Here one is!!!! UP SD70ACe #8344 (Keith Belk) She will be joining my site along with 5 more sisters in the next update. Enjoy!!!
Wow! It is some kind of safety yellow; doesn't match the UP. The one behind it is the same. Maybe we should all get a yellow can of paint and... Nevermind.
Four of the shots contributed so far still have red frame stripes but two have the yellow. Again, keep an eye out on my next update.
Jim, I wholeheartedly agree!! Cleaner and more professional looking. "They" say this is the first major change to the paint scheme in awhile. I thought the flags, bringing back the wings, and adding a lighntning zag to the red stripe was quite a change. Wassup??? Is this only temperary??
Ok, I havn't gotten the latest update posted just yet but here's a special Trainboard only preview of the SD70ACe pics to be included: UP SD70ACe Enjoy!!
Again, AWESOME!!!! Heard there are now an SW1500 and a C44-9W sporting the yellow now too??? Anybody seen any other types or better yet, got pics???
Nope, it's permanent. It's happening thanks to new FRA regs stating that all locomotives and rolling stock must have a certain amount of reflective striping along their sides, to improve night visibility to motorists. The only accepted colors for this are white or yellow. I've been seeing a lot of freight cars getting yellow or white striping in order to comply (mostly tank cars and well cars so far), and the yellow striping is UP's way of complying.
8299, I was asking about the wings,flags and zags being temp. They (UP) mention the yellow frame stripe as being the first major change to the paint scheme in many years. I thought the wings, zags and flags were quite a change???
Ah, I gotcha. I've never heard anything definitive on the flags; at first, I'd heard they were only supposed to be applied to new units for a relatively short period of time after 9/11, but apparently that's gone on longer than first expected. Those and the wings were supposed to be exclusive to only safety-cab locomotives, but there have been a few examples of standard-cab units getting the "mini-wings", at least until UP cracked down on its usage. Don't know for sure what the story is on the lightning jag, and whether or not it's supposed to be a "permanent" thing.
working for the UP it is a mandortory thing that all locomotives I believe for every railroad have that yellow striping (I know for the UP it has to have the yellow striping on ALL locos by 2007) so look for it appear on all locos by 2007 the locos that you guys are taking pictures of (the 8000's and the 5000's are new locos and just to make sure they are FRA correct they come to the company like that
The Final Rule on Reflectorization of Rail Freight Rolling Stock requires railroads to install yellow or white reflective materials on locomotives over a 5-year timeframe and on freight rail cars over a 10-year period. The reflective materials will be installed on all newly constructed locomotives and freight rail cars and on existing ones during periodic maintenance or repair, unless alternate implementation plans have been developed that meet the requisite timetables. The effective date of the rule is March 4, 2005
