'Safety Engines,' Not Yet, CSXT Says
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
[From the July 2000 issue of the Bull Sheet]
Those of you who have followed this publication closely for a number of years will recall the idea that I, your friendly Bull Sheet editor, presented to the then-Chessie System way back in 1984 to promote safety through the medium of its locomotives. I formally suggested that the company paint about five of its road locomotives with indigenous designs and safety slogans to travel the system with messages for all to see. The designs would be totally different from the standard fleet paint scheme with colors that would stand out from all of the rest. Each of the selected engines would have a different color - such as green, red, purple, brown, chartreuse, lavender, and (why not?) pink - anything that would get it noticed...
The idea was not a new one. Chessie System already had a selected fleet of safety cabooses that were painted similarly. Moreover, it already had a commemorative locomotive painted gold wearing the number GM50 (not a safety engine).
My logic was that if the company wanted to preach Safety First, then the message should be on the front (e.g., engines), not on the rear (e.g., cabooses).
The idea was presented as part of a Chessie System employee suggestion program with cash prizes to those whose ideas were adopted. I even included some designs offered by three of my railfan friends for the company to consider.
My idea was approved (in the first round, I might add), and I was given $100. They also put my photo in the company newspaper, Chessie News. In fact, the division manager told me that my suggestion was the only one to be approved from the then-Maryland Division in the first round. It was my understanding that a budget was approved for the project, and it was being forwarded to a designer.
But the idea was never adopted. Not too long afterwards, Chessie was consolidated with Seaboard, and the idea sort of fell through the cracks.
Well, not entirely... One engine actually DID get painted into a safety scheme. The Cumberland Locomotive Shop painted yard engine 5065 with a green livery and "Safety First" lettered in white along its sides. This effort may or may not have been the result of my idea, but the import of my safety engine suggestion was directed at ROAD locomotives, for EVERYONE to see, not captive yard engines to be seen by just a few...
As time went on, I continued my efforts to follow through on my original suggestion. If the idea was a good one for Chessie, I felt, then it ought to be just as good a one for CSX. I periodically submitted it through the safety committee and other channels of communication.
Then, late last year, CSX introduced its "Idea Power" program. So I resubmitted the idea. Twice, in fact.
Late last month I got a call from Ted Snider, CSXT's director of safety. He agreed that the idea had merit. Indeed, slogans on engines had been tried before (Redblock, Operation Lifesaver, etc., and more recently, Diversity in Motion). But custom-painting an entire engine with a unique color is quite expensive, "several thousands of dollars each," he wrote in a letter afterwards.
For now, his department plans to concentrate on increased exposure through posters and video productions. But he added that my safety engine idea is not exactly dead. "It will be re-evaluated as part of next year's planning process." Stay tuned!
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