CSX spokesperson Kristin Seay tells Trains News Wire that CSX plans to feature at least 10 individual predecessor logos, but a final number has not yet been determined.
“Over the last 187 years, railroad mergers and acquisitions formed CSX’s present day 21,000 mile, 23 state rail network that connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern U.S. and links more than 240 short-line railroads and 70 ocean, river and lake ports. In honor of the predecessor railroads that built our company, CSX is displaying their logos on its locomotives,” she says. “The Seaboard Coast Line is one of the first predecessor logos CSX has displayed. It will be followed by others that have contributed to CSX’s heritage dating back to the country’s first common carrier, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, chartered in 1827.”
Each predecessor logo will be applied to one individual locomotive. The total number of railroads to be featured is to be determined and locomotives will be selected as they come in for scheduled repaint and repair.
CSXT No. 256 was still at the railroad’s Waycross facility on Monday.
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aka CSX is using Emblems as a Excuse to Repaint YN2 and YN3 into YN3B
Perhaps instead of ~30 distinct heritage units, 10 Chessie/10 Seaboard? Would cost less. I get stockholder interests, but use 1% of the executive bonus pool and it’s more than covered…
CSX is just cheap. They don't want to spend the money to paint entire units like other railroads did. They also want nothing to do with steam excursions unlike the other three US class 1's which have hosted steam excursions in recent years. Why do you think C&O 614 is sitting cold in Virginia while N&W 611 is operating mainline trips again this year?
I'm glad to see CSX being conservative with stock holders money , in painting emblems on locos instead of painting the whole locomotive
Golly Gee, I hope that CSX didn't hurt itself when it made those logos so damn small. Are they ashamed of their past ???? At least NS , when they did heritage units, painted the entire unit in the old paint schemes. Oh, God forbid, CSX might have to restore the Chessie Kitty or some other terrible symbol of their former self. Thanks, CSX, for the effort —— NOT !
Heck, when I worked for Amtrak in Charlotte, NC in the early 1990's, in the course of time I saw locomotives with original paint from 15 of their predecessor lines go through town. Too bad the "Chicken S*** Xpress" didn't hang onto any of those, it would be "problem solved" today! 🙂
OK, people, hasn't this conversation run it's course yet ? Hey, what's new folks ?
Oh yes, before I forget . What about CP and CN ?
I don't get it if CSX is going to spend the money to do a little crest on a locomotive then why don't they just repaint the whole thing in the respective colors.
I like any recognition of pre-merger heritage roads. Another such recognition done by CSX, over many years, is the naming of Subdivisions after predecessor roads – some far distant in the past. For example, the RF&P Sub, between … not surprisingly … Richmond, Fredericksburg, and the Potomac River. And the S&NA North Sub. – the South and North Alabama Railroad, built in 1854, merged into the L&N in 1915, between Nashville and Birmingham.
I really appreciate this information John, still keeping in mind that it's almost 13 years old and the costs today would most likely be more inflated. Thanks again John, very enlightening !!
Cost aside, it's weak on CSX's part, almost to the point they're ashamed of their heritage & from where they came from. Thankfully I don't live on a CSX mainline to see this indifference. Only time I do see a CSX loco is when they run through on the Alabama Southern (ABS) or the rare run through on the NS AGS South.
What about CP and CN
Following from a Trainorders.com posting:
Date: 10/14/02 05:05
Re: How much does it cost to repaint/paint a loco?
Author: mudring
________________________________________
UP uses a water-based "primer yellow" and costs around $10000. BNSF specifies enamel or emron (sic)-type coatings, and runs about $18,000 for the Heritage scheme (older repainted units), $25,000 for Heritage Classic (newer units).
Other differences-UP (and CSX-not sure about NS)sand their units for prep. BN wants them blasted. BN also has great deal of decal work involved, so that runs up the material and man-hours.
I'm not arguing for or against the practice of fully repainting a fleet of heritage units. It's great fun, but it represents a considerable investment of time and resources by the railroad that only a huge corporation like NS (or CSX) can afford. I'm just observing how strong a motivator the phenomenon of nostalgia for the good ol' days is, as evidenced by the efforts the railroads put forth and by the emotional response nostalgia-related issues elicits from the fan base.
