Can't say I agree on that, Howard. I'm not saying it has to be anything fancy, but at least the name of the company on the side of the loco lets people know who the railroad is. I am a firm believer in that ever since reading about how executives at Essroc Cement heard a horn blowing near their plant in Martinsburg, WV and expected to see CSX go by. But they didn't; they saw a simple black locomotive with the words "Winchester & Western" on the side, and set out to figure out if they could ship with them.

That brought the WW SEVEN THOUSAND carloads a year of new traffic. I used to be firmly in the realistic "paint doesn't make money" camp (although I love it as a photographer), but that story convinced me you should at least say who you are on your locomotives. I talked with one manager at a shortline who had some simple vinyl lettering made by a local company. He was very proud they had only spent a few hundred dollars to make an impression, as opposed to thousands of dollars to paint the loco (and it looked great). Sure, it'll have to be replaced every 5-10 years as it is weathered, but they'll still come out WAY ahead on cost.

Mike Derrick



Howard Wrote:
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>
> You can rest assured that painting MH 89 is not a
> priority nor should it be.