3/24/2021 Finally Done - Paint it ProtoType or Fantasy?

That is a hard call as it is your railroad, anything "we" say might be wrong. Having said that, my personal railroad is the Eastern Maryland using Western Maryland speed-lettering scheme. And that givesme a lot of leeway as we run on the eastern shore of MD with trackage rights on both the PRR and B&O to the port of Baltimore.

When you said fantasy scheme, I thought something like this:

Back to your question.  I'd go with the SMS (and I'm a Pennsy fan).  It is the best looking and the most colorful.  And it looks like a scheme the SMS would have painted it if they had any.

(photo from an earlier post on the cab forward)

I almost had a Big Boy painted and relettered for the Pennsy.  The only reason I didn't was I needed the money for a necessity.  If you like it, do it. It's your railroad, do whatever you like. Simple as that.  

-Greg

I own and operate the New Freedom Railroad and we lease engines of all types and roadnames. The railfans love seeing things like a UP Challenger on a shortline. 

I think you should go with a fantasy scheme. IT will make it unique and purely yours. Plus it can be fun for yourself and others if you show it off.

This is a White Pass and Yukon Route NW-2 switcher that never existed. I got a busted up Seaboard model for cheap and decided to have some fun with it.

@artyoung posted:

I own and operate the New Freedom Railroad.

New Freedom, PA.  Steam into History???

We love that train ride.

Ron

All nice options. Good luck with your choice. Its your RR !!!

Let us know the fianl decision

Steve

Ron, no right or wrong answer, paint it however you wish.

However, whatever decision you choose, please keep us posted as to you progress.

Charlie

Well there is no right or wrong as mentioned above.     I personally prefer prototype schemes over total fantasy, which makes the SMS scheme somewhere in between.   It is a prototype scheme on a loco they do not have.   I also like fantasy schemes that look like they could be real, better than total fantasy like a "batman" loco or somesuch.   

And another thought, to me it does not look right to take famous, well-known loco like an NYC Hudson, a Big Boy, or Pennsy K4 and paint them for another prototype RR.

All that said, remember rule #1.    "It is my Railroad, and if  you don't like it, there's the door".

@prrjim posted:

  I also like fantasy schemes that look like they could be real, better than total fantasy like a "batman" loco or somesuch.   

 

Oh, I guess you would just hate this creation of mine then.  "atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed, ready to move out"

No, refer to rule #1.   It is your RR and if you like it is good - - for you.   Actually it looks a like the C&O scheme I think.     We all just have our preferences.     Most of my Diesels are painted for Pennsylvania RR as they painted them in the 1950s with the full wording rather than the big decals and initials.    That is what I like.   I also have a fantasy scheme NW2 painted for the Conemaugh & Juniata RR which belong to my very good friend who died last year.      Now true it is the same as the PRR except for lettering.

I vote for the SMS scheme shown in your original post. I think it is the most attractive.

The highest visibility, most attention getting scheme would be B&O in the Chessie System paint scheme. 

Andrew

Any way to work GG-1 stripes into a 44-tonner paint scheme, do you think? 

@falconservice posted:

The highest visibility, most attention getting scheme would be B&O in the Chessie System paint scheme. 

Andrew

Andrew, 

I do not disagree.  Chessie is MY favorite railroad, so that makes it even more logical.  However, I have only done one repaint so far and it was OK.  I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to paint and mask and paint a Chessie scheme.  I'm just not that good.

To add, this particular engine is going to be difficult because I can't just paint the shell.  The base is part of the job too.  So I need to consider either masking all of the electronics or doing a 100% removal.

Ron

This is actually a fantasy scheme. When the Genesee and Wyoming acquired the South Buffalo RR this was the proposed logo. It even appeared on the G&W site. But none of the engines got this logo, rather the South Buffalo got merged into another G&W railroad, the Buffalo and Pittsburgh. So the bison was lost and S B got replaced with B P. Otherwise the colors are correct.

Pete

K-Line By Lionel did a New Haven boxcab in olive green.  It would be fun to see this re-issued in `The Cranberry' colors.  Not sure who wound up with the rights to the boxcab when the former K-Line dies/molds were divvied up a few years ago.

David

NYC never had a FM/TM but I made a gray one with stripes. Its yours, paint and enjoy it.

@David98 posted:

K-Line By Lionel did a New Haven boxcab in olive green.  It would be fun to see this re-issued in `The Cranberry' colors.  Not sure who wound up with the rights to the boxcab when the former K-Line dies/molds were divvied up a few years ago.

David

How did you come across a 7+ months old thread?  I'm always curious when older threads are revived.

@Pingman posted:

How did you come across a 7+ months old thread?  I'm always curious when older threads are revived.

What's really strange is I was the OP and next to last post in May '20.

But I just re-read this last night to review feedback on my paint options.  I did not post anything so I did not give it a bump for David98 to find today.

Either way... I have decided to go with falconservice idea of Chessie.

I really liked the idea of SMS and was really excited because a family member works there.  When I told him about it, he scoffed because SMS does not have a 44 ton.  He did not seem appreciative, so screw it, I'll go with my favorite railroad.

I'm kitbashing a Chessie transfer caboose to go with it.  That appears to have been real, but I can only find two pictures of it online.  The transfer caboose will hold the battery and BlueRail board.  I'll run the engine in DCC mode.

Decals purchased and in the mail.  Hope to buy paint this weekend.

Have Fun.  Ron

How did this thread get revived?  I recalled seeing a very nice project done by someone in the past year or so, repainting one of these KBL boxcabs - I think in the NH McGinness color-block scheme.  I was using the "Search" feature to try to find it, and could not; but this subject was close enough.

So here is the other NH fantasy boxcab idea!

David

I know I have responded to older threads after searching for something and then forgetting I am reading an old post.

Brendan

@Jim 1939 posted:

NYC never had a FM/TM but I made a gray one with stripes. Its yours, paint and enjoy it.

Jim, would love to see a few pix of your NYC FM/Tmaster!

I've painted a few things for fun and definitely no profit, just because the originals were either very worn or broken, and once bodily-restored, I had some fun.  (BTW- the Erie FM Tmaster isn't mine - just posted it for Jim1939)...

Any of those would be just fine.

I thought you were going to commit a true heresy. 

George

Thanks, George, appreciate your comment. Just want to stand and say painting (the whole schmeer, from removal of old paint to body-filling or crack repairs to sanding, primer, painting and decaling is FUN!

Well it took me a while to get this one done, but I finally reached the finish line.  I had to take it down to bare metal 3 times before I could get the paint the way I like it.  It was frustrating, I'm glad it's over, but I'm also glad I did it.

I want to again thank falconservice for his recommendation of Chessie colors.  I was really debating on just how to repaint this engine to please others.  Then I decided since Chessie is MY favorite railroad and I do not have any Chessie engines, that I would do this one for myself.

While Chessie did not have any 44 tonners, the B&O, C&O and Western MD all did.  So it's not such a stretch to pretend that WM decided to keep their 44 Ton #75 instead of selling it in 1964 to U.S. Plywood.  Naturally during the merger years, WM #75 would have been repainted into Chessie... as I have interpreted below using pictures of other Chessie diesels as a guide.

I also kitbashed a transfer caboose to go with this engine.  Details on that are here.

Have Fun!

Ron

That looks great.

Andrew

I vote for the Pennsy... as a big fan... but your vote is the only one that really counts!