BNSF,NS and CSX: Should they do Heritage scheme's like UP did?


Davidellias

Davidellias

Member
Im curious, do you guys think any of the other big four should do Heritage Scheme's like UP?

You have NS with NW,SOU(Technically have one in this scheme already), WAB,NKP,IT,CoG,CR,PC,L&HR,LV,AA,EL,RDG,CNJ and of course the original NS.

BNSF has GN (Blue scheme maybe), BN (thought they still have a few of these), CBQ,SPS,NP and ATSF.

And finally CSX has SCL,ACL, SEA,AW&P/GRR,CRR,CR,PC,L&HR,LV,AA,EL,RDG,CNJ,L&N,B&O,C&O, and WM.

Who do you think you'd like to see do Heritage scheme's?
 
CSX and NS can technically take any of the fallen flags that became Conrail since both of those companies split conrail up. But I wouldn't mind seeing a few retro paints done by Norfollk Southern similar to how Lionel did it on there SD70ACe's. Those paint schemes looked really cool.
 
CSX - add Chessie.

How many smaller railroads were merged into the large roads in their histories? (I know - I'm dreaming!)
 
I know this is about larger railroads but to anyone who would like to know pan am railways is supposedly doing a few MEC / BM heritage units
 
I wouldn't mind seeing a few though these newer locos won't negotiate my 18" radius curves. If they did some on something like SD40-2's or smaller I might up one or two. But it's been my experience that the models that carry these schemes are the biggest newest things they can lay their hands on.
 
NS already has done a "Heritage Unit". Its a GP-? (I can't remember if its a GP-50, 59 or 60.) Its painted in the tuxedo style but is green instead of the classic Southern black with the grey,(aluminum) stripe. I can't even say if its still around in that scheme or not.
 
The hertiage schemes I've seen are the ones UP did, and don't really evoke the original roads much. The SP heritage scheme for example was terrible, and most SP fans I've spoken with hate it. There was talk that these were only done because of the (at the time) ongoing legal battles over the old names, and the license fees the subcontracted lawyers thought they could collect from hobby manufacturers an anyone else that wanted to use them. If they lay idle too long, they become public domain, so they painted up a few locos with them to retain their rights. Not sure how much of that is true, but it is an interesting coincidence, isn't it?
 
I've heard that same "rumor" down here as well Alan. The NS "heritage" was painted to IIRC commemorate the SR's hundredth anniversary. Still it would have been nice if the had done a real, "live", tuxedo. But since, when the SR dieselized, all the diesels were painted in green, I guess they felt that the green was more appropriate for the situation.
 
Interesting, because when I picture Southern diesels in my head, Tuxedo is what pops in. I know many were green, but green ones in my mind are mostly E and F units, though I know there were SP's and SW's and so on. I painted a few green ones for Sonny Birchfield years ago.
 
It is interesting. The green scheme came in when the SRR got it's first set of FT's. They got the demo's and a few others from EMD. The green scheme for the F's, were green with the aluminum grey stripes. The passenger locos were green with white stripes. All the other locos were basically all green except for a couple of gold stripes. Then sometimes in the 50's they put the aluminum stripe on them. It was just like the black/aluminum stripes of the Tuxedo scheme, but with yellow lettering.

It wasn't until the delivery of the SD-24's that the classic Tuxedo scheme showed up with yellow lettering. IIRC it was withl the delivery of the GP-30's that the lettering was changed to gold. The RR had repainted everything into the black/aluminum scheme until Graham Claytor Jr. brought back the Crescent and repainted the E-8's into the green & white of the original SRR passenger locos.

That's why its sometimes hard to paint a loco into SRR. It's best to find a picture of the prototype your client wants and when, to see what scheme is appropriate for that engine on that date. Green with gold lettering. Green/aluminum with yellow lettering. Black tux with yellow lettering or Black tux with gold lettering.
 
The Tuxedo scheme was a very cool scheme. Timeless, classic, rugged yet simple. Id like to see that one on NS. Esp on a high nose sd40-2.

Not a big fan of the green. But, green is in vogue right now with the whole corporate image/environmental green movement.
 
Cheesie

My first attempt at painting a shell in 10 years atleast. Anyway CSX could do something like this. The red stripe should have had a little more orange look to it. Other wise not to bad I think.
Alan
 
A chessie unit would look nice. I tossed an idea around about a ES44AC or SD70ACe painted in the "Conrail Quality" scheme but using the current CSX dark future paint. This way its kinda heritage but with the new companies colors.
 
I think you are essentially right, Espeefan.
If you don't use a trademark for any length of time you can lose it. I'm not about to go into trademark law here but it does make sense to hold onto them as assets from any company's point of view i.e. they did purchase them.
I come from the music business and understand how important in terms of customer recognition trademarks for labels (Parlophone and many others for EMI or even the words "Abbey Road" are heavily protected).

I still believe these railroad companies get a kick out of seeing their latest locomotives as models and licensing their use is just sensible. I cannot believe that anyone would want to see their trademarks priced out of the market and to just have their competitors products available as models.

Interesting subject, really (!).

Best, Pete.
 
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