D&H Maintenance of Way (MOW) train and coaches

I have been collecting slides of the various cranes, coaches, gondolas, wheel cars, and other assorted things over the years. While most railroads painted everything gray or yellow, I love how the D&H repainted everything in their "blue dip" scheme starting in the late 1970s. Unfortunately, the blue oxidized very quickly and within a few years it looked faded and shabby. But when new, it looked really sharp.

Here is one of their baggage cars, #30123, on 10/10/1981. They even painted the safety handrails and steps yellow, which may have been federally mandated like the corner railings of engines, but it really made them pop.

Fast forward four years to 12/1985, and here is the same car #30123. While everything is faded, it looks like at least portions of the yellow paint have been redone. Also, some white lettering in the lower right corner appears to have been patch-painted on. 

Coach #34402 suffered the same fate. If you look at the windows, it appears that some have been replaced with two-panel aluminum window frames. Why only those windows? Perhaps they broke and the D&H only had the more modern ones in their inventory? It would appear that this car and #30123 regularly traveled together.

Here is a shot of coach #34403 also taken on 12/1985. Look at the windows on this car- half of them appear to be blanked out. Not sure why, but it is an interesting detail. Also, along the lower edge the blue had faded a lot more between the rivet lines and is darker along those joints. Or perhaps it is the old light gray paint from the lightning stripe scheme starting to show through.

The shot below is an odd one. It is dated December 1985, the same as the others, but the cars appear to be a much deeper blue. When I scan my slides I sometimes have to adjust the exposure level but this appears to be correct as the gray on the engines is the right shade. They look as if they were just repainted. Sadly, the car numbers on both are not visible (or perhaps not added yet).

Here are a pair of out of service express cars from June 27, 1979 taken in Colonie yard.. I wonder if the two-tone gray baggage car was #3012.

Here is a shot of the D&H work train from November 1979. It looks like it was taken right before everything was repainted into the blue dip scheme. The coaches and crane are in the lightning stripe scheme. 

Here is one of their maintenance trains in Oneonta on 10/12/1985. Featuring a really beat up Alco C420 pulling a gondola (with cutaways on the sides, so likely a crane tender car), a baggage car and what looks like a coach. I would bet that those are #30123 and #34402. This entire train wouldn't be too difficult to model, and in fact the coaches are my list of things to eventually get to. The tricky part will be weathering all of the blue paint into that chalky, light blue color. 

Here is #30021 with gondola #30013 in Conklin on June 10, 1984. I believe it is an extremely dark blue, not black, in this shot. Maybe the cut the blue with black paint to stretch it.

The same crane just five years later, #30021 is shown with gondola #30088 at Oneonta in April of 1989. By this time D&H pride was rising after the troubled Guilford years and equipment was being refreshed in D&H blue again. I think it looked better with the shield though.

And just for comparison purposes, here is a Boston & Maine M.O.W. train taken in Mechnicville in June 1984. The crane looks black, though I suspect it is the D&H #30022 shown above. You can just sort of make out a yellow shield on the side if you squint. The coach and crane tender/gondola are clearly in the B&M maroon though. Still beats boring old gray.

The plows were also painted in blue. Walthers just released a gorgeous model of Jordan Spreader #35054 in the blue scheme (#920-110121) though I believe this scheme matches the late 1980s as well. I still might pick one up though.

Oddly, though, I haven't seen any pictures of boxcars painted in the blue color scheme and used for MOW services. Either they existed but alluded the cameras, or more likely the D&H just didn't bother to repaint them. Anything stored in the boxcar could also be stored in the baggage car, which had nearly double the capacity of an old 40' boxcar. And, the baggage car's side doors still allowed large things in and out. So who knows? I will still be on the lookout though.