Mr. Clopton,
I'm not arguing for or against anything either. I'm just trying to get all of us thinking realistically.
Without us knowing ALL the facts involved, how can anyone honestly make the statement: " only a huge corporation like NS (or CSX) can afford ". I noticed that you didn't name UP or BNSF, by the way. Aren't they HUGE enough !!
What about that subscription to CLASSIC TRAINS magazine, for nostalgia's sake ?
Hey, nostalgia is a major component of the railroading hobby: what trains looked like back in the day, back when we discovered that we were fascinated by them and formed our first impressions. Tradition, history, memory of the recent to distant past are the emotional drivers that keep people reading Trains and coming back to this website. We need look no further than the great interest in the NS heritage units and the "Streamliners at Spencer" event. I think even our interest in the current state of the industry is influenced by memory of what railroads have been and what we hope they will become.
So it's not surprising to me that this CSX heritage emblem story touched a nerve.
Mr. Clopton,
Nostalgia is fine , and I personally would not want to deprive any rail fan of the enjoyment of it, myself included .
Unfortunately, nostalgia cannot overshadow the railroad's " bottom line " because that's what the stockholders are mainly interested in, whether we agree or not .
With the decline in coal shipments and the mandatory PTC implementation, maybe, just maybe, that's a factor in this instance
I wonder what the cost is (seriously) of totally re-configuring and repainting an ENTIRE diesel locomotive just for the sake of nostalgia . Good, durable paint is not cheap, and then there are all those different colors, and the time in labor involved ! Think about it, I bet the cost is extensive, to say the least !
For nostalgia's sake, I would recommend subscribing to Classic Trains, as I have done for a number of years now !!
Man, I can't hardly believe it !! 36 comments on how CSX chooses to recognize THEIR " fallen flags " on THEIR locomotive fleet. Isn't anything more important and exciting going on in the " railroad world " ?
Back when I was in college, 1979 or so, I wrote to BN suggesting that they put some locomotives in predecessors' paint schemes (nobody had yet thought of the term "heritage units") to mark BN's 10th anniversary in 1980. I wish I still had the letter I received in reply. They basically snorted at the idea, saying they had only just managed to get 'em all painted green, and that maybe I should suggest it again for the far-off 25th anniversary in 1995. This year is the 45th anniversary, and it looks like we're still waiting.
The idea isn't bad, but the logo's aren't very visible, perhaps if they put them on the sides of the engine compartment? This is the same as BNSF's "Heritage Hoppers". Could be better, but it's better than nothing.
I wouldn't expect anything more from CSX. I totally agree with other commenters that the only people who will really see the logos are the employees for the most part. CSX, if that's all you're going to do then just don't do anything at all. Pitiful.
I'm with JL Frm CO–nice gesture but a really cheap way to recognize their heritage.
Can they spend the money! Just a logo on the side of the cab. The only people that will see these "stickers" will be employees, no one else will be able to get close enough to read them. Other class ones paint whole locos for the railroads of the past. This railroad has no image to live up too. CSX was a secret file name for the railroad when they were working on the merger. As I heard the story it was what some secretary had named the file. I guess they want to share their past only with employees and people with a good long distance camera. It will be interesting to see how far back they go. Hope they let us know, because we won't be able to get close enough read the stickers!!
Does this protect their trademarks so that they can make the model builders pay royalties?
Most transportation guys don't give a rats butt about the heritage units, the only want to know if you can deliver product A from point B to point Z. This at least recognizes some of the components that make up CSX(which by the way actually stands for C[Chessie]S[Seaboard]X[combined, or something along those lines, don't remember exactly but you can probably search it]).
Be glad that CSX is at least doing something. They have shied away from their history for years, and they are finally seeing the value in it, so let's not criticize them for doing this. It's an excellent gesture. They probably do not want to make it seem like they are copying NS's heritage efforts, so they are doing it differently.