Do people like the Big Sky Blue GN scheme?

Big Sky Blue appears to be a slightly different color at each manufacturer's factory.

MTH has the deepest variation.

Andrew

I am a bit of a traditionalist and liked GN’s orange & green scheme. The big sky blue was much better than the “dip” solid color scheme of the late 1960s.It was modern and pleasant.

No.

I never really cared for the GN Big Sky Blue scheme, especially on passenger cars. Just didn't look good to me.

The blue always reminded of this:

BSB ipass was ok as long as the train was all BSB.

Why did GN go with BSB anyway?  Possible livery for the BN merger.

Now, the "Rocky in the circle" on the front of BNSF diesels would be nice!

Dominic Mazoch posted:

Now, the "Rocky in the circle" on the front of BNSF diesels would be nice!

Rocky as the Goat.

The Great Northern 50' Plug-Door Box Cars that were in Big Sky blue from 1967 to 1997.  The blue paint faded quite a bit as shown in the photos that I posted previously. That blue looks almost pastel.

Andrew

I like the BSB scheme. Whenever I think about GN, I think of high elevation mountains with clear blue skys. Perhaps this was the inspiration? My only regret with BSB is it didn't come out early enough. I wish there were some pictures of some all BSB passenger trains with F units but there aren't. 

I like the BSB F units and U Boats, they're so gr8, they're gr9. Perhaps they are Gr9 Northern? 

Streamlined Steamroller posted:

I like the BSB scheme. Whenever I think about GN, I think of high elevation mountains with clear blue skys. Perhaps this was the inspiration? My only regret with BSB is it didn't come out early enough. I wish there were some pictures of some all BSB passenger trains with F units but there aren't. 

I like the BSB F units and U Boats, they're so gr8, they're gr9. Perhaps they are Gr9 Northern? 

That last photo is post merger. If you note the patch jobs below the cabs and the repainted FP45 into BN colors.

I don't know, I think its ok...but not goode

I have three or four items of GN Big Sky Blue on my HO layout. I like different schemes for variety and it fits OK with my 1970's early BN era. I wouldn't choose it for a full passenger train because that defines a narrow time frame and a distinct territory.

The Lionel #8771 Great Northern U-boat was always a good seller for us.

 This is the best one, they never should have changed it. 

John Pignatelli JR. posted:

 This is the best one, they never should have changed it. 

Absolutely right!  I wouldn't allow anything painted in that horrible "Big Sky Blue" in our house, let alone on the railroad upstairs. Plus, I was there in Minneapolis for the "real thing" in 1967.

I'm in for the  Great Northern  "BIG SKY" passenger train colors.   While it was short lived, Lionel did it (the color scheme) an injustice by only offering a few cars in really large size that not many could use on their railroad layouts.  They pandered to the scale operators, who snuffed it !  Had they mad a full train with diesels in the  60' aluminum cars, its a good chance that it would have sold ! 

          As was pointed out by another, the  U36B that Lionel MPC did was  colorful and  a  good freight seller, and a full passenger train could have complimented it very well.  Now, we operators only have a few good custom painters to set history straight.   Dennis M.

Never liked it. Didn't seem to fit well on anything.........

I prefer the Empire Builder or the Simplified Empire Builder scheme. But here is reality. SD 45#411 was the last engine delivered in the old colors. All other new engines were delivered in the BSB scheme. Other than the F units and passenger equipment, the vast majority of engines never were repainted before the merger.  If your modeling up to the merger or post merger period( patch jobs). You are going to have a mix of schemes wither you like it or not. Since I am running CB&Q, GN, and NP up to the merger, I will eventually will have more GN units in BSB.  Even CB&Q with the delivery of their SD45s, were painted in what would become the BN colors minus the white side strip on the sides. For passenger equipment, not all was repainted in the BSB scheme. Same went for CB&Q, not all got the Hockey stick scheme.

I was watching the K-line by Lionel passenger cars, waiting to see if Lionel was committed to making the whole set, which they never did.  Had they, I would have loved to have had them all.

The GN only had a 3 year time frame for new delivery and repainting of equipment before they became the Burlington Northern. There was not much Big Sky Blue.

The Open-Top Hoppers and mill gondolas were painted or repainted in black with the new graphics.

The 7-post, Plug-door 50' Box Cars and the Wood Chip Gondolas were the longest surviving freight cars in Big Sky Blue, and those have yet to be mass produced in O scale. Somebody could 3D scan HO scale models to make O scale 3D printed models.

Andrew

Hot Water posted:

John Pignatelli JR. posted:

 This is the best one, they never should have changed it. 

Absolutely right!  I wouldn't allow anything painted in that horrible "Big Sky Blue" in our house, let alone on the railroad upstairs. Plus, I was there in Minneapolis for the "real thing" in 1967.

Completely agree. The classic Gt. N. orange and green was a gorgeous livery. The BSB was a huge step down esthetically, and a huge waste of money by the railroad as well. 

bazonkers posted:

I'm curious to see if this is a popular scheme and if so, why do you think no one has ever made F3/F7 units in this paint scheme? I'd also love to see a set of MTH premier passenger cars as well to mix with the current scheme if one wanted to create a late 60's consist. I was actually surprised MTH released a set of green Burlington Northern passenger cars (although Railking) before they made a BSB GN set.

 

I'm also curious as to why no one has made Burlington Northern F units and why MTH hasn't made anything in the yellow MILW/UP scheme. Lionel has dipped their toe into the MILW realm with the E9 release and maybe soon to be released 18" cars. MTH seems to make some fairly niche road names as well as main stream releases so I figured by now they'd have attempted to sell some of these. I'm sure there are others besides me that would purchase. 

I always loved the orange and dark olive green so much I even had a Harley Softail in that scheme years ago (that was a factory option). I do have a Williams FA-FB-FA set in the classic orange and green. Never liked blue not even as a sky color, I'd be a lot more comfortable with Mars' rusty red sky so I put it in my train room.

Bogie

I know of an English steam tank switcher who would LOVE BSB:  Thomas!

The Great Northern should have let Boston & Maine keep it for themselves.  

John Pignatelli JR. posted:

 This is the best one, they never should have changed it. 

That is ugly along with all the current BNSF paint schemes...

Why BNSF choose those pukey colors over SF silver & red warbonnet paint is beyond me! 

I like it.  My first Tyco HO set with a ATSF Warbonnet f7 in front had a GN Light blue boxcar with the goat in a circle on the side.  That was about forty five years ago I got it at Christmas.  I think I still have it.  I always thought it was distinctive.  Proud goat on a light blue boxcar, facing forward.  Always forward.

William 1 posted:

Proud goat on a light blue boxcar, facing forward.  Always forward.

No, not always forward. About half the time, the goat would be facing backwards.

breezinup posted:

William 1 posted:

Proud goat on a light blue boxcar, facing forward.  Always forward.

No, not always forward. About half the time, the goat would be facing backwards.

The same could be said for the "old" goat herald, too:

Rusty

I suppose I am one of the odd ones as I have never liked the green and orange..  the BSB looks much better to me.

I stand corrected.  The goat still looks magnificent in reverse.  I know I have the car.  I think my goat switched directions.  That's how cool it was forty five years ago.

I like BSB, but the older EB orange and green has more class than the over rated Warbonnet!