AMEN!
OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
DOMINIC: Those redesignations you cite were NOT tacky. Totally different situations!
Dominic Mazoch posted:OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
I'm sure there were the critics.
Heck, there were folks that complained when the red Mars warning light was removed from 844.
Some cried foul this past weekend when Southern 4501 was temporarily dressed up (headlight, whistle and vinyl overlays) as L&N 1593 for the L&N Historical Society's annual convention.
But, as Tinplate Art stated, these are very different situations than turning a locomotive into a NASCAR-like billboard with sponsor decals.
Rusty
RUSTY: THANK YOU! ☺
I do not remember much fuss when Bill Purdie had the 765's MARS light removed when she ran 22 excursions on the Southern in 1982.
Dominic Mazoch posted:OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
How do you know? Where you there for both those operations? I was, and you would be surprised at some/many of the negative comments about each one.
The tool car. Put sponsorship stuff on that. Electronic billboards. There is lots of stuff. in the next decades as memory of mainline steam becomes more distant there is going to be more and more demand for the few engines left. They are enormously expensive. The demand for them opens the door to sponsors. I think it will happen. If it does not mainline steam is gonna die.
jethat posted:The tool car. Put sponsorship stuff on that. Electronic billboards. There is lots of stuff. in the next decades as memory of mainline steam becomes more distant there is going to be more and more demand for the few engines left. They are enormously expensive. The demand for them opens the door to sponsors.
Sorry but, I really don't see that happening.
I think it will happen. If it does not mainline steam is gonna die.
What with the FRA requirement for PTC, and all the insurance issues, not to mention Precision Scheduled Railroading, plus the Amtrak issue, main line steam is already pretty well dead. No amount of sponsorships will help. Sponsors receive far more exposure in sports, and/or racing such as NHRA, NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1.
Hot Water posted:Dominic Mazoch posted:OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
How do you know? Where you there for both those operations? I was, and you would be surprised at some/many of the negative comments about each one.
It was a long time ago, but did people complain about the three steamers restored and repainted for the American Freedom Train?
Again, NO comparison to tacky advertising, although the race car enthusiasts seem to be able to live with those rolling billboards!
Yes, as the big railroads modernize and cut the fat, there will be no room for steam. And without Amtrak to provide insurance, there will be no opportunities for public excursions, except for maybe UP. You’re going to have to travel to get to tourist lines with steam. Tourist lines that own their own track can run all the steam they want without a class 1 complaining. And large traveling locomotives can run on various tourist railroads to earn revenue with ticket sales. Like 765 and 611. People will travel this weekend to ride behind them even if it’s the same old track. In fact, 611 never ran on Strasburg before. I’m trying to get a hotel room and they are all booking or booked within 10 miles of Strasburg. I think the days of rare mileage excursions on freight only lines like NS are over. Including Amtrak Autumn Express and the 21st Century Steam program. I blew all my opportunities on riding Allentown-Harrisburg and NJ-Bethlehem segments and now I might never get another chance. Those lines are very rare to ride. Unless you get a job with NS or illegally hop a freight. I rode Bethlehem-Allentown and up to Lehighton and beyond on a 765 excursion.
Dominic Mazoch posted:Hot Water posted:Dominic Mazoch posted:OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
How do you know? Where you there for both those operations? I was, and you would be surprised at some/many of the negative comments about each one.
It was a long time ago, but did people complain about the three steamers restored and repainted for the American Freedom Train?
Did we see any sponsor decals slapped all over the locomotives and tenders on those three locomotives? Or any of the cars?
No. Yet there were sponsors.
The train didn't run for free. Pepsico, Kraft Foods, General Motors were sponsors to name a few.
Rusty
Dominic Mazoch posted:The reverse has happened, I think. Did CSX sponsor a NASCAR car or a team at one time.
It was a minor sponsorship of about 4 races on a small team car that was not very competitive. The sponsorship stressed grade crossing safety too. This was 2 or 3 years ago and I believe the driver was David Ragan.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ejEjn57h3A
Rusty Traque posted:Dominic Mazoch posted:Hot Water posted:Dominic Mazoch posted:OK, no body cried foul when there was the BNSF 4449. Or Lionel Lines 844 for one trip!
How do you know? Where you there for both those operations? I was, and you would be surprised at some/many of the negative comments about each one.
It was a long time ago, but did people complain about the three steamers restored and repainted for the American Freedom Train?
Did we see any sponsor decals slapped all over the locomotives and tenders on those three locomotives? Or any of the cars?
No. Yet there were sponsors.
The train didn't run for free. Pepsico, Kraft Foods, General Motors were sponsors to name a few.
Rusty
And GM wanted steam power, if I remember correctly?
