There are certain Beansniffers who think Frisco's passenger Es were, to be kind, crap. Does anybody have a pic of an E8 in the full "racehorse" colors- that is, gold-outlined striping and lettering? The Great Unwashed need to see beauty in motion...lol This ain't starting a flamewar, so don't get nervous- it's for fun AND a chance to see what first-class passenger power used to look like E-units, not Winnebago-looking engines Amtrak uses)
Hey, now! I NEVER said the Frisco E's were CRAP! THAT would be your "Slip-of-the-Tounge", not mine... I DID say they weren't AS Classy as the Warbonnets, but VERY close. [ 22 April 2001: Message edited by: Maxwell Plant ]
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maxwell Plant: Hey, now! I NEVER said the Frisco E's were CRAP! THAT would be your "Slip-of-the-Tounge", not mine... I DID say they weren't AS Classy as the Warbonnets, but VERY close. [ 22 April 2001: Message edited by: Maxwell Plant ]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I just said certain folks THOUGHT Frisco Es were crap- nobody in particular I will admit to the classiness of the Warbonnet scheme- looks good on F-units and (as someone else said) Alco PAs. I seem to notice, though, that the Fs took over pass. train service pretty much in the late '40s, relegating the Es to such trains as the San Diegans. Now, the Frisco "racehorse" colors are cool & classy- second would be the Texas Special E7s, with the corrugated sides (much like the CB&Q Es). When Hungerford took over the Frisco, he was of the opinion that paint doesn't pull trains, and went on an austerity paint job tear. All the neat black & yellow diesels, and the Es, suffered greatly in looks afterwards. As awesome as a brace of Fs racing the Super Chief across New Mexico and Arizona looks, imagine the Meteor, Will Rogers, or the Firefly speeding across the hogback Ozark line, or flashing across the Kansas & Oklahoma prairies. Come to think of it, either paint job would be an immeasurable improvement over the Winnebagos pulling Amtrak trains, in various paint jobs (Hmm...a Warbonnet Winnie....or perhaps a racehorse RV.....)
Well I see tyhis is a Frisco Forum so I'll be brief, how about the UP Es or the GN Es. Those are just as classy as any of the others,
I've ridden behind UP E-units, and shot them in Kansas, and to be honest, even though they ARE alive & well (thanks, UP), they're kinda plain. GN's Es aren't too shabby, though. For classy paint scheme, here's my choices: Frisco "full Meteor" scheme Santa Fe's Warbonnet Early Rock Island (not the Gawdawful maroon dip job) CB&Q's stainless steel Es on the Zephyr Atlantic Coast Line Florida East Coast Illinois Central's brown & orange Pennsy's Tuscan & pinstripes (snazzy) Butt-ugly color jobs: Amtrak's first paint scheme Penn Central's black dip Frisco's Mandarin orange & white (never meant for E or F units) Rock Island's maroon dip SP's scarlet & gray (I woulda liked to have seen an F in either Black Widow or Daylight colors) So-so designs: L&N UP Conrail's executive Es (not bad, but coulda used a bit more) BN's Es (lose the stripe job on the nose) Just my opinions- and again, not to tick off UP fans, cause I'm grateful they're running, even rebuilt as GP38-2s with better sheet metal, but yellow & gray doesn't come across as speedy (and I like the colors, BTW)
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by friscobob: For classy paint scheme, here's my choices: Frisco "full Meteor" scheme Santa Fe's Warbonnet Early Rock Island (not the Gawdawful maroon dip job) CB&Q's stainless steel Es on the Zephyr Atlantic Coast Line Florida East Coast Illinois Central's brown & orange Pennsy's Tuscan & pinstripes (snazzy) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I would have to add MP/T&P's Eagle to this list. Especially E3's 7000 & 7001 with the Eagle emblem on the nose and the polished aluminum moulding on the sides. (Wish I could have found a better picture.) Dwight
OK, I'll buy that I'd forgotten what the Mop/T&P Es looked like in their original colors- and they're a darn sight better than the Es in the blue-dip job. Wonder what an E unit in Swamp Holly Orange & black woulda looked like.....too bad MP didn't adopt that color scheme.
Anyone have a NYC E-8 in lightning stripes? Not colorfull, but tastefull. God, I can't believe that a steam foamer is actually talking about Diesels.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by E-8: Looks like Springfield there Dwight. Great pic!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, thanks, but I can't take credit for it. I just found it while searching the net for pics of E units. fitz, try this page: http://www.dnaco.net/~gelwood/other/nyc-loco.html. About halfway down, there are about a dozen pics of lightning stripe E8's. Dwight [ 27 April 2001: Message edited by: Dwightman ]
Quite a few years ago, my wife and I were at a friend's house in Sherman, Texas, and he was going over a massive collection of custom-painted diesels. The one that jumped out at her was a PA in the NYC lightning stripe. Now I gotta admit, it ain't as colorful as, say, a Warbonnet or a Daylight, but it fits the lines of a PA well- makes it look even tougher.
