Post-Merger/Purchase Paint Schemes

Update: some BNSF freight cars were renumbered.

After a railroad merges with or purchases another railroad, the reporting mark and number of each engine is updated to that of the new or purchasing railroad. Recently I have come across some freight cars with new logos but old reporting marks. That, and being able to still find freight cars with old paint schemes, indicates that freight cars are normally not renumbered.

After a merger, the new reporting mark and number are quickly painted over the old designation on all of the engines. This is a "patched" paint scheme. The following locomotives were switching some cars near the crossing of Sante Fe Drive over an industrial spur of the BNSF transcon route. On the lead unit, note the green paint that was used under the cab to paint over the BN info and the BNSF letters that were added. Since the 2920 on the rear is over the original green, the BNSF numbers for these GP39-2R locomotives are the same as they had in the BN plan. This locomotive is probably now too old to justify the expense of a new BNSF paint scheme. But most locomotives eventually get repainted after a merger. 2295 is an old GP38, and it has been repainted in the first BNSF paint scheme -- Heritage 1.

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The following also retained its old number so they just added the yellow BNSF reporting mark below the number on the cab.

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But freight cars tend not to be renumbered. For example, a southbound CSXT/C&EI train I saw in Evansville had 3 BN cars. But sometimes, because of repairs or extensive "tagging", a car needs to be repainted. This train also had the following CNW and SOO cars.

A couple of Union Pacific logo hoppers with a Chicago and Northwestern reporting mark and number.

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And a Canadian Pacific logo with the SOO reporting mark and number.

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But in a second southbound CSXT/C&EI train in Evansville, I noticed a car that had been renumbered and patched.

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This made me curious if all freight cars are renumbered by CSXT and if it is on the only railroad that renumbered its cars. I see CSXT engines in my home stomping grounds of the western Chicago area because of runthroughs, but I don't see many CSX cars. I did catch a couple of old hoppers in Olney, IL, and they also have been patched with the a new reporting mark and number.

I searched my previous postings for "fallen flag" cars and added the label rrFallen to them. Of the 14 fallen flags I found, the following railroads were represented BN (BNSF), Wisconsin Central (was CP), NW (NS), CNW (UP), SSW (UP) and IC (CN). And we have the above example of SOO (CP). So it seems that CSXT is the only one of the 6 major Class 1 railroads that renumbered its freight cars.

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2014/10/train-watching-ihbupcnw.html

The SSW car actually documents two acquisitions because the reporting mark is for St. Louis Southwest (Cotton Belt) but it had a Southern Pacific logo.




The following was patched. But that is because it is no longer owned by a common carrier as indicated by the X at the end of the GAMX reporting mark. In this case the car is now owned by Arrendadora Nacional De Carros De Ferrocari

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2014/10/3-cnic-trains.html

Update: Joseph Giunto posted the following to "The Fallen Flags" Facebook group of two southbound CSXT trains in Nashville on Jan 1, 2015. Notice that the Conrail car still has a NYC reporting mark but the Chessie car ("cat" logo) in the background train has a CSXT reporting mark.

Photo by Joseph Giunto.

Dre Ballard posted in Facebook

Update: Evidently, as part of the Conrail split between NS and CSX, CSX got the NYC reporting mark.

Dre's comment:

Erie Lackawanna hopper now owned by CSX for mow purposes. The NYC(New York Central)reporting mark is used by CSX for rolling stock ownership