Eichholz Rail V170 No. 1125, a Swedish-built diesel, shows off its “Warbonnet” markings on an excursion train at Traiskirchen, Austria.
Raimund Wyhnal
BNSF may have given up the famous “Warbonnet” scheme it inherited from predecessor Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, but a German company is keeping the classic scheme alive. Eichholz Rail, a German railroad services company, applied the scheme to a Swedish-built NoHAB V170 diesel, an engine that looks something like a double-ended E unit.
When it was painted in 2007, it wore the name “STRABAG,” Eichholz’ parent company, on its cigar bands on each nose where “Santa Fe” would have gone on the U.S. warbonnets. However, when Eichholz leased the engine for a chartered passenger train, it received a foil “Santa Fe” marking. The chartered train ran from Augsburg, Germany, to Kosovo, bringing the Warbonnet to a part of the world that may have only seen it on toys.
I'm touched. Moved almost to tears. The world's favorite locomotive logo has found a new home. The logo, by Leland Knickerbocker in the late 1930s, was inspired by the Southwest desert, and more specifically by Indian (Native American) symbolism. The circle and cross is often used to represent the Sun, a very important part of Indian life in the Southwest. The whole design, including the curves and stripes that extend back on the locomotive's sides, are reminiscent of the flowing warbonnets of full war-council dress of the Lakota, a bit north of the Santa Fe, but it all works. A logo like that tells so much more than its initial impression reveals. That's USA history encapsulated in one of the railroads that BUILT the US. So what do we do with it? We throw it out in the name of progress. Thank goodness citizens of other countries can recognize what we seemingly do not: that the warbonnet scheme is one of the most important logos in the history of planet earth, and that it should not be forgotten. There should never be a day that it doesn't appear, in operation, somewhere in the world. And this railroad is doing it! I'm just blown away. Thank you Austrians, whoever you are!
The NoHAB locomotives were actually built in license with EMD in Sweden and Hungary around the same time as E and F Units were being built in the US, which explains the similarities. Although these locomotives also bear a marked resemblance to the double ended (2 cab) Baldwin Babyfaces built for the Jersey Central in the 1950s. Unfortunately there are not many NoHABs around anymore, but it is nice that a number of private RRs in Europe are so committed to preserving the past, that they maintain classic locomotives in active service.
strang sight indeed and being from the AT&SF's home state i like it
I admire them for keeping the "Warbonnet" scheme alive. (BNSF, are you paying any attention?).
The Warbonnet logo will never die. BNSF was not thinking when they dropped the Warbonnet.
it has potential!
this is a strange sight
thais is a strang sight