Most Interesting Paint Schemes

Santa Fe Red and Silver.

Southern Pacific Black Widwo paint scheme.  Matt

Wabash GP-7

Steve

I like a number of different schemes but this would have to be my favorite:

Bob

This train, the RailRunner. Probably the most colorful passenger train out there.

21st Century MKT "Katy" ES44AC.

Regards,

Swafford

Unlike most people I like the Great Northern"s Big Sky Blue scheme.  The Chessie scheme above is also very vibrant.

UP / MKT "Katy" Heritage SD70ACe

Regards,

Swafford

I like the variety of color schemes that American RR's have used throughout the 40's to present.

I suppose SF's Red and Silver Warbonnet scheme is the standard to which all are compared. I like it at times and then I see another, e.g., UP's yellow, Southern's green, ACL's purple, etc.

Empire Builder

as a child this was so exciting to see rolling by with Chessie Locomotives which were also nice to railfan

There are so many, but the Santa Fe warbonnet is my all time favorite.  By the way, I saw a warbonnet yesterday on the front of a mixed manifest freight sitting at a red signal just west of Sandwich, IL.  It still had Santa Fe on it and had not had BNSF painted over it.

Art

I am partial to GN Big Blue Sky and the Chessie System Circus paint schemes.

I love the mix of modern loco and traditional paint scheme that denotes the Pacific Harbor Line livery.

I like this Ohio Central FP9 AA that borrows the PRR paint scheme:

I agree this is a fantastic scheme.  Appreciate you highlighting this rail line.  I was stationed in Long Beach in the early 90's before this line was established, but I remember the miles of stacked containers...can't imagine the traffic through that area now that the Naval Station was shutdown and converted to an intermodal facility.  After researching this line it appears they have a fantastic operation in one of the busiest port areas in the world.  Thanks again!

The Erie Built FMs in Milwaukee Road. Love the chrome. Don

Lionel locomotive; brush-painted acrylic (the gray) - no brush marks. "ESE" removed

above NYC oval.

The Atlas selector switches are full 1:1 scale. 

Former ESE J3a, assigned to "Mercury" service, later in life:

The amazing blue color of these Pan Am units is interesting to me.  I would love to have a set in O.

Atlantic Coast Line RR & Alaska RR (various years)

You guys put up some amazing diesel pics,but one of the best is the challenger 4-6-6-4 oil fired Greyhound design.Just my 2 cents. 

Love the NS Executive Office Car Special.  It's always a thrill to watch it come through our town.

It was a revelation for me, too. I grew up in the area, and enjoyed O gauge trains thanks to my dad, but the operations down at the harbor were largely unknown to me.

20 years later, as I begin to get my own kids stoked on trains, it just so happens that what I think is the coolest locomotive out there - the NRE 3GS21B - is not only being operated right by my hometown, but in one of the most awesome liveries I've ever seen.

Oh, you can bet I've got one on order!! In fact the whole thing has been so inspiring that I'm basing our inprogress home layout loosely on the Port of Los Angeles and the Pacific Harbor Line. Why not!! Perfect opportunity for a fun switching layout in our small space. (This photo depicts the 6 axle 3GS21C model but it looks almost identical)

That's easy.. Ain't they purty??

What I find so fascinating in World War 1 the Red Barron decided to let his men paint their airplanes in his Squadron any colors they wanted and until this day we here about what he did.

to the credit of the American RR industry we somehow found a way where RRs individually expressed themselves with the colors they used on their RRs.

I look at these pictures and so many locomotives were painted in such wonderful colors, it is a pleasure to see.

when I was in California 2 years ago with my kids on Spring Break and I will be back with more of my kids this Spring Break, there was a restaurant in the LA area my cousins took us to that had a huge collection of Southern Pacific Passenger Cars that had been painted in the many schemes throughout its history.It was all O-Gauge I asked the owner if he would sell any and like a TRUE model RRer he said they are not for sale and he hoped I enjoyed looking at them and he had hoped his kids would want them someday.

Truely there is an art form to be appreciated here in the many color schemes used by RRs

ATSF Warbonnet

That secret favorite: The Texas Special!

There are many but a special favorite is the GM&O

I did see a GM&O F unit and HW cars at Chicago Union once.  That was begging to be modeled!

WW II GS 4 Paint Scheme

I find it curious how everyone seems to have read the same question I did, which was "what is the most interesting paint scheme," then answered their own question, which seems to be "what is your favorite paint scheme," or "what is the best paint scheme?"

These ideas aren't directly interchangeable. 

I beg to differ with you. I believe the question has been answered correctly.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.