"Opinionated personal opinion: I still think the RS-2s and
RS-3s the GBW rostered looked best in the red and gray stripe. It sort
of fit the model of locomotive.
In digging around here tonight, I found out that, originally,
the GB&W didn't believe in putting numbers anywhere on the
locomotive but in the glass numberboards on the upper corners of the
hoods at each end. The ICC bounced the GB&W for that, then came the
appearence of the yellow Scotchlite numbers, 2 or 3-inch high. Not very
big, mind you, but big enough for employees to tell what number the unit
was.
#301 here wears the last rendition: 3 or 4 inch numerals in
white Scotchlite. It is much easier to see the unit number this way.
The short hood still carried the yellow Scotchlite GB&W and
unit number."
- Keith
Meacham