I'm just wondering if the Rock Island ever painted any single level passenger coaches in the red and yellow livery like some of the Galley commuter coaches? I would like to have a coach in that scheme because I really like that scheme because it reminds me of my favourite TTC subway cars.
Yes. There was a batch of Pullman carbon-steel cars that were single level lightweights, made in the late 40's or 50's. They were originally green like the "Jesse James" Harriman cars, but some got the red/yellow stripe look like the red gallery cars. These cars were known as "cattle cars" and each side had two doorways with dual sliding doors, like a modern gallery car. These were the only single-level cars to be painted red. Most LD single level cars were stainless, with the exception of Golden State Rocket cars on interline service with SP - those cars were red above the belt rail.
Here's a pic by Marty Bernard of the cattle cars in green. It's almost impossible to find the cattle cars in red.