Oddities


Latest addition: April 26, 2009


This section was inspired by Dan Dawdy's "Oddity of the Month" on his Cyberspace World Railroad site. Every month he presents an image of an unusual item, peculiar situation, etc. from the world of railroading. This section will be an "Oddity-of-the-whenever-I-get-around-to-it," devoted to unusual items, bloopers, and curious circumstances associated with the Santa Fe. If you have photos of Santa Fe oddities you would like to see featured here, please send them in!


Second draft

Santa Fe introduced the warbonnet version of its blue and yellow freight scheme in June 1972 on SD45 5524 and U28CG 7904, but various details of the scheme were "tweaked" as units were repainted over the next few months before the final version of the scheme was adopted. Bob Finan found SD45 5516 at San Bernardino, CA in December 1973 modeling an intermediate variation. The uncomfortable placement of the billboard Santa Fe lettering on 5524 had reverted to the better-balanced location used on the old blue and yellow pinstripe scheme, and the noseband stripes had been extended all the way back to the cab. The shape of the warbonnet S-curve was evolving in the right direction, but hadn't quite made it yet. In the final version of the scheme, the bottom part of the curve was a bit taller, such that the duct running from behind the cab to above the rear truck was blue instead of yellow as on 5516. The 5516 also has yellow stepwells and black trucks, which became blue and silver respectively in the final scheme.


Old Oddities:


A troubled economy

Old car up on blocks

The odd couple

WRPO-93.5 FM

Back from the dead

Train to truck

LM R, NM

Nobody'll notice but the modelers...

Dim what???

Anybody seen the white-out?

A Black and White Photograph

Clip and Save This Coupon

Sam, for short

Nothing Like Standardization...

Beauty Mark?

Long hood forward, yet...

Sign crews from Utah?

Pick a number...

Form Follows Function?

The "used" bumper post

How the mighty have fallen...

Don't tell the yardmaster...

SaNta Fe 8224

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