AHM RDG C-Liner

Wrong color green.

Reading never owned C-liner

Reading never painted a car body unit this scheme

How about a real example?

This Algoma Central unit was rebuilt and repainted by Canadian National in 1979.

http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images/AlgoCenRy/AC_158_Steelton_5-29-1980.jpg

The bear in the logo is supposed to face the front of the locomotive (the short hood was the front on AC). CN's version has them facing the back (a lot of CN's similar engines were long-hood forward). (I've also seen custom painted models that make this mistake with improperly applied logos, and it's a key detail of how the AC painted their engines!)

The most bizarre thing however is how the yellow stripe goes straight across the top of the battery box instead of (properly) following the separation between the maroon and grey. Like the painter didn't even care.

TYCO Blue Box CP Rail

For one of the biggest piles of fail I've ever seen there's not much worse renditions of Canadian Pacific's iconic Multi Mark than this TYCO offering:

Not only should the MultiMark logo be right up against the end of the car, the logo and lettering colours are inverted and CP never painted a boxcar in this blue.

Also the car number does not exist, CP freight cars did not have 4-digit numbers, and the data is for a 40' car.

The only explanation I can see is that someone used a negative image of a yellow insulated-heated car, somehow didn't realize it was a negative, and made up everything else.

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=cp166551&o=cprail

I have an Iillinois Terminal caboose...

...that Athearn released back in 2010 or so.

For the record, "Illinois" is spelled with three "i"s, not four. They corrected the issue on all of the newer IT releases.

Al Krug once covered how prototypes can have different paint shops and schemes, and it's quite informative:  http://krugtales.50megs.com/rrpictale/paint/paint.htm

You know something's wrong when the prototype gets it wrong.

You know something is wrong when even the prototype can't replicate the prototype.

Fish in a barrel...

If you go back to the 1970s / 1980s, finding wonky paint schemes on models from Tyco, AHM, Model Power, etc. is like shooting fish in a barrel. It feels like the earlier years - 1960s backwards - didn't suffer this issue, and from the 1990s to present we've been moving towards more accurate - down to horn and other detail placement - that wonky stuff is swiftly fixed or heads off to the bargain bin.

For me, this is the unforgivable "error" - and the paint scheme just adds to the crime.

Athearns early DD-40 in B&O

How about the epic fail of Athearn doing a DD-40 in B&O.  I know someone who had three of them and pulled a 240 car ore train around a club layout.  The train itself could be classed as a fail as well, 240 cars with three different numbers.

The good old days, open frame motors, Tru-Scale track, and block control with DC power supplies.  

Andy H

Minooka, IL

Techically

A DD40 in any road is a foobie, the model was cataloged but never built.

Paul

The worst paint scheme's in history?

Any of the "Heritage " paint schemes.  How could destroying a historic railroad then mocking it's paint scheme be seen as a good idea? .....DaveB

heritage

One word "lawyers"

BNSF

If we are talking prototype schemes, then how about the various schemes BNSF have used? The BN executive scheme and the BNSF Warbonnet were the last tasteful ones.

One of the biggest

One of the biggest frustrations when we launched the Missabe Railroad Historical Society was sending clear and accurate lettering and paint information to manufacturers only to have them do it some other way that suited their fancy. Lionel couldn't get a paint scheme or model of anything Missabe correct if their company's existence depended on it.

But, I have to call out those who did listen and appreciated our help, notably Accurail (various cars), Atlas (O scale SW9 and HO paired window coaches), Kato (Sd38), Bachmann (2-10-2... close), and MTH (improved lettering on the Yellowstone). Probably others as well that I am forgetting.

Dapenguin said: "One word

Not really lawyers

The UP heritage schemes were designed by an ad agency.  Ironically, I met the fellow in charge of the design of the engines, it was an "art project" designed by an ad agency.

Being former MP, I ripped his butt about painting the MoPac unit Rock Island bankruptcy blue.

