Southern Railway Freight Hood Diesel Locomotives

Keep in mind that when units began being repainted no exact dates can be determined except the starting dates. Some units remained in the older paint scheme for some time before being repainted whereas some were repainted right away. As always, when custom painting a model, refer to good pictures of the unit for placement of roadname, road numbers, heralds and other lettering details. Pictures also reveal minor variations in these paint schemes due to being done in different repair shops. Pictures also reveal minor variations in the placement of horns, bells, lights and other appliances.

    1941-1949 Solid black/white lettering

    Entire unit painted black with a single narrow white stripe all around the hood and a wider one on the edge of walkway. All underframe items below the walkway were painted black.
    Roadname, centered, on the hood was S O U T H E R N in modified railroad roman lettering.
    The road number was applied on side of cab and hood front.
    A monogram(30" dia)with SR in center, surrounded with the logo "The Southern Serves the South" in continuous circle was applied on the short hoods All lettering was white. The pilots had narrow stripes. The upper narrow white stripe continued around the cabs. The first order of Alco RS-2's # 2101-2114 were delivered in this scheme.
    © 2000

    1949-1958 Green/Imitation Aluminum band at bottom of hood.

    Entire hood, cab painted green. A 3" yellow stripe was applied near the top of hood running all around and a 3" stripe separating the green and 15" Imitation Aluminum band.
    The walkway, edges handrails, grabs and all underframe items below the walkway were painted black.
    Roadname, centered, on the hood was S O U T H E R N in yellow letters.
    The road number was applied on side of cab and front of both hoods.
    A monogram(30" dia)with SR in center, surrounded with the logo "The Southern Serves the South" in a non-continious circle was applied on the short hoods. Pilot stripes were of the wider(4")variety. The second order of Alco RS-2 # 2215-2126, all the RS3's, FM H16-44 & H24-66, and EMD GP-7, FTa, FTb were delivered in this scheme.
    © 2000

    1958-1982-Black/Imitation Aluminum "Tuxedo"

    Entire hood, cab and underframe painted black except the imitation aluminum band at bottom of hood. A 3" metallic gold stripe was used to separate the black and 18" imitation aluminum band. Pilots had the stripes coming together at the top with two sizes stripes(2" & 4")being used.
    Roadname lettering was S O U T H E R N in metallic gold . The road number was applied only on side of cab. No road numbers were applied to the front of hood. Number boards were black with white numerals, "Locotrol" equipped engines were white with black numerals.
    In 1970 the "Wheels on Rails" herald began to be applied to the hood ends. This is the scheme being used today with the exception of a change in the lettering from metallic gold to dulux gold in 1978.(see note 1 below)
    The first units delivered in this scheme were the SD24's. Some units that were delivered in this scheme are the EMD GP-30, GP-35,GP-38, GP38AC, GP38-2 thru 5231, SD-7, 9, 24, 35, 40, SD-45 and SD40-2 thru 3315, and the GE U-23b's. Some units that were delivered with dulux gold trim are The GP-38-2 after 5232, GP-39x, GP-40x, GP-50, and SD40-2's after #3315. After this date all units were eventually painted in this scheme until the 1982 merger with N&W.

    NOTE 1: The change to dulux (darker yellow Scotchlite) gold lettering and striping began with SD40-2 3315 in 1978, although the nose heralds continued to be metallic gold through the balance of the last SD40-2 order, ending with 3328 in 1979. To the best of my knowledge, all the SD24 and GP30 were delivered with metallic gold tape lettering and striping. Photographic evidence supports that some early repaints from green did receive dulux gold painted lettering on a black carbody in 1957 when the change was made to black. Units repainted after this change also began to receive dulux gold, which would include GP30's. So, it would be accurate to model a GP30 post-1978 in dulux gold Scotchlite, but not before. Quite a few GP30's received the darker yellow dulux gold Scotchlite before the switch to the NS painted pony. Posted by Bob Graham to the SMRF list 5/26/2000

    © 2000

HOOD UNITS ACQUIRED THRU MERGERS


These units were lettered for the subsidiary road, in 1970 the lettering was replaced with "Southern"
  • Some of these roads are:
  • Carolina & Northwestern(merged xxxxz) on RS-2, RS-3 & RS-11 units These units were painted in the 1958 black/white Tuxedo scheme.
  • Blue Ridge & Danville & Western Railway(merged 1963) on Alco RS-3. These were delivered in the 1949 Green scheme. These units were turned over to the Carolina & Northwestern and relettered for the C&NW.
  • Interstate Railroad(merged on Alco RS-3 units. These units were left in their Interstate colors of cream, silver and orange till 1965 then painted in the black/white Tuxedo scheme.
  • Central of Georgia on Alco RS-3, GP35 units.
  • Savannah & Atlanta(Central of Georgia) on Baldwin DRS-6-4-1500 & AS-416 units.
  • Norfolk Southern AS-416's were not repainted but sold after the merger.
  • Central of Georgia Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 & H15-44 remained in their Central of Georgia paint till being retired in 1965.
    © 2000

    • More Southern Railway Painting Information

    © Copyright 1999,2000,2001 HOSAM