Paint Scheme Options

[wm3798]

As you may have witnessed over in the Layout Engineering thread related to my Hi Rail layout, I've adopted a plan to build out a more complete Laurel Valley... really the first actual layout with that as the primary theme since about 1993... with the operation backdated to the steam to diesel era.  Thus, I felt compelled to create an "early" paint scheme for my "early" Trix F units.  The initial effort is pretty plain Jane, with just the block lettering and Pullman Green, embellished with a black roof.

@Ed Kapuscinski has admonished me to add a stripe or two.  I've come up with the following options through the miracle of MS Paint.  I beg of you, dear readers, to kindly assist with the selection of a suitably stylish approach to embellishing my initial efforts.  For reference, I've also included my original 1970s era paint scheme at the bottom, so you can get an idea of how the corporate identity would have evolved. 

In advance I thank you for your feedback.

Option 1 - Pin Stripe


Option 2 - Underline


Option 3 - Cigar Band


Option 4 - Reading Style


1970s paint scheme for general reference.


and to reference the steam era, here's a tea kettle.


Looking forward to a great weekend!
Lee

[Missaberoad]

Please forgive this layman's opinion. I'm far from a designer and bang train cars together for a living.

Most of the "original" paintschemes applied to EMD locomotives (or any builder really) in the 1940's and 50's were the product of a handful of designers.
There is alot of elements that show up again and again across different roads schemes.

Borrowing from these elements in my opinion is what makes a freelance paint scheme look like a transition era scheme, rather then a 1960s or later scheme which typically used simpler design elements.

Option 2 and 3 both have a very 1960s look to them.
Option 1 and option 4 are the closest to transition era schemes, depending on how the stripes are terminated at the nose.

Option 4 would look good with the stripes wrapped around the front curving down and ending in a point.

similar to these.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/275540/
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/858322/
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/283521/

You could do the same thing with option 1 but it would be awkward with the number boards.
I think a better option would be terminating the stripe on the side (either where you have it or slightly aft) and using this Point or "spear" element that EMD was quite fond of.

similar to this.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/192160/
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/327565/
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/886512/
https://primary.jwwb.nl/public/h/x/a/temp-uaicrlfwdmpremocjwdp/e9i98c/image-1148.png

Personally this is my favourite option. the simplicity of the single stripe screams frugal eastern railroad and the EMD Spear gives it the transition era touch.

Now there are other common elements one could use (curves and more complicated designs) but simplicity is best for a small eastern road.

If you have a copy of Koester's Realistic Model Railroad Design. he has a chapter that explains all this in much better detail.

[NorthWestGN]

Option #3 - A : Cigar band with a curve to the bottom of the nose!



Brent

[seusscaboose]

i see your pretty summer day somewhere out west and raise you a cold wintry day near the desolate shores of Lake Erie



(Option #3 enhanced)

[packers#1]

Personally I like Option 3 the best, and it would have evolved to the corporate scheme. However @Missaberoad makes a good point, and the best part about the evolution of option 4 is you could just use some B&O decal sheets if you can source them

[Philip H]

Reading Style.

[dnhouston]

I personally like the Cigar Band (Option #3).

[Maletrain]

Personally, I like #1 with the "spear" terminating the stripe under the cab window, plus #3 with the stripe broken for the road name, but extended onto the nose into a V at the center, and a little thicker than the upper stripe.

Seems both easy and reasonably elegant.

[lock4244]

Some variation of either of these:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

or
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[mu26aeh]

Cigar band please

[POVC]

My vote is #4 - Reading Style, with the upper band coming down to a point similar to Nickel Plate

Tim

[garethashenden]

Option 4, but add another stripe just under the grills. Run it forward and wrap it around the nose. Then add some sort of curvy yellow section on the nose.

[davefoxx]

I like the stripe in Option 1 as at least a part of the snazzied up scheme, because it seems like a thing you’d see from the EMD art designer, especially if you end the stripe under cab window with the arrow point that EMD used a lot.

DFF

[Roger Holmes]

Any of them as long as you extend the stripe(s) horizontally across the nose and connect them to the other side.  Perhaps a logo on the nose. Just my ten cents worth (adjusted for inflation).

[OldEastRR]

i'd say the "70's" scheme is actually the '40s-50s scheme, and the simple name and stripe down the side represents better the late '60s downsizing of RR labor and paint costs compared to the post-war boom years. Especially as the LV was a smaller railroad (I assume)w/o a huge operating budget. Even big RRs simplified their repaints by the '70s.  The "'70s" version shown really says "we spent bucks for this spiffy paint job" more in line with a 1947  than 1977. (Tho obviously the '47 loco would be an FT or F3)
Two changes would backdate the "'70s" loco even more -- eliminate the black anti-glare part on the nose (all green nose), and replace the "LRV" in archaic lettering with a picture logo ofthe RR (if one exists). Some shape like the Frico coonskin or Penny keystone with "LV' in sans serif lettering. An easy one would be LV in a diamond but that's some other RR. A nice symbol logo like that would also look good on steam tenders or cab sides.
So there's the next RW Challenge -- design a symbol logo for the Laurel Valley!!