F3 colors...again

[Chuck Stewart]

At the risk of being branded a troublemaker, I would like to revisit the colors used on the passenger and freight F3’s.  Most of us grew up thinking they were IU and Purdue colors but others, with good logic, have said the colors belong to Wabash College and DePauw University owing to their longstanding football rivalry at the Monon Bell.  The problem I have with this is, while the DePauw colors are black and old gold, the Wabash colors are scarlet red and white.
The passenger units were painted in a “reddish” Maroon color and grey…not white.
I’m not trying to stir up a controversy, but I am confused.  Any input?

[Steve Dolzall]

The May, 1982 issue of Mainline Modeler has a very comprehensive article covering the Monon's F-3 paint schemes written by Bil Darnaby and Roger Boor. According to their research, the passenger unit colors represented Indiana University and the freight unit colors represented Purdue University.

[Tim T Swan]

No, the passenger red was never even close to maroon.  It might have looked more maroon in some color photos but it was always a bright RED.  It did tend to fade rather quickly, which is probably why the MONON eventually went to black-and-gold all around.

THe problem I've always had with the IU-PU theory is that IU's colors are "cream and crimson"; i.e., where's the gray?  Then, at a swap meet once, I saw a Monon Bell Game program/pamphlet from the fifties or sixties, in which the Wabash College players were shown wearing red-and-white jerseys with GRAY pants.  Seeing that right there with DePauw's black-and-gold got me to thinking right then that maybe the IU-PU theory was all wrong.

Maybe that program will show up at a swap meet again.

[Ron Marquardt]

Well, I'm hard pressed to believe they would have honored two smaller schools when the two largest state universities were online, and located at the two main terminals of the railroad.  / Ron

[Chuck Stewart]

Good input…thanks, guys.  Just called Wabash College and their colors have always been scarlet and white.  And IU’s crimson and crème doesn’t match either.  Maybe Monon went with grey as white does not stay white on a hard working locomotive?

[Victor Sauerheber]

I HAD ALWAYS HEARD THAT IT WAS TO HONOR ALL FOUR SCHOOLS SO IT REALLY DID NOT EXACTLY MATCH ANY OF THEM BUT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO REPRESENT ALL OF THEM. JUST MY TWO CENTS WORTH. VIC

[Chuck Stewart]

Thanks, Victor!

[Cully Kowal]

Well. In painting we always attest that not all people see color the same way.  Most folks would say that the SOO line units were white.  High ranking officials on the SOO line insisted they were GRAY.  Cully. Fond du Lac, WI