NICE JOB, RAIL ENTHUSIASTS. YOU DROVE UNION OACIFIC TO THE DECISION TO GET RID OF THE HERITAGE LOCOMOTIVES!
UP Public Relations officials have announced the replacement of the six “Heritage” locomotives with a single “Pride of Ownership” locomotive.
UP Spokesperson Jo Blow said “The heritage schemes were nice while they lasted, but we get nothing but complaints from railfans about them. We hear that they should be run on the point, in daylight, and washed. The whole point of the plan was to demonstrate that in the dark, or on Donner Pass, all locomotives look the same.”
The new unit, held under a tarp until its April 1, 2011 unveiling, takes its cue from the BN “Pacific Pride” unit which featured BN colors but the logos of all the predecessor lines on the long hood. This approach has generated few complaints from railfans, and the locomotive is virtually indistinguishable from others in the fleet, making it easier to tuck in the back of consists, leave it unwashed, or put it in captive service on the Bellingham sub for years at a time and not register a single complaint. (see Funnelfan’s photo at http://www.trainorders.com/images2/view.php?328473 )
The UP has modified the scheme so that the logos are mounted just behind and below the cab windows, in a manner similar to “kills” are stenciled on the side of a fighter plane. “We wanted to make sure that there wasn’t any confusion by the general public that we were representing any of these inferior brands.” An earlier proposal to put a red circle and slash mark over the now defunct railroad logos was dismissed as being too costly.
Over the next 12 months, the existing heritage units will be run over Donner and the Moffat Routes until they acquire a thick coat of grime, then the grime will be fixed
That would be a real bummer. The heritage locomotives were a real joy to catch. I even caught 2002 in Michigan on CN trackage. Keep them clean and shiny and in their heritage paint schemes. It is a joy to see them in their original colors. Yes, they may now belong to UP, but the heritage colors are most important.
Ok seriously for the people saying verification is needed, take a break from the internet, you clearly cannot comprehend what you are reading. Also stupid joke.