F59PHI’s

Yeah, the F59PHI's and heritage MP36's have a relatively simple paint job that can be done in their own shop.

The "grey to blue fade" intro'd in 2015 for the F59's and the F40PH3 rebuilds is a lot more complicated. It doesn't appear to be done on-property yet.

I'd like to think that decision might have been revisited, especially with the reception the MILW and RI unit are getting compared to the "fade"...

Never thought of it that way, thanks for your input.

And I appreciate Metra supporting their employees, but that blue-white fade with orange-maroon tri-stripe and black top and candy strips and silver roof is just wayyyy too much for me. I never thought the silver roof was a good idea, either (or the red roof either). Oil and soot buildup show quickly.

Everyone: 2/22

Just spotted F59 #459 on Amtrak #4 heading east towards Chicago thanks to the VR webcam at
LaPlata, Missouri - left 9:37 AM CST. #459 is the third unit on #4 - Pacific Surfliner color scheme.

MACTRAXX

There's a bunch of them sitting at Western Ave. awaiting "conversion". Also quite a few out on the road now.

Tadman wrote:I've heard that the F59PHIs were "quickie" repainted. I'm not sure how quick it is if the whole thing is repainted. Thoughts?

It's always easier to repaint an auto or locomotive if you keep to the same color(s). Anytime there is a chip in the new top layer of paint, the old layer of paint matches. If the new top level is a different color, the old top level can be easily seen through the chip.
To repaint with a new color top level, one should strip all the old paint off back to the primer, reprimer and repaint all over again. Stripping all the old paint off takes a lot of time, at considerable expense, and should never be considered a "quickie" repaint.
Since they use the term "quickie", all they did was respray new top coats in the orignial colors.

Newly repainted and numbered 85 was sitting under Roosevelt Road north of 14th Street. Doubtful it would run on BNSF/SWS but it’s there.

Don’t SWS trains get maintained at the MILW hard downtown? That would add up then to be on SWS. A few weeks ago I saw a box F59 pulling toward CUS at the jewel supermarket over the tracks. That’s the deadhead SWS going back in for the afternoon rush.

SWS is maintained at 14th Street. Budd series coaches with BNSF lettering are often seen along the line. That might have been HC coming from Western Ave with F59PH 97, 98, or 99.

Yeah you’re right, I was confusing the two. It was HC.

Ex-Amtrak 464 was coupled to two coach cars under Roosevelt Road just north of 14th Street this afternoon. Amtrak logos were either marked out or painted over.

Newly repainted F59PHIs 79 and 87 were sitting under Roosevelt Rd at 14th St. They were coupled together with 79 facing north and 87 facing south. Of note of 79 it is painted in the current color scheme of the MP36s and F40PHM-3s. 87 is painted in the scheme that all of the F59PHIs to date are painted.

Tried to get a pic but came in fast into CUS.

459 is sitting at Western Ave. with its Amtrak markings blanked out.

Saw 79 at Western Ave. last week. While the MP36 scheme looks better on it than on the boxy F40PHs and F59PHs, I think that the "Amtrak" scheme looks nicer on them.

F40CFan wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:22 pm I think that the "Amtrak" scheme looks nicer on them.

Way, way better.

Look, I know an employee designed the current corporate scheme. I'm sure it's here to stay. But it's just not good. There's so much going on, it's almost frenetic, and not in a good way. In the big picture, an industrial designer is sorely needed and not that costly compared to some of the other stuff they spend money on.

The MP36 scheme is okay on an MP36 but really falls flat on the F40 and F59, and the adaptation on the gallery cars is just something else.

I agree. And the gallery cars look hideous. Especially in that they are coupled to stainless cars. Even when coupled next to a an MP, F40 or F59 in the "corporate" colors, they don't look right because they don't match up.

I hope its a real long time before they get around to repainting the other F59PHIs.