Livery design concept: make Big Yellow and Big Orange bold and crisp.

JonMyrlennBailey

Active member
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How are American RR paint schemes determined?

Here is a good question: who/what determines what paint scheme is to be used on railroad rolling stock? Most of these railroads are corporate with a bunch of people running it and holding stock in it. Somebody has to design their liveries and somebody has to have the final say-so as to what is to be used.

Could somebody have smoked something so bad as to have designed the current paint scheme for BNSF?

I was thinking just for fun to send both UP and BNSF my picture to suggest a nicer, simpler and bolder paint scheme for each of these giants. I don't know what email address to use. Perhaps some people reading this page may have connections to either or both of these companies and you might consider forwarding my picture to them just for fun.
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Their art department. The paint schemes and designs were done many years ago in some cases. In other cases, such as the BNSF for example, that orange and Cascade green is actually a legacy paint scheme for the old Northern Pacific and was used on the Empire Builder train sets in the 50's and 60's. The UP has always used a bright orange, red, and silver scheme.

Back east, the New Haven went from a traditional Brunswick green with a simple orange panel with a scripted logo to that weird crossed N&H. The Boston and Maine too went from a simple maroon and gold-stripe with a Minuteman logo, or simple block letters, to that same interconnected B&M in the early 1950's under Mcginnis ownership. His artsy-fartsy wife designed the weird color and logo schemes that became a trademark for his ownership. In some cases a logo and paint scheme also are refreshed to come up with a new look to better represent the company and to modernize them.

My family worked in the graphics design industry for decades with my dad actually doing design work for The Hartford Insurance, Sheraton Hotels, United Brands, some local companies such Market Basket, Purity Supreme, and Our Best Foods, and other big companies.
 
UP's paint scheme is historic, and aside from a few modifications like the flag and the lightning stripe, it's remained pretty much unchanged since the day they got their first diesel. The wings on the front of their locomotives come right from the front of their passenger locomotives from yesteryear.

Matt
 
Their art department. The paint schemes and designs were done many years ago in some cases. In other cases, such as the BNSF for example, that orange and Cascade green is actually a legacy paint scheme for the old Northern Pacific and was used on the Empire Builder train sets in the 50's and 60's. The UP has always used a bright orange, red, and silver scheme.

Back east, the New Haven went from a traditional Brunswick green with a simple orange panel with a scripted logo to that weird crossed N&H. The Boston and Maine too went from a simple maroon and gold-stripe with a Minuteman logo, or simple block letters, to that same interconnected B&M in the early 1950's under Mcginnis ownership. His artsy-fartsy wife designed the weird color and logo schemes that became a trademark for his ownership. In some cases a logo and paint scheme also are refreshed to come up with a new look to better represent the company and to modernize them.

My family worked in the graphics design industry for decades with my dad actually doing design work for The Hartford Insurance, Sheraton Hotels, United Brands, some local companies such Market Basket, Purity Supreme, and Our Best Foods, and other big companies.


My three favorite real-world livery designs for diesel locos:

1. SP: gray with red nose wings
2. ATSF: red/silver warbonnet
3. Napa Valley Wine Train, California
 
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