Southern Pacific Diesel Locomotive Paint Schemes
Speed Lettering
May 1991 to 11 September 1996
Information from Southern Pacific Trainline issue 80, Summer 2004
- In 1988, Southern Pacific was bought by Rio Grande Industries who owned the Denver & Rio Grande (DRGW) railroad.
- The idea of the standard SP gray and scarlet red with wings but with DRGW-style lettering originated with SP Chairman Philip Anschutz.
- In May 1991, the first of 55 new EMD GP60s, SP 9715-9769, arrived in Speed Lettering and included a Scotchlight reflective white strip around the frame sill.
- Other new diesel locomotives in Speed Lettering:
- 45 GP40-2M, Morrison-Knudsen, SP 7100-7138, and SP 7294-7299
- 3 MK5000C, Morrison-Knudsen, SP 501-503
- 25 SD70, Electro-Motive Division, SP 9800-9824
- 101 C44-9W, General Electric, SP 8100-8200
- 279 AC4400s, General Electric, SP 100-378
- By 1996, about one-third of the Southern Pacific locomotive fleet was speed lettered prior to the merger with Union Pacific in 1996.
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Locos known to have appeared in this scheme:
- Yard Slug #1012
- TEBU #1602
- SW1500's
- MP15AC's
- ex DRGW GP40 #3086
- GP38-2 #4825
- some lease GP38-2's
- SD50's
- SD45T-2R's
- SD40R's
- GP40-2's
- SD45's
- B30-7's
- SD40T-2's
- SD45T-2's
- SD40M-2's
- C44-9 #8100-8200 - delivered new in Speed Lettering
- GP60 #9715-9769 - delivered new in Speed Lettering
- GP60 #9770-9794 - delivered new in Speed Lettering
- SD70M #9800-9824 - delivered new in Speed Lettering
- AC4400 #100-378 - delivered new in Speed Lettering
Known Variations:
- GP40-2's #7624 and #7644 has slanted SP on the nose - see Southern Pacific GP40-2 Info Page for more photos
- The GP40M-2's were delivered in two sizes #7107-7111 in a smaller size than #7112-7138
- the AC4400's from GE had a different style S than others
- The GP38-2's had a unique style of letters and numbers unlike anything else
Paint:
- Southern Pacific Scarlet
- Southern Pacific Dark Lark Gray
- Any black for nose and rear hood if so painted (SD70M's)
Decals:
- Microscale
- HO Scale
- 87-857 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - SD70M, Dash 9-44CW, Switchers - Speed Lettering
- 87-646 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - Hoods - Speed Lettering Scheme
- 87-620 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - GP40 - Speed Lettering Scheme
- 87-973 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - AC4400CW - Speed Lettering Scheme
- N Scale
- 60-857 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - SD70M, Dash 9-44CW, Switchers - Speed Lettering
- 60-646 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - Hoods - Speed Lettering Scheme
- 60-620 Southern Pacific (SP) Diesel - GP40 - Speed Lettering Scheme
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