I get where you’re coming from. But many parts of the rights of ways on those two mentioned railroads were isolated. I’m not a historian on either one, but they had their areas that they had no competition on. You paint you’re vehicle orange to get noticed on the highway, if nobody else is on the highway, you paint it to you’re liking. I hope I am not digging myself a hole, but that’s what I believe.
first of all THERE IS NO BNSF H4 PAINT SCHEME the newest one is H3 like the pic in my sig- Illinois Central had all Black paint (for a while), and Norfolk Southern has all black paint- a bright paint job is catchy - although i like a colorful rr ( BNSF) i love the black locomotives too
Rah Rah UP, lol!
to stand out and compete with each other.
OZJIM
I doubt that shippers choose based on paint scheme, but would you invest in a railroad that couldn’t afford more thant two shades of paint?
i read in a railroad book IC’s black paint was to show it’s “conservative” side (not wasting paint?) seriously though i LOVE the last IC paint scheme w/ the “DEATH STAR” on the front
im going to elaborate, if say BNSF colour scheme was grey primer, do you think they would get much business? compared to a road that had a bright striking scheme, because when people see a train (people that dont care much for trains that is) would notice a bright scheme more than a plain jane grey primer, also then people may take notice of whats in the train and go buy a product, eg they saw a John Deere tractor on the BNSF and bought one, compared to if it was a JD on a train with a boring scheme. Just my .02c
OZJIM
As a railfan, I’d like to see bright striking schemes on the locomotives. As a shipper, I’d want a railroad that gave me good value for the dollar spent. It wouldn’t matter what color the locomotives were. Does seeing a flashy locomotive make you want to run out and purchase whatever is hidden in a double stack container being hauled behind it?[;)]
Yes it does…
I like GN blue, CP Grey and Maroon and ON blue.
Considering that most shipping department types only see trains on promotional calendars…
It’s still branding, and a certain amount of corporate pride (and/or philosophy). As someone mentioned, railroads also want to project their management philosophy - the main tool they have is their rolling stock. Want to show that you are conservative? KISS, and probably in black. Want to show that you are progressive? Use a bold color scheme. Not to start that little battle again, but why does UP care about the old reporting marks, etc?
Even the leasing companies usually eventually get their locomotives into a scheme, and they aren’t out to impress anyone. As long as the loco runs reliably, who cares?
The concept of branding and packaging obviously goes well beyond railroads. Ever wonder why that package of frozen peas isn’t plain white with black lettering? After all, how much do you need to know? You want frozen peas? These are frozen peas. If you want to know whether they are Green Giant or Del Monte, read the writing! The seller recognizes a need for attractive packaging for brand recognition and to entice the buyer to purchase their product.
Looks to me like you hit the spike on the head with that one Larry.
Great question, why aren’t they black or just primer, they are a tractor pulling freight cars, that’s all, to the engineer it’s just an engine in a box and that is his job as a driver. Just what is the purpose of multi coloured paint schemes? beside an enormous cost to paint and maintain them. does anyone really look at them anyway, remember not everyone is a train fan, just ask anyone sitting in their range rover waiting for a big slow drag crawling across a crossing, they are no fans of trains and could care less what paint scheme the loco is, And who’s idea is it, someone has to make this decision, so somebody is responsible.
Thanks to everyone who shared an opinion on this. It’s just one of those things that makes a guy sit and ponder.
I have to mail some Christmas packages now. Should I choose a shipper based on who gets them there on time, in one piece, at a fair price; or choose one based on who has a snazzy paint job on their trucks?[:-,]
that is just my point of view and im saying that if i saw a JD tractor on train with bright shiney locos, i would buy a JD, however if it was on a train with plain jane colours i would instantly lose interest in the train and not take notice. i guess though thats from a railfans point of view, i also think its a bit like i got the better looking loco, no i do, no i do, etc a bit like a schoolyard fighting over which matchbox cars are better etc.
OZJIM
Is dirt a color? In that case, how about BNSF brown and UP brown?
Many shippers believe that if a carrier(train,truck,plane)has fancy equipment,they must take pride in their corporate image,and will go the extra mile to take care of their shipment,as well.And in the cutthroat world of shipping,you need every edge you can get.
Dang! I’m playing the devil’s advocate! And so early in the morning too![}:)] Many shippers must also believe that a carrier that goes with basic equipment must be good at watching costs?
It’s the color scheme the railroad(s) feel works best for their operation.
I think P. T. Barnum said it best: “Companies who fell they can’t afford to advertise only to find out the opposite is true. They couldn’t NOT afford to advertise!” During the hayday of passenger service, many railroads paint their trains with bright colors to attract customers. That’s why we all remember seeing tuscon red on the PRR’s BroadWay Limited; Orange and Chocolate on the IC’s Panama Limited and City Of New Orleans; Red Warbonnets on the Santa Fe’s Chiefs; I could go on and on.
Its only recently that the railroad companies decided to apply bright colors for safety reasons. That’s why the CSX add a splash of yellow to their two tone blue-gray so it could be easier to see, especially at night. The Norfolk Southern is now following suit by adding a white-face to their otherwise black locomotives.
Why do airlines spend thousands of $ to paint whales on their planes? Branding!
[#ditto] BINGO, YOU WIN THE CUPIE DOLL!