B&W photo color help.

Most logical conclusion is they're the same colors, just slightly different pattern. The one that's in bright sunshine looks lighter than the one partially in shadow, but that's more likely the affect of the sunlight than an actual difference. Some railroads had different paint schemes for freight and passenger diesels, but generally didn't paint each individual engine within a type of class a different color.  Only color images I could find searching for images of Atlantic & East Coast engines come up with dark green / yellow similar to early M-St.L colors.

A&EC had 2 F2As, 1 GP7 (on solid bearings, at that), 1 SW1, 1 RS1, and 3 44 tonners.  All were painted in the green/yellow M&StL scheme except the 44 tonners which were all three painted different.

If the locomotives were purchased second hand, I would guess that they still had the original owners paint job. The placement of the panels with the new owner's name below the cab lndicate that. I would look up the units serial number to find their history.

Both 7 and 8 were bought new from GE.  I would think GE like EMD had some type of stock painting to choose from.

I was at GE in the 45 ton and larger industrial locomotive era, and quoted these locomotives to industrial customers.  That would be in the early '70's.  At that time the STANDARD GE paint scheme was for "industrial yellow" hoods, with black platform and trucks.  The name of the buyer and a locomotive road number were included at no extra cost.  Script or other "non common" lettering, purchaser monograms, etc. were all extra cost.  All other paint colors, striping, etc. were extra cost (which, by the way, was just a nominal amount).

I came close to buying an MTH GE industrial switcher, and looked for one that I could convert to the "GE standard" without the need to repaint, but none offered that possibility.  It's too bad that MTH never offered an "undecorated" industrial in yellow and black, and I believe if they  did so they would have had a sales increase.  My viewpoint is that the small MTH GE would be perfect for smaller switching layouts, both 2 rail and 3 rail.

While the attached site doesn't have a color picture of a 44 tonner, it does reference a possible source of archival material on the Atlantic and East Carolina RR you might check out:  http://www.edwardellis.com/wp-...History-2017-PDF.pdf

look at the last page -- Edward Ellis Atlantic and East Carolina Railroad Research Collection