Guilford Paint Phases

[BostonUrbEx]

Found a shot with the 374 sporting all black and a Big G, nothing else.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 94&nseq=27" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Photo is dated 1997.


Was this an actual scheme or was the paint job just not finished? Simple, but looks good.

[guilfordrailfan]

Found a shot with the 374 sporting all black and a Big G, nothing else.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 94&nseq=27" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Photo is dated 1997.


Was this an actual scheme or was the paint job just not finished? Simple, but looks good.

That is a patch job. 374 was purchased from NS in 1995 and the black paint is actually N&W black.

[talltim]

There have been a lot of Guilford patch jobs over the years, some more 'professional' than others.
Some of my favourites are 653 in ex PC black, but for some reason with (B&M?) blue patches http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... x?id=11706" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and Ex Detroit Edison 663, again with random blue patches https://www.flickr.com/photos/50893925@N04/10846829945" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm sure I've seen a pic of one the of the hi-hood SDs in all black with the big G, but I can't find it now, checking through pics they all seem to have been painted on delivery to Guilford.
Edit: Found some low-hood SDs in black, SD39 BM 690-693 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoLi ... BM&mid=143" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Z31SPL]

I'm guessing maybe the only color they had laying around at the shop besides the white was that blue and they made due with what they had

[scottychaos]

How many paint phases did Guilford have in the Grey and Orange? I found at least 4
My favorite phase - note the solid orange on the bottom. (I always liked the railroad name spelt out next to the big G and the "numbers only" under the cab.)
Two phases in this picture - note the orange and white stripes and the missing orange band at the rare of the first engine.
My least favorite phase - I was never a big fan of the Guilford Rail System and the railroad reporting marks under the cab.

Im not so sure those can actually be considered real official phases..
IMO, its more likely they are simply four variations on the one Guilford paintscheme!
just minor changes, unofficial, done by different shops for different reasons..

Scot

[MEC407]

Those were indeed official changes to the paint scheme. Those three particular locomotives were painted many years apart from each other. Those were all "official" at one point.

On the subject of patch jobs, here's another variation, which I believe was exclusive to the GP35s:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2675084" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2675069" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2674781" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2675081" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2674790" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[scottychaos]

Those were indeed official changes to the paint scheme. Those three particular locomotives were painted many years apart from each other. Those were all "official" at one point.

interesting! thanks..good to know.
scot

[shadyjay]

The book "Guilford - Five Years of Change" (Hartley, 1989, Railpace Company) has a lot of early Guilford photos in it, including "patch jobs" and whatnot. One shot that is unique is a Maine Central GP-7 in harvest gold, which had just been transferred to "Springfield Terminal" ownership. The MEC logo on the cab and the large road number on the hood were "greyed out" with "Springfield Terminal" lettering on the hood and the new 2-digit number on the cab (both in white over the grey). The body of the locomotive retained the harvest gold with the green stripes. Not an official scheme, though... just an interim to denote change in ownership, just like the big "G" painted over NS black, or CR blue, or what-have-you.

[BostonUrbEx]

On the subject of patch jobs, here's another variation, which I believe was exclusive to the GP35s:

. . .

These look great. Simple, but well suited. Must be cheap to paint, and easy to clean (or, rather, not clean and get away with it). They look menacing and powerful, rather than old junky things in a sickly gray coat with a sickly orange stripe.