terminalfanatic wrote:Why did NS decide to alter the LV paint scheme? Something not done correctly?
basically, yes..
Nearly all of the Heritage units so far have been met with universal acclaim, (as they should! because they are amazing!)
but the LV unit, as originally painted, left a lot of LV fans scratching their heads..
everyone liked it fine, but there was a universal feeling that "well, its good, but it could be better"..
(some people suggest that people "complained" about it..as a LV fan, who is tuned into EVERY LV railfan forum in existence,
I would like to clear up that misconception..No one "complained"..no one said it was "bad"..Everyone just said "a few changes, and it would be much better".
there is a difference between "complaining" and "constructive criticism"..)
For example, the original version had a LV diamond bordered in yellow..which never appeared on a LV unit,
And for this particular scheme, the handrails were always orange..
NS has said all along that they desire to make these schemes "as accurate as possible", so, to their credit, they listened to what LV fans and historians had to say,
and decided to bring the LV unit back to the paint shop for some tweaking!
And the result is MUCH better! I think everyone will be satisfied now!
They added the stripes to the nose and pilot, made a "proper" LV diamond on the nose,
painted the handrails orange, and re-did the flag on the side of the nose, which looks much better.
A major issue with the LV unit in particular is that the particular scheme chosen (the LV's Alco C628 scheme in Red)
doesn't really translate perfectly to a modern wide-cab..but they pulled it off!
I was originally against the stripes on the nose..I thought it wouldn't look good, but now that I see the unit, I take that back!
it looks fabulous!
The LV unit is now just as amazing as the rest of them..it just needed a few tweaks to make it better..
thanks NS!
Scot