George Lasley posted:As Rusty stated above. Anything blue Virginian is pure fantasy. Blue did not exist in the VGN paint shop (maybe blue flags are the exception).
George
Over the years I have seen a number of pictures of Virginian locomotives that appeared to be a dull dark blue. I have never been certain whether it was an issue with the paint, an issue with the film or a combination of dirt and the light. By the time I got anywhere near southside Virginia most of that was gone. My understanding is the blue/gold color scheme for Virginian originated with production choices for Lionel rather than Virginia practices.