Condition of ATSF S4 1960
#1
I did play with my Bachmann ATSF zebra stripe S4 today and noticed they are not weathered at all. The black an silver shines like gold and gems.
The engines have been build in the early 1950s. How did they look in the early 1960s after 10 years of switching service in the LA basin? No ice, no snow, no mud only light rain and plenty of sun. I assume not much visible dirt, light coat of dust and possible a faded black from the sun. Does that match the memory of the eye witnesses?
How was the time in the early 1960s? Was that still the good old time when the labor was cheep and the engines got polished or was cost cutting a primary goal and the engines got run down with minimum maintenance?
Reinhard
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#2
First railroad labor was not cheap due to the various shop and operating unions.

Anyway here's a photo of a Santa Fe S4 in '66.As you can see it shiny.

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Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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#3
With exceptions, the railroads kept their diesels pretty clean up to about 1960. The Santa Fe, though, had loco washers at major terminals, and washed its locos consistently up until BNSF. (In fact, they'd touch up the silver on passenger loco pilots and chassis with spray cans after every run.) The photo Larry links to is typical -- about the most that would happen is that the silver on the zebra stripes would chalk and weather into a white, but the silver is still pretty good in that photo. I added some road grime to the trucks and battery boxes of mine, but based on the photo Larry linked and some others, I should probably make the battery boxes plain black again.    
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#4
Checking my 4 ATSF S-4 zebra stripe pix only 1500 is really weathered. Was also thinking by the '60s they were painted pin stripe but checking the ATSF All Time Diesel Roster that didn't happen til the '70s.
Andy Jackson
Santa Fe Springs CA
ATSF/LAJ Ry Fan & Modeler
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#5
Thanks a lot for the fast feedback. I will keep the S4 in good condition like the prototype Thumbsup
Reinhard
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