Basing an excursion railroad business model on a railfan audience will NEVER work. For the most part, railfans don't buy tickets, they just want to chase, shoot videos and complain about the lack of "authenticity" about whatever is running. It's the wrong audience.
It is the general public who are only casually interested in riding a train that is the audience here. They don't care about the history of the car they're riding in, what's on the side of the tender, or whether the livery on the consist is "correct" (whatever that means.) All they want is a nice train ride on an attractive, clean train.
Pullman Green and Tuscan Red were great colors for the railroads back in the day. They were dark, didn't show the dirt and didn't have to be washed very often. But they are HORRIBLE colors for a tourist train, precisely because they are dark and drab. Do you think it's a coincidence that tourist attractions like Disney World are loaded with bright colors? Pullman Green and Tuscan Red will not appeal to a modern, recreational audience.
