A Mission Mountain Railroad locomotive shows off its new paint scheme honoring a local high school.
Justin Franz
COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — Watco’s Mission Mountain Railroad has painted two GP39-2 locomotives in the colors of two area high schools, a major departure from the regular Watco black and yellow livery.
WAMX No. 3942 has been painted blue and white in honor of the Columbia Falls High School Wildcats and No. 3946 is now black and orange for the Eureka High School Lions.
“We wanted to do something to give back to our community,” says MMT General Manager Kyle Jeschke.
Montana Mountain operates on two former Great Northern Railway routes between Columbia Falls and Kalispell, and Eureka and Stryker.
Pretty paint scheme! Yes, silver trucks would look good, but blue isn’t bad either.
Looks great, however I would prefer Silver trucks.
I do not get some railroads such as Watco, you can paint every locomotive for a high school or university for the communities your railroad serves, but can’t do something like what other Class 2 road’s have done such as decal or paint one or two representing First Responders and our Military? While I think Watco does a great job with what colleges/universities and high schools they do paint for, do one for First Responders and Veterans, those are the ones we should be painting for.
Love the paint schemes, a great way to honor the communities you operate in, but if you really want to “give back” to those local communities, how about some charitable giving that will really make a difference?
This is something that WATCO has been doing for quite a while…They have utilized their paint shop at Cherryvale, Ks to Honor local Schools. Cherryvale,Ks. is the HQ for the SK&O RR. They have a Blue and White honoring Cherryvale HS, a Red& Gold honoring Pitt State ( That is Pitsburg State in Ks.). They did one also to honor Wichita State, Boise State See linked article @ https://cowcatchermagazine.com/watco-to-roll-out-locomotive-honoring-pittsburg-state-university/
Watco’s Alabama Southern Railroad in Tuscaloosa has a locomotive painted for the University of Alabama who’s team is know as the Crimson Tide. Along the sides it reads “ Pulling for the Tide”.
That’s a Sexy lookin Loco, loco!!!
I love that blue underbody, especially those trucks
Great to see how some area shortlines continue to take an active part in communty affairs in light of much negitive reporting on today’s railroads by the press.
The blue and white scheme brings back fond memories of the EMD demo scheme worn by this former locomotive builder’s fleet of new model diesels when they were released from LaGrange and operated on many of the nation’s railroads, while the black and orange, is in part, a representation of this classic but not forgotten fallen flag Montana railroad, THE MILWAUKEE ROAD.
A special thank you to Mission Mountain Railroad and Watco for this outgoing demonstration of public relations in Century 21!