DID YOU KNOW?
As a new feature at the end of club meetings, the “Did You Know?” series is designed to help new members learn how we got to where we are. The club is now more than 25 years old, and it is important to pass along to new members these stories of interest from the early years.
At the March meeting, Paul Lodge displayed the official club locomotive paint scheme. In the early 1990’s a contest was created to design a winning paint scheme. Between six and eight locomotives were entered anonymously so that those voting would not know the identity of the designer. The locomotive paint scheme which won was submitted by Paul Lodge.
The paint scheme is based on two primary elements. The classic men’s blue blazer, white shirt, and gray slacks were used as the basis for the psychologically impressive paint scheme. This blazer outfit seems to create an instant form of respect. There are many subliminal elements in our lives which create an effect on us, and we don’t really know why. For example, you might get a little nervous if a man dressed in farmer overalls and flannel shirt sat down in the cockpit of the 747 jet in which you plan to fly. The image we have in our minds unconsciously affects our attitudes.
The second element of the paint scheme is the curved white stripe along the side of the locomotive. It is based on the chrome strip along the side of the 1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria. On our model it represents the Androscoggin River. The total picture gives the blue top as sky, the white stripe as water, and the gray base as land. This is just one of many stories from our club’s history. There will be more to share at other meetings.
