Watash, I looked at the "rollout" photos of 5405, the first J-3a, taken in 1937, and they had no classification lights either, unstreamlined. Looks like maybe they quite using them around that time. This is a poor quality photo, but it is taken at the factory rollout.
I marked up a drawing, and sent some data on the cars. I think somewhere I read that the cars for the N&W Powhatan Arrow, 20th Century Limited, and the Empire State Express all had Budd and Pullman Standard company cars made the same dimensions, except for the outside sheeting, with the ESE being the only one fitted with the ribbed sides. I would like to know the colors used inside these cars. I think one of the parlor cars had Cloud Blue ceiling, Ice blue side panels with darker blue-grey carpet. Chairs were Pearl Grey. Is that the ESE or N&W? I'm not sure all cars had the same color scheme throughout the train either. Anybody got any poop on this?
Chris, Trainartisan has the photos of the backhead with everything, and I mean everything, identified, thanks to Watash. Watash, it wasn't a rainy day. I think that was one of, or maybe THE last scan I got from my first scanner before it died of terminal electron overdose. I really ought to do that one over. I have the photo and it is a good one. Don't know the decor of the ESE. Never rode it. Dad and I rode the milk train special out of Utica that stopped at every station along the way.
