Hi All, I do not currently have access to the book Frisco in Color. Where would I look to find the time frame that the GP7s were repainted from black and yellow to the Mandarin orange and white livery? Love the site upgrade, loads faster and the misaligned portions of the displayed page is all better now (Firefox). Thanks, Craig
Howdy Craig, As I recall, the Mandarin orange and white paint scheme became the standard in the mid sixties. It took a while to repaint all the locomotives, so the black and yellow locomotives could be seen into the late sixties. There may be a Frisco Folk out there who knows specific dates that the paint transition took place for freight locomotives. Hope this helps, Mike
Yeah, I remember seeing both schemes on the Ft Smith Subdivision growing up. But as a kid I did not pay attention to when things changed. I am hoping to narrow it down if possible. Thanks.
Some of the GP7s did not actually get painted into Mandarin orange and white until the late 1970s. I have a photo of SLSF 632, the last GP7 ordered by the Frisco, taken in 1979. The photograph is not labeled with a more specific date. It shows the unit in black and yellow paint. I have seen a photograph of SLSF 632 after it was retired in Mandarin orange and white, so I know it was painted sometime before it was retired in December 1979. Marre and Harper's Frisco Diesel Power also indicates that SLSF 632 was indeed the last GP7 painted into Mandarin orange and white, but it does not give the exact date it was painted. Paul
Craig and Company, Dr. Mike Condren is about as authoritative of a source as I know. We are fortunate that he has reproduced some of his old FMIG Newsletter "Paint Shop" columns on his website, including a specific article on GP7 paint schemes. Please see the following link. http://condrenrails.com/Frisco/Frisco_PaintShop_GP7s.htm In summary, the "FR-RS4a" paint diagram is dated early 1965. There is also a nice table showing GP7 units by paint scheme. A superb resource for the modeler who might want to accurately model a particular unit at a particular time, right down to the number and type of nose stripes. As a side note, it was Mike's original FMIG column that first introduced me to the fact that Frisco diesels were not always Mandarin orange and white! Growing up in Chaffee in the 1970s, Mandarin orange and white is all that I remember. It was not until Tim Cannon loaned me all of his old issues that my eyes were open to a whole new world! Best Regards,
Ozarktraveler, I will second "yardmaster's" comment about the value of Dr. Mike Condren's efforts to identify and publicize the various Frisco diesel paint schemes! A few of the Frisco GP7s never made it into the Mandarin orange and white paint scheme. I have pictures of SLSF GP7s SLSF 509, 533, 573 and 586 in their very early Chicago and North Western (C&NW) service proudly still wearing their Frisco black and yellow livery, a bit faded in each case. There may have been a few others as well. Ken Meteor910
Hello. Some place in the far reaches of my memory, I recall a Frisco RS-1, RS-2 or RS-3 that was painted in horizonal stripes of maroon and silver. It is not the black and yellow and it is not the Mandarin orange and white, but a third option. Can anyone help?
The Frisco did not own any Alco RS-3 units. Would you be thinking of the Alco S-2 and S-4 yard switchers that were inherited when the Frisco bought the Northeast Oklahoma (NEO) Railroad in the late 1960's? They were an off-white with wide maroon stripes. On the Frisco they were numbered in the 290s. Tom