GEVOs in China and Russia

Of course it is well known that Pinky and the Brain were born in a lab in Erie, Pennsylvania:

Pepsi Cans - Part 1

Amtrak 519 on the southbound Coast Starlight at Hito, Oregon - Mt. St. Helens in the background.

Amtrak 506 on the northbound Coast Starlight at East Portland, Oregon

Amtrak 509 getting the LA bound Coast Starlight across the Steel Bridge, Portland, Oregon.

P32-8WH, quite a mouth full, and I can't recall anyone ever calling one of these Amtrak 500's by the model name.  After an almost twenty year diet of FP40s, these Amtrak Dash-8s were a very welcome sight. The nickname "Pepsi Cans" was so apt, perhaps because the color values exactly matched the colors on the soft drink can.

"Classic Pepsi Cans" From:

According to the blog http://www.logodesignlove.com/,  Pepsi has spent $1.2 Billion on re-branding in just the last three years.

Darth Vader Trucks

GE HiAd Trucks - BNSF Dash9

I have always thought that these trucks were aesthetic mismatches to the rest of the locomotive. GE Dash9s are all about angles, and these trucks have a retro Flash Gordonesque-Diesel Locomotive Truck wearing spats look to them.

Pooch - According to Webster

Photo by Pdxrailtransit

Pooch


1.  n.   Slang for a dog.    2.  v. to take a little off of a  punt in football, for strategic advantage.
3.  n.   Railfan slang for the General Electric P30CH Amtrak locomotive, presumably named because of their slow "dog like," acceleration.


But seriously, these boxy beasts were a also a railfan favorite due to their distinctively non EMD looking carbody, and the classic GE  exhaust bark.  ATK 707 is seen above laying over at Redondo Jct. Roundhouse in L.A. in 1991, between runs of the Sunset Limited. The tri-weekly schedule meant that these beasts had a some time to kill along the banks of the L.A. River. I used to like to pace the Pooches out of their station stop in Pomona, just to take in the sound show. I would break off the chase at the crest of Pomona hill near East End Ave as the train reached track speed, and the bark subsided.