, MoPac, and the like is the boring one. i’m not against their “newest” one at all. they kept consistency and got rid of the boring look at the same time. what do i mean? simple:
-the dull and uninteresting “U N I O N P A C I F I C” hood text was replaced with a neat waving flag and a UP shield with the “Building America” placed to the right of the flag (or left, depending on what side you’re viewing). i may be in the minority of the people who like the hood flag, but it really does support UP’s slogan very well and adds to an interesting look. the text just didnt do it anymore. it wasnt even speed lettering or anything. i wish they’d put the flag on more of their power. it’s neat!
-the nose now has a neat winged shield on it. this really only works well for the widenose units. and only gives me more reason to like watching them. looks good on their ACEs too. and especially good on their huge fleet of 1444 SD70Ms. and hey, it’s reflective. great for the night time shots!
-thanks to an ex CNW employee being in charge of the locomotive division, several UP locomotives now sport a lightning stripe on the spot where the armour yellow meets the red and the grey on the top. though small for some units, i must say it does make a lot of difference and further adds to the newer neat look. and its homage to CNW is most pleasing. CNW is not dead, it just lives on as a small paint detail on UP…or something…(yes i would rather see more full paint CNW units back too, but this is still better than nothing, so i might as well like it)
-the FRA forced UP to change the lower reflective stripe on the frame from red to yellow. sure UP fought back and tried hard to keep the red, but they failed. and i never thought more yellow would do UP justice, but i was wrong. night shots work so much better with that yellow stripe. and it adds to the color in night shots too.
i’m sorry that i forgot about these changes when i made my previous post. b
Correct… sort of! Here’s some information on UP’s corporate heritage… www.fuzzyworld3.com/stuff3/e028-grandepacific.html (Marc, is this where you got your idea from? I posted this on the INRD Y!Group yesterday… [}:)])
So, actually, UP was formerly known as Rio Grande! Actually, I think that the old switcher scheme – black with white stripes – would make a good “heritage” scheme… Don’t forget the “D.S.” preceding the number…
No fuzzybroken, I got this idea independently. I have been looking at pictures of various UP heritage units and simply thought that it would be nice if UP did one in their own colours. I must have read some of that merger info here I think. The thread where I read it must by now be on its way to the bottom.
I must say that any company that manages to stick with its symbols this long must be image and history concious and have a good connction with its own past. There must have been many times some ad agency told them that they needed a new image yet they withstood the pressure.
greetings,
Marc Immeker
The UP actually forsook their shield for a time in the early 1960s. The logo that appeared in ads (and on a number of new box cars) was a large rectangle with “U.P.” in it. Very imaginative–not!