Why PennCentral logo so bland?

Has anyone ever noticed how bland the Penn Central logo was? They had that "mating worms" logo of the P and C looped together that took no effort or imagination. But most of their locos were just black with "penn central" in white, arial italic font painted real small on the side or nose.

Would the assumption of PC was broke and wanted to expend no $ on paint/marketing/design be the correct answer?

AND BY THE WAY...have you noticed now that RRs just put stencil report marking on the sides of their cars. Very rarely do you see a big fancy RR logo on the cars anymore.

I was around Conrail at its formation. You were right about not spending money on a better creation process for a logo. They wanted to do something that would have some reminder of the PRR and NYC, hence the P and the C. But those two lines on black engines was really pathetic. To me I always thought it came out like it was the idea and work of a third third grade school project contest winner.

As reference, PC was not "broke" when the logo was designed and implemented (at time the of merger in 1967/1968). I don't believe it was a financially influenced decision (the logo design, that is).

The logo itself was no more "bland" than the one Conrail adopted. I remember, as an employee (prior PC), being rather disappointed with both the CR logo and the "Blue Monday" corporate color scheme. Blah!

I did, though, like the $$ symbols on the paychecks -- both PC and CR.

A bold stencil of a PC or CR is a lot cheaper to apply and maintain than a complex NYNH&H in script. In the case of the Conrail conversion, stenciling a CR over the CNJ EL Ironton etc insignia was fast and effective.

If Amtrak gets broken up, which, if any power and cars will be stenciled over with an NJT logo, I wonder?

Lackawanna484 wrote:A bold stencil of a PC or CR is a lot cheaper to apply and maintain than a complex NYNH&H in script. In the case of the Conrail conversion, stenciling a CR over the CNJ EL Ironton etc insignia was fast and effective.

If Amtrak gets broken up, which, if any power and cars will be stenciled over with an NJT logo, I wonder?

You mean something that looks a little like this?

Hmmmmm... Just wondering about the white PC lettering on black painted locos... Was there ever white PC lettering on green painted locos like some of my HO fleet? Or did I just... LOL!!! What was the true color scheme and what locos was it depicted on?

Personally, I think it was a pretty intresting scheme when I see it on the SD45's and their other freight locomotives.

Has anyone ever noticed how bland the Penn Central logo was?

I think everyone has...that's what happens when you put two broke giant railroads together, I guess...

There was a variation where the "P" was red, but it was quite rare...

Well, to be honest, there was something quite elegant about standing at Broad St. Station in Elizabeth and seeing a freshly painted set of GP30's or RS11's with the black body, yellow handrails and bright white "PC"... I thought the scheme and logo had a certain "classiness" about it. Once the engines got old and sooty looking it was pretty bad though.
I've seen some WILD variations on the PC, including one I pointed out in an earlier thread that looked completely mangled... I have to track down some of those pics...

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah!
BigDell

Worms having sex is bland???

Bobby S wrote:Hmmmmm... Just wondering about the white PC lettering on black painted locos... Was there ever white PC lettering on green painted locos like some of my HO fleet? Or did I just... LOL!!! What was the true color scheme and what locos was it depicted on?

Obviously the "official" PC paint scheme was white on black. I believe the only PC loco's to receive jade green paint were the Tyco versions http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/id13.html of the F7, GP20 and C430. The worst abominations of PC paint had to be the ex-NH FL9's which carried a dog's breakfast of paint. The blue/yellow repaints weren't much better.

The only real locomotives ever painted in Jade green were New York Central E8A 4053, E7B 4107, and E8A 4083. The two E8A's had the "Cigar Band" logo. They were an experiment that was not repeated.

glennk419 wrote:

Bobby S wrote:Hmmmmm... Just wondering about the white PC lettering on black painted locos... Was there ever white PC lettering on green painted locos like some of my HO fleet? Or did I just... LOL!!! What was the true color scheme and what locos was it depicted on?

Obviously the "official" PC paint scheme was white on black. I believe the only PC loco's to receive jade green paint were the Tyco versions http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/id13.html of the F7, GP20 and C430. The worst abominations of PC paint had to be the ex-NH FL9's which carried a dog's breakfast of paint. The blue/yellow repaints weren't much better.

Thanks for the correction. Being on the "Pennsy" side of the merger, I never saw these units and have never even seen pictures.

I think the real answer to that question is that the managements of both the Pennsylvania and the New York Central were very conservative and both had adopted minimal paint schemes prior to the merger. The new Penn Central paint scheme reflected that. The same can be said for the attitude regarding rolling stock today. Of course you now have the added problem of youths tagging freight cars and railroad cars are bought and sold quit rapidly these days. Why spend big bucks painting a boxcar when the local youths are going to make it look like hell in no time flat anyway or you may not even own the car in a year or two?

carajul wrote:Has anyone ever noticed how bland the Penn Central logo was? They had that "mating worms" logo of the P and C looped together that took no effort or imagination. But most of their locos were just black with "penn central" in white, arial italic font painted real small on the side or nose.

Would the assumption of PC was broke and wanted to expend no $ on paint/marketing/design be the correct answer?

AND BY THE WAY...have you noticed now that RRs just put stencil report marking on the sides of their cars. Very rarely do you see a big fancy RR logo on the cars anymore.