Should the Flag be Taken off UP?

[illinoiscentral]

I've been noticing over the past few years that Union Pacific is not taking care of the image of the United States flag on their engines.
Many are tattered, faded or even covered with graffiti.

I find it disrespectful that they allow these engines to run around like this, perhaps the government should not allow UP to display it anymore?

I remember some years back a business in my town was flying a worn out and tattered flag, the VFW came out and replaced it and warned the business to take better care of it. Should UP be exempt ?



Cheers,
Woody

 

[UP5521]

probably not,but now that I think about it,since most of their locos are probably in good shape[paint-wise but not the flag],maybe perhaps they are too busy making plenty of bucks instead of attempting to pay attention to the paint on them to notice,but, I say leave the flag on,just as long as they take care of it!

 

[Klinger]

Welcome to the world of railroading. Everything sits out side and gets worn and faded.

Happens in museums, happens on the Class 1's, nothing anyone can do about it.

Any from experience with Shay 12 and GB&L 40, it is a total pain to repaint a whole locomotive

 

[RRSignal]

1. What's the government got to do with anything?

2. Yeah, it sucks, but the one in the second pic doesn't look too bad, if imperfect. I appreciate the fact that UP flies them so prominently. Wish CSX and NS would...

3. Maybe let the VFW know and have them write letters to UP to touch up the really bad ones.

 

[Klinger]

it could be worse......

And 5401 is headed for the Colorado Railroad Museum next......man is that going to be a project....

Or it could be like D&RGW 3011, which has not been painted since the 1960's, except by local graffiti artists one or two times....

Or for that matter, objects like the SS United States, sittting in the fresh water of the Delaware River. The last coat of paint went on in 1969, and the National Flagship has since been left to slowly rot away

 

[evan123]

This is because the railroad doesn't give two ****s about it's locomotives or equipment. They use it to haul freight and make money, not to look beautiful so that all the foamers can take nice pictures to show their friends. Bottom line, the railroads have more important things then making sure their property looks nice.

 

[pommie]

They take care of their paintwork like you obey the CoC, those images are to big.

 

[legolistic]

Building America FAIL!!:hehe:

 

[airtime]

Keep the American Flag flying on your trains and where-ever you can, don't be like us here in the UK, we can only fly our flag at certain times, as it upsets certain people, and if we upset the certain people then we are breaking the law.

Stand up and be proud of your Great Country U.S.A, fly that flag high...

And besides, I'm biast as I like your flag, and if I lived in the states, it would fly the highest above the Union Jack...

Joe Airtime

 

[SantaFebuff]

And besides, I'm biast as I like your flag, and if I lived in the states, it would fly the highest above the Union Jack...

Joe Airtime

...it's considered the law to some extent. "Foreign flags must be below the United States flag if on the same pole within the USA."
:hehe:

About UP,
Umm, yeah, that flag probably was a bad idea in the first place. I say leave it on, because soon enough, it'll fade away to the yellow anyway...

Cheers,
Joshua

 

[backyard]

Million mile overhauls...

The first process UP does on a 184 day service, is wash it.

These locomotives are high mileage units. Their overhaul time comes up every one million miles. That used to take about ten years, but the above pictured units can probably do that in a little over four years, at 200,000+ miles per year.

Pool power(horsepower by the hour) takes them all over the place, but when that 184th day comes up, they should be heading back to their domiciled location...otherwise one railroad has to pay another for the service.

The UP applied to the State Department for authorization to apply the flag backwards on the engineer side. There are restrictions on what they can do & requirements on it's display.

Thanks to Airtime for the comments on Old Glory!

 

[BobCass]

Hi All: You know really we ought to more proud then we are..We are a very lucky to have a government like we do and a nation that is free..I say fly the flag in almost any condition of course there is exceptions to this rule..But lets be proud of what we have..

