Correct PFE livery for Big Boy during the 40’s into the early ‘50’s

Your friend is correct.  I saw these trains behind Cab Forwards.

The Thompson book will answer all your questions. As I recall the wooden cars, they were yellow with brown ends and roofs when they had wooden roofs.  When the cars were rebuilt with steel roofs the roofs and ends were black and sides were orange. The early lettering had UP logo on one side and SP on other side.  SP logo was at “B” end. Later both logos were on both sides.  At end of WWI PFE ordered about 20,000 new cars claiming the USRA had worn out their fleet of refers. This large order of cars made up most of the fleet until the steel cars started coming along.   PFE regularly rebuilt their cars and there was always a large variety of cars out there. As stated above, my recollection is refers trains being pulled by cab forwards. Later I watched train after train being pulled by F units. 

Disclaimer, I know nothing much about PFE paint schemes.    But in general, an older scheme for a given time era is not necessarily out of place.     When a company came up with a new paint scheme, the cars did not get painted at once or immediately.    They got the new scheme when the cars were next shopped for regular maintenance or bad order.

For example on the pennsy, the Shadow Keystone scheme (big keystone without circle and having a black shadow around the white) was specified for freight cars about 1955, but you still see cars with the older circle keystone scheme well into the 60s.

So you want to avoid too new a scheme, but probably not panic over an older scheme in my opinion.

Foreign reefers made empty on the west coast had to be returned to their owning roads.  Per diem and routing rules were in effect, a car could be loaded for a destination which allowed it to run over or towards the owning road.  An extra day for cleaning/ pre-cooling could be made up when loading them rather than dead heading them east. A few billboard reefers(Grand Union) would not be out of place. John in Lansing, ILL

bob2 posted:

Your friend is correct.  I saw these trains behind Cab Forwards.

I knew the Cab-Forwards pulled them but my jaw dropped when he told me that even the esteemed GS series regularly handled them during the “Rush”.  Apparently, a large 4-8-4 makes a rather adept fast-freight engine too!  

PRR 5841 posted:

bob2 posted:

Your friend is correct.  I saw these trains behind Cab Forwards.

I knew the Cab-Forwards pulled them but my jaw dropped when he told me that even the esteemed GS series regularly handled them during the “Rush”.  Apparently, a large 4-8-4 makes a rather adept fast-freight engine too!  

Well, GS did stand for General Service...

Rusty

Rusty Traque posted:

PRR 5841 posted:

bob2 posted:

Your friend is correct.  I saw these trains behind Cab Forwards.

I knew the Cab-Forwards pulled them but my jaw dropped when he told me that even the esteemed GS series regularly handled them during the “Rush”.  Apparently, a large 4-8-4 makes a rather adept fast-freight engine too!  

Well, GS did stand for General Service...

Rusty

Not really. The Southern Pacific designated the 4-8-4s as Golden State, i.e. "GS". When the SP attempted to order additional GS-4/GS-5 locomotives during WWII, the War Production Board refused to allow any purchases of 80" drivered Passenger Locomotives. The SP then tried to explain that the "GS" designation was for "General Service", and the WPB's response was "Not with 80" drivers, they aren't!". Thus, the SP was forced to purchase GS-6 4-8-4s, with 74" drivers which could indeed be used for "General Service".