AZL June 2023 New Items Part 1

When was this colour scheme of the PA-1 in use ?

I don’t think so.

Resident expert Mr. Albritton beat me to a response, and his expert response is far more concise than mine. …

“McGinnis scheme launched January 1955. Alpert scheme launched August 1958 for cab units, January 1959 for hood units, March 1960 for switchers. Trustee orange scheme launched with purchase of EF-4s from N&W in August 1963, Trustee black scheme launched with purchase of U25Bs and C-425s in September 1964.” Link:

www.tapatalk.com/groups/thenhrhtanewhavenrailroadforum/new-haven-paint-schemes-timelines-t10720.html

The McGinnis scheme was introduced in 1955: Black, white, and Chinese vermillion, according to Don Ball Jr’s America’s Colorful Railroads. Link:

cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/19118.aspx

Some variations shown:

www.trainweb.org/willstrainart/New_Haven.htm

MAIN SCHEMES
• McGinnis—Black, white, red
• Alpert—Black and red
• Trustee Orange—Vermilion with white stripes
• Trustee Black—Black with white stripes

I was an art major. To me Chinese vermilion is redundant. Maybe the language is suggesting a particular shade of vermillion. (Vermilion is in eternal conflict. It’s too orange to be red. It’s too red to be orange.) Chessie’s red was vermilion, incidentally.

As we know, many railroads had at least three paint schemes. CSX, Denver, and Chessie are examples that come to mind. With a ’70s layout, for instance, it would be prototypical to have Chessie in three paint schemes, Western Maryland in two paint schemes, C&O in two paint schemes, Reading in one paint scheme, and B&O in one paint scheme simultaneously on a single layout. Mixed locomotive models and paint schemes show a real love for model railroading and railfanning.

I can’t do Wabash for the same reason I can’t have an Alco PA in the quintessential McGinnis paint scheme. Referencing the post on the thread Colours of New Haven on this forum, I quote, “… colours before ’54 did no more survive in 1965.” (Quotation yours, sir.)

Western Maryland circus paint scheme looks like an upside-down McGinnis New Haven paint scheme.

Notice how the author of the first article made mention of the U25B? [A-hem.]

Notice how I made mention of Western Maryland? [A-hem. A-hem. … A-hem.]

Scott

So, if I understand well, is the McGinnis scheme on my PA-1 finally wrong or not for my era (1965) ? As far as I can remember, I saw a locomotive in this colour scheme in a tunnel (but I don't know the type), in the first "Superman" movie, which was filmed much later. Very strange ...

What are you doing trusting Hollywood?



You answered your own question in February.*



Anachronisms abound in train movies.



In the movie The Sting, one of the title cards shows an illustration of a New York Central J3a Dreyfuss Hudson. The onscreen setting of The Sting is “September 1936.” Dreyfuss Hudsons came along until a year later. Also, the 20th Century never arrived at LaSalle Street at night.



In a more recent movie, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick and Cassian are fighting in a New Jersey-bound trans-Hudson train that’s supposed to be a New York City subway stopping at Rector Street. Moments earlier they faced each other at the fountain at Lincoln Center before running away to the underground transportation hub next to the 9/11 Memorial that’s 5-1/2 miles away from Lincoln Center. And so on, and so on, and …



Here’s another set of Hollywood anachronisms: In the movie Human Desire (1954), Glen Ford (Superman’s Earth dad) and Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe on “Petticoat Junction”) are locomotive engineers. They drive an Alco FA past the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge and through the tunnel at Harpers Ferry in the same run. Alco FA was very 1954. By 1952, however, US Route 1 bridge would obscure the view of the Trenton Makes Bridge. Lastly, crossing the Delaware and the Potomac in the same conversation?



1978 Poughkeepsie outdoor shot of the New Haven 5048 FL-9 featured in the tunnel scene of Superman (1978) may be found on Rrpcutresarchives.net.



New Haven 5048 FL-9 original number was 2048. Link:



cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Metro-North_Commuter_Railroad_FL9_locomotives



Photo on Flickr shows New Haven 2048 FL-9 “… on a bright sunny day leading a long departing passenger train at South Station in Boston, 1962.” Link:



www.flickr.com/photos/alcomike/50703167518



* “New Haven FL9 2058 circa mid-1960s,” your Otis tunnel locomotive from Superman (1978). Link:



i.pinimg.com/originals/03/39/06/033906132d53692ea8f0919f3ca5d702.jpg



Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get back to Netflix.



Scott