UP has some really ratty locos running around, two shades of grey, two shades of yellow, some road grime here, some rust there. I was wondering if there is a fairly easy way to duplicate this look. Example: < http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=37986 >. Stan
That's one of the better looking units on the UP's roster... mg: Drybrushing a dark yellow or brownish yellow would get you close to the oxidized paint look, but the grime will be an easy one. A wash of thinned black ink, some chalks, maybe some thinned (to a wash consistency--very thin, like 50:1 ratio or thinner) grimy black paint thru the airbrush...
yes i remember them clean at least I think i do, however am i the only one that finds it strange that you would not wash your most important and expensive pieces of equipment once and a while?....oh well may be that is just me.
Yes, I remember them as extremely clean. In the early sixties in Los Angeles the E units on one of their passenger trains was shiny clean, so much so that without sunglasses, it was uncomfortable to look at. I also seem to remember the freight units as also being very, very clean and nice looking. And, again in the early eighties I saw some freight units that were getting to the repaint stage, but they were still clean, even tho' slightly faded. 'Haps they should take of their legal talent and put 'em to painting.
I like the neat blue light gizmo on the track in front of the loco, that would be a neat thing to model on your RIP track.
Lately, the day they leave the assembly plant is about the only day they are clean, and it all goes downhill after that!
Hemi- as former members of the Sherman Hill Model RR club, do you remember someone (one of the members) saying something about UP's policy on loco washing? Personally, I'd like to see those legal beagles out on the service track with a long-handle scrub brush and a bucket of soapy water washing diesels. It would be the first honest work the Legal Department has done.
Here is a UP locomotive being washed. This may happen any time, any where when they least expect it. UP WASH FACILITY
The wash rack at the service track in North Little Rock,AR is used every day. Also every engine that has quarterly,biannual,or annual maintence done gets washed as changing oil filters is pretty messy. Gabriel, The blue "men at work" sign is a blue flag required by federal law to protect workers. One has to be in the middle of each end of the track when engines or cars are being worked on. With the switches on each end of the track lined and locked so nothing can get into that track. There has also got to be a blue light on each end of the track at night. In engine maintence facilities the engines are worked on in the same spot all the time so blue flags are mounted on swing arms with a flashing blue light that runs off 110v. Each engine and/or each end of a consist that is on the track between the blue flags has to have a blue flag or blue light on it. Did you notice the yellow derail on the ground beside the blue flag?
One way to repaint a UP loco: Normaly I would not buy a UP product but these were the same price as all other models which were all on close out. Patch job: Design: Me Decal Work: Hemi Note: On my layout the Great Northern asorbed the UP.
That blue light gizmo on the track in front of the loco in the picture I posted http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=37986 is connected to the derail. You may notice that the red base is a switch stand, which has the white gate attached to it. There is also a purple "D" sign on the gate, along with the blue light, and "men working" sign. When they set the derail, the gate swings across the tracks, displaying the "D" sign. I can't say if the blue light is connected to the mechanism, so that it automatically comes on or not. I'd think it would be controlled separately (ie: toggle switch). I've never seen this used, as they rarely, if ever, do any work on locomotives at this spot. Mostly I've just seen power parked here, either as inbound/outbound consists, or odd man out locos as they make up new consists. Stan