PC: What if?

["Bill Cameron" <Bill_Cameron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Penn Central of 1998 would certainly have a new image for the locomotives
and rolling stock.  Knowing how corporations market themselves, I cannot see the
simple black and white scheme with just the worms making it to 1998.  Although
the NS is black and white, it is a "sporty", 1990's design/image.
I think the worms would have made it this far, but the colors may have been
retro-ed back to the white and red or some combo.  The engines, if kept black
and white, would have some additional markings or stripes.  NS would have
probably picked a different scheme for themselves if PC were still around. 
If the color changed, I could see Penn Central going the way of CSX, with a very
modern, well mixed color scheme (this is all opinion of course).  The rolling
stock PC green was late 60's and 70's design, and would have been definitely
axed by now, to probably something such as Conrail's brown.
As for a full retro scheme of Pennsy and NYC as stated in a previous post, that
is a definite possibility given the nature of marketing in the late 1990's...as
we know, a lot of companies are looking for the "retro" look which is top of
mind with a lot of younger people these days. (Hell...even bell bottoms are
back!)

As for the modeler, there are many exciting possibilities and room to experiment
and debate.

As for the rest of "what if" I think Penn Central today would be "Conrail-lite,"
that is all the current Conrail trackage without the Erie Lackawanna routes
which I think would have found their way to Chessie.

Bill Cameron