CLEWISTON, Fla. — U.S. Sugar Corp., operator of more than 300 owned and leased miles of railroad radiating from its Clewiston headquarters, has rolled out a new Kelly green and “U.S. Sugar yellow” locomotive paint scheme.
The company relies on rail to move all sugarcane from its 240,000 acres of fields to its large processing plant at Clewiston. U.S. Sugar moves approximately 200,000 carloads of loaded cane to its mill per year. Its common carrier South Central Florida Express adds 15,000 general freight cars to the annual tally.
U.S. Sugar has used a variety of yellow and gray schemes on its locomotives since diesels replaced steam in the early 1960s. The most recent design sometimes reminds outsiders of Union Pacific’s road-switchers, so the new image is a major change. “Our goal was to incorporate the paint scheme to stay true to our agricultural roots and refresh the iconic look of U.S. Sugar’s diesel locomotives,” says railroad superintendent M. Scott Ogle.
Locomotive hood sides include a large sun logo accented with stylized sugarcane leaves. Conveniently, the horizontal yellow bands will line up with the yellow window bands on U.S. Sugar’s “Sugar Express” passenger car fleet, usually pulled by 4-6-2 steam locomotive No. 148.
The design was a cooperative effort. “A colleague drew up several options of multiple color and stripe schemes that our team voted on,” Ogle says. “The green and yellow prevailed given its unique design that all felt represented the U.S. Sugar agricultural brand all while keeping the yellow within the scheme as per our traditions.”
Five units have received the new look so far, applied at Clewiston by contractor Southern Pride Equipment Painting. Over the years, increasingly larger and more powerful four-axle EMD switchers and road-switchers have powered U.S. Sugar trains. The company’s current fleet numbers 26 units. With new trackage to serve and new larger-capacity sugarcane cars coming on line, the company is acquiring six-axle locomotives. SD40-2M No. 6325 is the first of these to carry the new image. Ogle says that U.S. Sugar is considering GP38/GP40 mother/slug units, as well. He anticipates painting a few units each year.
To see a bright new paint scheme on a 50+ year old SD-45 carbody makes me smile! Long live the flares!
Paint scheme just “jumps” at you. Very nice.
Sweet! the observation if fine too.
It almost reminds me of Seaboard’s jolly green giant paint scheme of the mid 1960’s.
Agreed.