What is the tightest scheme on a PA?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Pretty straight forward. Just like my tightest scheme on an F unit thead.

I say Santa Fe’s red warbonnet compliments the PA’s look the best. Second is the Pennsy tuscan red with the 5 stripes.

So what do you think is the best looking paint on the “most hansome diesel ever built”?

2

Santa Fe Warbonnet is the correct answer. :slight_smile:

However, Pennsy wouldn’t even appear on my top 5 list.

  1. Southern Pacific “Daylight”

  2. Wabash

  3. Southern

  4. MKT “Texas Special”

Come to think of it, Pennsy wouldn’t appear on any list I made up. :wink:

Andre

3

D&H’s blue and yellow[:)]

4

New Haven - as delivered; not the PBM monstrosity

The NYC lightning stripe ran a close second

work safe

5

I second and like the Daylight best. The warbonnet is sweet, as is the New Haven in McGinnis, the aforementioned Wabash, the Erie two tone green, the Erie black and yellow, the Erie Lackawanna, the UP, the GM&O, …what scheme doesn’t look nice on a PA (or even an FA for that matter?) Perhaps the real question could be what does Not look good on a PA? LOL Enjoy the hobby.

Greg

6

Definitely the SF Warbonnet, with the D&H semi-repaint second on the list.

7

I’ve always been partial to the NKP’s scheme (gee, wonder why?), but I feel the Wabash actually had the best paint job applied to a PA.

With two of the four remaining PA’s now in the US and being restored, we’ll have three schemes to look at for real: NdeM, NKP and Santa Fe.

8

The ATSF Warbonnet and the UP’s Armor Yellow. Also love that Daylight scheme.

9

Western Maryland circus scheme.

10

Give me the GM&O’s two-tone red and maroon any day!
Wabash would be next.

If the CB&Q would have had PA’s though, that would definently be my favorite scheme…

And Andre,
The Pennsy would appear on one of my top lists, it’d get first place on “over-rated and over produced roadnames”!

11

Gotta go with the PRR PAs.

12

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking about BLI’s upcoming Pennsy K4 this very afternoon and trying to figure out what it is about the Pennsy that I don’t like (apart from the fact that Slobbering Pennsy Freaks get more than their fair share of model railroad goodies). It finally came to me. The Pennsy had absolutely no esthetic sense whatsoever.

The K4 is at root a good looking engine, even with that ridiculous chicken coop they call a cab hanging off the backhead. Pennsy’s problem is that (as far as locomotives go), they would take an intrinsically good looking design and give it a few whacks with the corporate ugly stick. First off, that huge barrel of a headlight hanging off the top of the smokebox front. Good lord, that’s like taking Claudia Schiffer and giving her horn rimmed glasses from the 50’s. Then there’s the matter of that atrocious slatted pilot. Could anything be more gauche? That cab leaves a lot to be desired, but then it’s not so bad it can’t be worked around. Even Lauren Hutton had a gap between her front teeth.

Then came the late 40’s when the cast (pressed?) steel pilots replaced the slatted ones. You’d think that Pennsy had started to get right by then, but then they showed their incredible bad taste by putting the headlight on top of the smoke box and hanging the generator off the top of the smokebox front. They then compounded that fashion faux pas by hanging this enormous dance floor off the smokebox front so some poor slob could service the generator (or so it appears anyhow).

In the MR Cyclopedia, on a page whose number I forgot and don’t have access to anyhow because my copy’s in California, there’s a picture of a K4 from the postwar era. This particular engine has one thing that sets it off from

13

[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by andrechapelon

Funny you should mention that. I was thinking about BLI’s upcoming Pennsy K4 this very afternoon and trying to figure out what it is about the Pennsy that I don’t like (apart from the fact that Slobbering Pennsy Freaks get more than their fair share of model railroad goodies). It finally came to me. The Pennsy had absolutely no esthetic sense whatsoever.

The K4 is at root a good looking engine, even with that ridiculous chicken coop they call a cab hanging off the backhead. Pennsy’s problem is that (as far as locomotives go), they would take an intrinsically good looking design and give it a few whacks with the corporate ugly stick. First off, that huge barrel of a headlight hanging off the top of the smokebox front. Good lord, that’s like taking Claudia Schiffer and giving her horn rimmed glasses from the 50’s. Then there’s the matter of that atrocious slatted pilot. Could anything be more gauche? That cab leaves a lot to be desired, but then it’s not so bad it can’t be worked around. Even Lauren Hutton had a gap between her front teeth.

Then came the late 40’s when the cast (pressed?) steel pilots replaced the slatted ones. You’d think that Pennsy had started to get right by then, but then they showed their incredible bad taste by putting the headlight on top of the smoke box and hanging the generator off the top of the smokebox front. They then compounded that fashion faux pas by hanging this enormous dance floor off the smokebox front so some poor slob could service the generator (or so it appears anyhow).

In the MR Cyclopedia, on a page whose number I forgot and don’t have access to anyhow because my copy’s in California, there’s a picture of a K4 from the post

14

This would probably not be a good time for me to comment on the esthetics of CB&Q’s O-1a Mikes and my opinion of the makeover Grand Canyon Railway did to the #4960. [:D]

'Course, the O-5’s were pretty good lookers.

Andre

15

Hmmm…
I would rank them…

  1. D&H Blue and silver warbonnet [:D]
  2. Nickel Plate Bluebird scheme [:)]
  3. Any other scheme not mentioned above or below [;)]
  4. Pennsy stripes (yawn) [:0]
  5. Sante Fe warbonnet. [%-)] Huh? 1 and 5 are so much alike! Let me explain. One reason is color, given the choice of red or blue, I prefer blue.
    The other is oversaturation. I’ve had all the red warbonnet painted covered wagons that I care to see in this lifetime. Why?
    (with apologies to Mr Foxworthy)
    From the time we are small and get our 1st elcheapo train set,
    It’s got a red warbonnet on it.
    If a co-worker or doting Aunt sees a coffee mug with a train on it, and buys it for you, “because its got a train on it, and he LOVES trains”.
    It’s got a red warbonnet on it.
    If a Hollywood movie requires a train moving past a camera,
    It’s got a red warbonnet on it.
    IF your kid comes home one day from school with a train picture he drew,
    It’s got a red warbonnet on it.
    BECAUSE when he looks at all the trains in a toy catalog,
    It’s got a red warbonnet on it.

I refuse to conform to the norm, I will not be assimilated, one size does not fit all, your mileage may vary!!![swg][(-D][swg][(-D]

16

Rio Grande silver, santa fe warbonnet and the santa fe goldbonnet (dont know if it was an actual prototype, but the brass model looked good)

17

My favourite

D&H’s warbonnet scheme followed closely by Sante Fe’s & Nickel Plates livery on their PA’s

Gordon

18

Santa Fe #1
Delaware & Hudson #2
Lehigh Valley #3
Southern #4
Erie #5

19

#1. D&H
#2. PRR
#3. LV

20

The D&H. There’s just something about that Champlain Blue…