Reading and Northern Color Change????

I prefer the green, an old RDG color. It is rather BLAA.

I believe this is one of the Geep rebuilds by Larry's Truck and Electric in McDonald Ohio that was purchase about 5 years ago. Maybe it's just an experiment.

#2534 and 2535 were acquired last year from LTEX, this now makes 6 of the rebuilt GP30s. The paint scheme for these 2 is the new passenger paint scheme, they will be used on the R&N's executive train which now sports a restored x-GM&O parlor car, and other passenger movements, including the Lehigh Gorge.
The 4 x-NS MP15DCs will remain in black for now, all are in service.
Will be interesting to see what the recently acquired xB&LE F-7s get painted into.

So....

Lehigh Gorge will use blue engines with blue coaches, R&N passenger will use burgundy engines with burgundy coaches, and R&N freight will stay green/black?

Makes sense from the standpoint of having so many pieces of rolling stock in play at any given time - I was on one of their excursions to Jim Thorpe year before last and I believe they had three separate passenger trips plus freight all rolling simultaneously and they orchestrated it like a Swiss watch.  

Only question in my mind - will we see a burgundy Reading T1???

It's all making sense now. Thanks all for the replies.

It really seems like they are trying to differentiate the LGSRY from R&N passenger this year, I'm sure Andy has something in the works.

When I first saw the picture, I thought that they were going after the LVRR look with the black diamond on the cab.  However, the base shade of the loco paint doesn't quite make it as Cornell Red to my eye, at least.  It's close but just off a little.

Poppyl

The photos are not spot on with the shad. In person it does look to me like the LV color.

I agree with you, Dave, that it is close -- perhaps a shade too light, but, as you said, it could be the light, too.  Nice to see someone besides FGLK recognizing their Black Diamond heritage.  Now all we need are some ALCOs.

Poppyl

Looks like paint primer.

Looks like paint primer.

It looks like HULL Red as used on the ships bottom of the hull.

I have it on good authority that the paint was matched to a paint chip of Cornell Red... but exactly which version of "Cornell Red" is anyone's guess!  Also they have continued in the RBMN tradition of using the cheapest paint money can buy, so just like the coaches they're painted to match... they're gonna fade.

Thanks for that info Brian. Do they send their equipment out to be painted or do they have their own spray booth? I got lost in Brookville Pa., several years ago, looking for a sawmill and made a wrong turn on a dirt road. I ended up at a train rehab place where I stopped and asked directions to some painters having lunch outside one huge spray booth. They were grey primer painting a Dash 8. They gave me a tour of the place and should me how their paint guns suck the paint out of 55 gallon drums. I could understand the need for a economic paint when it takes several gallons to do an engine. They also restore a lot of trolley cars there that are brought in by truck. Very cool place.

It's really not a new paint scheme, they used this paint scheme before when they still were using the GE U23B's back in the mid 1990's. 

Does anyone have color photos of these GE U23B's from the 1990's, with this paint scheme, they can share with us here?

They're painted with rollers by a local contractor using exterior house paint, to the consternation of crews.  The exception is 425 which was painted with an epoxy paint like imron (although still with rollers, because EPA rules prevent spraying such paint outdoors and there is no spray booth on the R&N.)

I have a photo of a U23B in Tamaqua, I'll see if I can find the picture. 

Thanks Lenny and Wowak. I must say, from a distance the roller application doesn't look so bad. Fooled me.

They look fine when freshly painted, but the paint fades quickly. 

Look better than some ex-SP power which was never repainted after purchase!