on the ROCKS... Island

I like the pic of all the new boxcars!

Rode the "Rock" (later METRA) for many years as I commuted from the S/W suburbs to my job in downtown Chicago.  I recently saw one of the METRA engines painted in the old Rock colors.  I am wondering if Metra has done this for each of the other spokes that serve the city.  Maybe others will chime in with the answer.

This image makes my heart race.  Is it 1:1 or model?

RMT made an RI BEEP diesel x2 and matching RI caboose in 3-rail O-gauge.

Walter

A steam era photo.

Charlie

I'm not a big fan whatsoever of baby-butt blue and powder-puff white.  But I must admit, I did get somewhat excited when I caught this old derelict rolling through Topeka a week ago today.............

That's "Bankruptcy Blue," thankyouverymuch

palallin posted:

That's "Bankruptcy Blue," thankyouverymuch

I know.  I have a theory, that the bankruptcy was caused by that God-awful paint scheme.   

New paint for an old veteran at IRM.

I can only wonder - if the Rock Island had paid more attention to their "railroading"  and spent less time & money on paint schemes - would it have remained solvent longer????

SURFLINER posted:

I can only wonder - if the Rock Island had paid more attention to their "railroading"  and spent less time & money on paint schemes - would it have remained solvent longer????

Maybe they would have fallen sooner had the paint been mundane? 

You also sort of have to paint them to maintain the metal anyhow.

So tape, masking paper, and pigment costs are the difference. 

However, red has always been one of the most expensive pigments too. 

SURFLINER posted:

I can only wonder - if the Rock Island had paid more attention to their "railroading"  and spent less time & money on paint schemes - would it have remained solvent longer????

Even if the Rock Island were to be solvent, I believe the SP was looking to get them anyway and would have been purchased either in the 1980's or 1990's.  After the Bankruptcy, most of the Rock island main has been purchased by the SP and upgraded.

Erik, you're the only guy who can make the Rock Island look sexy.

 

Even if the Rock Island were to be solvent, I believe the SP was looking to get them anyway and would have been purchased either in the 1980's or 1990's.  After the Bankruptcy, most of the Rock island main has been purchased by the SP and upgraded.

"Most," but not the St. Louis - KC line nearest me. 

SURFLINER posted:

I can only wonder - if the Rock Island had paid more attention to their "railroading"  and spent less time & money on paint schemes - would it have remained solvent longer????

I’d strongly recommend the book Rock Island Requiem The Collapse of a Mighty Fine Line by Gregory Schneider. It’s amazing now looking back then at how politics, bureaucracy, and greed from its largest shareholder Henry Crown ultimately sunk the Rock Island. The autobiography of Jervis Langton (I might be getting his name wrong here) also touches on his days of president of the Rock Island in the 60’s and how everyone assumed merger with UP and sale of the southern half to SP was a foregone conclusion.

The RED AND YELLOW, my favorite paint scheme of all time! 

LOVE the "run what'cha brung" nature of the Rock Island's diesel fleet. All of 'em, all models... from the original schemes to the pastel blue "ROCK" schemes.

Seems as the Rock Island dieselized, they became the Will Rogers of dieseldom: "We never meet a diesel we don't like (and purchase!)".

Fun thread.

Andre

I love that IRM Geep paint job.  I think the baby blue and white is very sharp.

                    https://youtu.be/Y7CUPlBPXHE

                                                 https://youtu.be/zfqIaOuXdcI

The current issue of RMC has an article on a bashed  HO model of the Rock Island "motor" like several built in RI's Horton, Ks. shops.  I have thought l might gin one of those up, maybe using a Walthers shorty gas electric. Their motors were like shortened gas electrics..with just power and a baggage area. These are in the book on the Horton shops.

A Lionel wood caboose, doctored up a little bit with a scratch built cupola.  Slightly more "Rock Islandesque", hopefully.

Some proper R.I. wood caboose decals would be even better yet.  Maybe down the road? 

                https://youtu.be/UDPU-arOssI

Sam Jumper posted:

New paint for an old veteran at IRM.

I liked the blue and white scheme. I wasn't a huge fan of the red and yellow scheme, and that maroon paint didn't age well at all. 

Jeff C

Rusty

Quick thought on Rock Island bankruptcy:  paint had nothing to do with it. 

The quite solvent Great Northern noted in it's 1956 annual report that the proposed Eisenhower interstate highway system would be very detrimental to US railroads. It would allow the trucking industry a first class right of way, paid for in greater part by taxpayers, on which they could expedite freight faster and more cost effectively then the railroads.

All this eventually clobbered the north eastern and mid-western railroads. The entire NE railroad infrastructure collapsed in 1970, precipitated by the Penn Central bankruptcy, and subsequently mid-western carriers like Milwaukee Road, Rock Island, Chicago Great Western (sold just prior to collapse), went under. 

The Rock Island went everywhere where stronger carriers went, and the traffic volume of CRIP was just too thin to survive. As the Manager of the CGW noted, the nation had more railroads then were required for it's transportation needs.

But, I love the good old Rock Island. Some of the best looking 4-8-4's, 4-8-2's and 2-10-2's in the business! Toss in some passenger E's for good measure!

I saw a question on Metra repaints.  I live in Winnetka and haven't seen any.

I have a set of Atlas F units black and red from the Bob Thatcher AM Hobbies era.  Awesome engines but have not been run recently.

I just picked up a new Atlas hoper car.  Stunning.

Wouldn't it be great if they made this in "O" ?!!

Well I stand corrected on the Metra engine in RI paint scheme.  Quite cool. 

Here are mine from MTH. 

A bridge near Olde Western Ave.in Blue Island still has the Rock Island logo.

WbB, with scratch-built fuel tank.

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

                                                      Now the fonts are undersized. ???

One of my favorite pictures (no I didn't take it) I copied this on an Atlas  SW8/9

My exclusively RI O-gauge collection included steamers, diesels, freight cars, and passengers cars by many manufacturers -- all I could find and buy. After suffering a stroke, I decided to sell the entire collection (an inventory of 8 pages) through Stout Auctions.  It took 20 years to gather the collection, but it was sold in a weekend to other RI hobbyists.

My favorite RI train ... the 1937 TA diesel with articulated passenger coaches. This train is now offered as an O-gauge model by Sunset Models. I ordered one!

Mike Mottler     (ritrainguy)    LCCA 12394