Hi all I would like to put to work some of my ATSF zebra stripes locomotives and I need to have an idea of a time period that suit theyr use know that the zebra stripe paint scheme was mostly used in the 1950's until about 1960 I have the following locomotives RS-1 S-4 FM-16-44 and GP7 which period of time do you suggest for this locomotives to be at home on my layout ? would the mid 1950s be suitable for all my 4 locomotives ? thanks for your reply
All four locomotives operated during the same time period. Late 40's through to the early 60's. There's kind of a rule of thumb you can follow. Most locomotives had a 20 year life span. Exceptions being when they were shopped and rebuilt. Usually receiving the most up to date and approved paint scheme. The zebra stripe started disappearing in the late 50's, 56-59 and ended up being repainted into the blue livery. Those were interesting times as I stood trackside in Boron and Barstow, CA., watching family members operate the locomotives of the time. Downside, I don't remember details as I wasn't tuned into the model railroad cult, with the avid awareness of a modeler. I didn't convert over to being a bolt, nut, washer and rivet counter until much later. Now I grab every book I can get my hands on and take most of it with a grain of salt. The best documentation out there, in my not so humble opinion, is Dr. Cynthia Priest. She has it recorded accurately and I trust the information shared implicitly. Since my family of rails have passed on I don't have my resources for information or answering questions. I have to rely on notes, letters and the likes from that era. Most of which were lost in a move or two. You'll do fine with those locomotives operating together. I look forward to seeing pictures of them and your modeling progress.
From photos I've seen switchers lasted longer in zebra stripes than high profile main line units like the SD24's and RSD15's. Santa Fe usually kept their front line power in good condition and weren't afraid of applying a fresh coat of paint as witnessed by how many more Santa Fe units got the SPSF Kodachrome scheme than SP ones, and how much more quickly they got painted back.