Misspellings

There was a Wellsboro & Corning boxcar that had “Wellsboro & Corning” painted on one side, and on the other side was painted “Wellsborough & Corning”.  I used to have a link to a picture of it, but I can’t seem to find it now.

Um, this is very interesting but I think we've gone off track...

This is a very interesting discussion we've got going here, but I think we've strayed from the topic a little bit.  Sure, the heritage fleet paint-schemes might not be the most accurate, but they're still kind of cool.  At any rate, the union pacific still has ONE flawless "heritage" paint scheme!And besides that, we were originally discussing failed paint schemes on locomotive models.  This thread was meant to lower our blood pressure, after all!  I understand, I know how easy it is to go off on a tangent, but for a thread was meant to provide comedic relief there certainly seems to be a lot of heated remarks at the expense of the people who are continuing to keep the nation rollin' despite the corona outbreak.  Although, if my dad's remarks on generic Great Northern steam locomotive models are anything to go by, perhaps this isn't such a relaxing topic as I first thought.

For those of you who aren't sure where to start, I'll give another example.  Towards the end of American Flyer's existence as a sovereign corperation, they began making these cheap plastic starter sets featuring these really cheesy F9's.

The Union Pacific models were probably the most realistic.This one bears a slight resemblance to the "Chinese Red" paint scheme used on the CB&Q's Geeps... or perhaps it's an inverted-color model of one of their F-units.

The Santa Fe and Boston & Maine models have little sense of rhyme or reason to them.This model is the second worse... and also one of the most confusing.  Why they chose this muddled maroon is beyond me.  It is unattractive and bears no resemblance to any locomotive ever used by the Denver and Rio Grande Western.And this is by far the worst paint scheme of the lot.  I don't know what they thought they were doing.

Of course, there is something endearing about just how dumb these locomotives are.  At least I think so.  Sure, I would never want to be caught running one of these things on a scale layout, but they are kind of fun in their  way.  I'm not saying you all feel the same way.  I originally started this thread to amuse people, but if you find these paint schemes more offensive than comedic, perhaps we'd better let this drop... just like our blood pressures.

@ DRGW

Well that's too bad---trespassers----I'm enjoying the blog posts on bad paint schemes. After the Great Northern debacle paint scheme, almost want to start a collection..lol… Hill would turn over in his grave if he saw  the name of the Great Northern on a paint job like that......ha ha

The one advantage of the UP Heritage Schemes

... is that Norfolk Southern saw the negative reaction to them, and did their heritage schemes correctly. 

Uum... could we please get back on topic.

I'm trying to get us back on topic.  You make a good point about the NS heritage paint schemes, but could we please get back on the origional topic?  It can't be that hard to find photos for us to amuse ourselves at the expense of.  As AJKleipass said, it's like shooting fish in a barrel!  Only try not to get stressed out, as it would defeat the purpose of this blog.

Relax.  Lower your blood pressure.  Doctor's orders.

Wow....

Did you really tell a member of the Model Railroad Hobbyist staff to get back on topic? 

Cut him some slack, Bremner

He's new here.

The only constant is thread drift.

For my nominee, how about the green Penn Central F7s that Tyco made years ago.  Actually looked better than real Penn Central engines....

Scott Chatfield

Perhaps the OP just has a

Oops!  Sorry for not

Oops!  Sorry for not following blog etiquette!  Also, I really don't know who is and isn't on the staff, but I'll be more careful in the future regardless!

Secondly, thanks for the complement Caniac!  Perhaps I've been a little too photo-happy, but I'm glad to know people appreciate the photos!  You're all showing some cool photos, though!

Thirdly, Blindog10, you're certainly right about thread drift being the only certainty in (forum) life.  Perhaps I should be a little more patient.

And finally... are these the locomotives you're looking for?

Upside down

The upside down strips on the front of the Life-like's Metra F40 always grated my nerves.  I'm usually willing to cut companies some slack, but this is too much for me!  

-Matt