GN repaint of GP30s into the BIG SKY BLUE SCHEME

It would have had to have been after 1967. The BSB color scheme was officially inaugurated in the Summer of 1967, on the Board of Director's Special, which departed Saint Paul Union Station. They went to great lengths to keep all the passenger equipment and the two SD45 units (and boiler car) under wraps, until the big day of the Director's Special. Somebody dropped the ball however, as there was one baggage car, near the headend, that was still painted in GN Empire Builder colors. Truly not a nice looking passenger train, in my opinion. I never found a worker on the GN, while I was there in 1967, that liked the BSB colors.

Hot Water thanks for the quick response. I just picked up a MTH GP30. Turned out to be in Big Blue color scheme not the simplified Empire builder scheme as advertised. A couple of years after my modeling era but could become a candidate for post merger with BN reporting marks. Since I have a BN Waycar that needs an engine or pick up a NP waycar and put BN reporting marks on that too.. 

The Big Sky Blue paint diagrams were dated April, 1967. The book GN Color Pictorial, Volume 2 on Page 16 shows a picture of GP30 #3005 in the BSB scheme at Spokane in August 1969. In that photo, the paint appears reasonably fresh so I would assume the unit was probably painted earlier in 1969. I hope this helps. 

Jack, regarding that 1967 Directors' Special, it is pictured in the same book on Page 34. Of the 6 car consist behind the heater car, a diner and one GN business car were still in orange and green. The rest of the train was a full-dome lounge car and three more GN business cars. (The last car would be A28, President John Budd's car.)  There wasn't a baggage car in the train.  I've never seen a baggage car in any other GN director special consist photos, either. FYI. 

OK, thanks. I was just going by memory, and since it was 48 years ago, I didn't remember for sure which car/cars were NOT painted in BSB. I remember taking a few color slides as the train departed, and couldn't believe the GN painted cars in the train.

Hmmm... BSB:

I sort of like it.  For modeling purposes, it would be weathering fanatic's delight. The blue and white would showcase weathering nicely.

However, having said that, the original GN "Empire Builder" diesel schemes are almost unmatched in regards to being unique and classy.  I REALLY like those EB schemes.

As a kid, I thought that the BSB scheme was wicked cool.  I used to visit the Salt Creek Central Model Railroad Club in Elmhurst IL with my Dad in the late 1960s / early 1970s, and one of their members had a 12 car Balboa passenger train painted up for the EB in the BSB scheme.  Motive power was a pair of Athearn SDP40s that he custom painted and detailed in the BSB scheme. 

Then I caught the GN steam and early EB scheme bug.  Never looked back................

As soon as GN started painting motive power in the simplified EB scheme, I lost all interest.  I now consider both FUGLY.  

Regards,

Jerry

For sure; the GN paint schemes are a great-looking combo to me, especially the green/orange. For BSB, I'm messing with fantasy paint jobs. and merging the Sky Blue off a F45 photo with a (I think) Conrail blue Williams GG-1.

My MS-Paint experiments are too ugly to post yet, but I'm trying to get the GG1 curves right with the BSB paint. I may just have to do trial-and-error with a GG-1 and a few spray-bombs to get it right. Winter project, here we go........

Stick to the Empire Builder green & orange and trade me the Big Sky. Email sent.

I saw the E-mail. Sent you a reply.

Big Sky Blue was only one of the three Stripes.

The top was Charcoal Gray.

The center stripe was white.

Then the bottom stripe was big sky blue.

The Trucks were either black or charcoal gray.

The reason people did not like it, is because it was a cool blue scheme while the Orange and Green scheme was warm yellow scheme. The two schemes were complete opposites and people were used to the Orange and Green scheme for decades as adults.

Andrew

The GN workers had good taste. Why anyone would have wanted to switch from the wonderful orange/green/yellow livery GN had, to that "loser blue" scheme, is just bewildering. 

The Yellow Stripes made the Orange and Green scheme look right.

The Blue and Gray only lasted for a short time because the Burlington Northern Merger was coming. The Blue and Gray were more modern. It was done for modern advertising.

Andrew

The advertising and design firm that designed The Great Northern big sky blue scheme also designed the CP Rail scheme and the Burlington Northern Cascade Green scheme that went through a few revisions.

Andrew

Still what was the point of repainting engines and rolling stock from 69 onward since they knew the merger was going to happen. I can understand not doing the engines but they could of done what NP did and as rolling stock was rebuilt paint them in Cascade green.