Subject: Re: Re: [CBQ] Chinese Red Switcher
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 07:21:17 -0700
From: HOL WAGNER
One more time I'll tell the story behind FW&D 605. The Denver had
applied MU to its Wichita Falls based switchers so they could be used in
multiple as road power on the former Wichita Valley branches south and
southwest of Wichita Falls. Thus it was common practice to pair an NW2
with an SW1 on Valley freights out of Wichita Falls, with the motive
power subsequently split at Stamford to work separately to Abilene and
Spur. Thus, on the Wichita Valley, the switchers functioned as road
units, so when the 605 needed repainting in 1967, Childress foreman Neal
J. Ritchey authorized the application of the Chinese red road-switcher
paint scheme, and the work was completed in the Childress shop in
November 1967. The photo of freshly repainted 605 that I used in "The
Colorado Road" was taken by Ritchey himself, who believed he was doing
what was called for in painting the unit red. Operating on branches far
removed from 547 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago, the one-of-a-kind unit
escaped discovery by Q officials for some time, until it was
inadvertently spotted by Q brass passing through Wichita Falls. Instead
of ordering it repainted back into the "Blackbird" scheme, however, FW&D
officials were simply ordered to "go and sin no more," and the 605
remained in red until it received a coat of BN Cascade green following
the 1970 merger. Had the unit not been "discovered" by Chicago, there
would undoubtedly have been more Chinese red switchers on the Denver,
Ritchey having told me he was prepared to paint another one when the
prohibition came down from on high.
No one has ever reasonably explained the logic behind retaining the
"Blackbird" scheme for switchers after Chinese red was adopted for road
units in 1959, and as a teenager in the early 1960s I submitted a
colored ink drawing of Q 9270 in Chinese red to J.D. Rezner, assistant
vice president-mechanical, in Chicago, suggesting the change. He
politely responded that black and gray was the Burlington's switcher
paint scheme and would remain so.
Hol Wagner
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Chinese Red Switcher
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2010 19:13:49 -0800 (PST)
From: STEVEN HOLDING <sholding@sbcglobal.net
<mailto:sholding@sbcglobal.net>>
Reply-To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com <mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com <mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
It was true and a FWD mistake that ran a while before being corrected
Steve in SC
________________________________
From: "qutlx1@aol.com <mailto:qutlx1@aol.com>
<mailto:qutlx1%40aol.com>" <qutlx1@aol.com <mailto:qutlx1@aol.com>
<mailto:qutlx1%40aol.com>>
To: cbq@yahoogroups.com <mailto:cbq@yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:cbq%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, December 5, 2010 8:28:26 PM
Subject: [CBQ] Chinese Red Switcher
I think this has been discussed on the list before but if there's any
doubt about a Chinese Red switcher on the Burlington go to ebay and
do a
search
as a photo is now being offered.
I am not involved or have any interest in the item. Just passing on the
info.
Leo Phillipp
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