 

[kimo505]

It's an image of the flag which can be found practically on anything and might not be in the best condition. The Union Pacific is the oldest running transcontinental railroad in America. "Let freedom ring":wave:

 

[lginc]

I never reply to such ridiculous threads , but I'm glad to see so many are intelligent enough to see past the shape of a paint job and see the meaning and inspiration the flag on these engines brings, ESPECIALLY in times when so much is wrong and attitudes are at a low. Thank you! , to those that have common sense, there just may be hope .

I have had a flag on the back of my toolbox at work for the last 27yrs, sure its been scratched & has a couple smudges of gear oil on it, but it still stands for the same exact thing as it did when it was new , I have NO PLANS on changing it.

Alot of times life is tough, and gets to be hard, seeing the worn flags on the UP engines is actually endearing to me, I can only hope the couple of you kids that posted negitive on this subject will some day understand that not everything that means something has to look like the fresh new hotwheels car your folks just bought you from Walmart .

Flags on UP engines no matter what condition= Astronomically Epic Win!

 

[motorbreath]

I think as long as the flag is there to honor what it stands for, let it stay, even if it's worn. I'm glad to be a citizen of the USA, and I know stuff here is really messed up now, and it has been for many years. For me it is respect for the original ideals that built this country, and for those who sacrificed their lives so we could live our lives as we do, regardless of political persuasion. So I mean NO disrespect when I say this, but I am not into flag worship. I am not into intentional flag desecration either. But rules like the flag can't touch the ground or get old and tattered don't make much sense to me. so the flag can't touch the ground of the land it represents? That's old school voo doo stuff. A faded old flag on a loco? It's paint, nothing more. Again, I mean NO disrespect, but a flag is just an object, and I'm not superstitious.

 

[bl4882]

Maybe think of it differently?

In an earlier time, when regiments carried their colors into battle, no one would dream of discarding a flag that had been tattered and singed by enemy fire. Maybe we should think of UPs flags as having been faded and worn in the struggle to produce wealth for the benefit of all of us, and as a symbol of how hard that labor is.

BTW, for those interested in the treatment of the flag, this is covered in Title 4 of the United States Code. It can be found readily by Googling "US Flag Code." It dispells a number of myths about flag etiquette, including the old one that put me in terror in grammar school when it was my turn to raise the flag in the morning, about having to burn the flag if I let it touch the ground.

Bernie

 

[backyard]

Your best effort...

I had to think about this...awhile...

If you are offended by the condition of the flag on a UP locomotive, use their feedback page, in the scroll-down, select "General Questions/Comments."

Report the locomotive number(NOT the type or model), location, date & approximate time...

After all, the American flag on the side of these locomotives is a decal, that can be replaced...and should!

I would not recommend however, reporting a dirty locomotive, just a faded, tagged or torn flag decal.

You have that right. Keep on the topic, if it don't pertain to the flag, don't report(graffiti, etc.).

Thank them for proudly displaying our National Banner! They may not react immediately, but they are made aware of the situation....Union Pacific should respect this.

 

[Gandalf0444]

In an earlier time, when regiments carried their colors into battle, no one would dream of discarding a flag that had been tattered and singed by enemy fire. Maybe we should think of UPs flags as having been faded and worn in the struggle to produce wealth for the benefit of all of us, and as a symbol of how hard that labor is.

BTW, for those interested in the treatment of the flag, this is covered in Title 4 of the United States Code. It can be found readily by Googling "US Flag Code." It dispells a number of myths about flag etiquette, including the old one that put me in terror in grammar school when it was my turn to raise the flag in the morning, about having to burn the flag if I let it touch the ground.

Bernie

"The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning"

Although it is rather hard to burn an entire locomotive simply because the flag no longer looks good, but the point still stands. It is no longer a fitting emblem and should be gotten rid of, or fixed. Not left to fade away. When you have an American flag you must take care of it, not let it go to hell.

 

[Therock]

I'm ok with UP using the flag on their engines.

I'm not ok with when they treat it like a 70" billboard logo left to rot and fade.

 

[janiekincaid]

If thats true then whats the point of the flags in the first place,And as far as the graffitti "artists"are concerned,i think they should be locked up for impeding interstate commerce.Isnt that a Federal Offence?