"Austerity" or "Cigar Band" paint schemes

[pensive]

Looking through my collection of books, slides and internet copies of pictures, I've compiled a list of cab units painted in the "austerity", as Marre calls it, or "cigar band", as refered to on this board, paint schemes. The scheme consists of a solid body color of red on E units and black on F units with a nose painted up to the front steps to the cab in a yellow cigar band shape; the same shape as on a fully painted F unit. Strips of varying amounts of reflective yellow tape are placed above the bottom battan strip.

EA7: 2001
E8A: 2006, 2011
F3A: 64 (ex 5012)
F7A: 18 (ex 5018), 23 (ex 5023), 38 (ex 5038)
F7B: 130 (ex 5130)
FP7: 41 (ex 5041), 5044
FA1: 5201, 5204, 5216, 5217

If anyone can add to this list, feel free to do so.

When was the earliest date that this scheme was used? Was this scheme abandoned when the mandarin orange and white scheme went into effect on February 14, 1965?

[TAG1014]

The first "cigar band" paint jobs then would have been earlier--probably '64?? I have a note (to myself) written in the margin of the book that the first "cigar band" paint job I had found in my colection was 5-64, but I forgot to write which unit?? I'll keep looking...

Tom

[meteor910]

pensive -

I can confirm the following Frisco E7's/E8's in the "cigar band" scheme via pics in my collection or in my book library:

E7: 2001
E8: 2006, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2021

I also have a very poor shot of what is noted as 2009 in the "cigar band" colors, but its number is not able to be read clearly, so it may be incorrect - probably is. I can find no other pic of 2009 in this scheme.

Perhaps the best reference to Frisco's diesel paint schemes are the excellent summaries Mike Condren has done. See

http://www.cbu.edu/~mcondren/Frisco_PaintShop_Es.htm

for his E-unit summary. My copy is from 2003 at which time Mike had ID'ed 2001, 2006, 2011, 2012 & 2021 as "cigar banders".

I have a P2K E8 done up as 2006 in the "cigar band" scheme. Even though I hated that paint scheme in real life, I must admit it looks pretty cool as a model.

I'll check my collection for F3, F7, FP7 and FA/FB "cigar banders" when I have a chance.

Ken |-|

[TAG1014]

I found my photo of an early cigar band paint scheme--earliest I've run across. This is FA 5203 fresh out of the Springfield paint shop May 17, 1964. The masking is still on the windshield (Arthur Johnson photo, Tom Galbraith collection). I believe the "cigar band" looked a whole lot better on the FA's than the EMD's!

Tom

[TAG1014]

The "austerity" or "simplified" paint schemes (say on the E-units) wouldn't have been so bad had we never seen the full-stripe "Racehorse" scheme in all its glory! Likewise the Katy "Deramus" scheme or the MoPac "Jenks Blue" if we had never seen a Texas Special or Eagle!! Some of the original EMD and ALCO styling studio paint schemes were truly works of art!

Tom

[meteor910]

I took a quick look at my SLSF ALCo pics during today's Rams game (ugh!) and found evidence of the following units in the "cigar band" scheme:

FA1's: 5201, 5203, 5204, 5205, 5211, 5217

I also saw a few FB1's in the simplified paint scheme, but none that I could grab a number off of.

Unfortunately, my FA1/FB1 SLSF pic collection is nowhere near complete, so there are likely several other units that ran with the "cigar band" scheme.

Ken

[pensive]

While browsing ebay, I discovered another unit to add to the list, F9A 5007:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FRISCO-5007-ORIGINAL-EKTACHROME-SLIDE_W0QQitemZ280188993106QQihZ018QQcategoryZ7101 1QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Perhaps it is the other end of the 6 unit lashup that's pictured on pages 62-63 of Marre/Sommers's Frisco in Color.

[qla1975]

I was at an FMIG meeting in Eureka Springs, AR in 1987, and during a slide show of Frisco diesel power a slide was shown that depicted an F-unit (F7A?) in all black with yellow lettering, and NO yellow striping or cigar bands whatsoever! Not sure if it ran that way, or it was spotted awaiting the cigar band. IIRC, Charlie Dischinger was running the slide show.

[Coonskin]

Re: Black F unit with no yellow cigar band.

That would be F7A #18. As I recall, it was involved in a mishap (cornered) in Ft. Smith in the last few months of its service life. After repairing and during repainting, the shop crew didn't bother with the cigar band, instead, only a yellow outline coonskin was placed on the nose door.

It ran this way until it was disposed of.

Andre Ming

[qla1975]

Oh well.............pain't don't pull tonnage.

BTW, do you still have your Frisco pics of the Boston Mountain line? I remember your old website with the stories of riding with the crews to Winslow.