Paint Scheme

Great Northern Stages / Freightliner Paint Schemes and Logos.

 In 1934 the Great  Northern Stages adopted a white over blue paint scheme that coincided with the Montana Northland Greyhound Bus Lines, of which the Great Northern Railway owned 30 percent. The first Stages equipment was painted with white cabs, van or trailer tops. The lettering was in gold with a black outline. There was a white stripe with black outline along the sides of the sheet steel sided vans and trailers.

  This paint scheme remained in effect on all equipment until mid 1940 when the first aluminum sided truck bodies and trailers were purchased. At this time the white was extended downward on the truck cabs to door handle height. The balance of the truck/tractor remained blue. White wheels were added to the trucks and tractors and trailers. All Stages/Freightliner over the road power equipment continued to be painted in this fashion until late 1968 when the Great Northern adopted the Big Sky Blue as the new railroad color. Only tractor 81 was repainted in Big Sky Blue. The five 1969 Freightliner 4X4 tractors 89-93 were factory painted with the new solid blue.

With the purchase of Aluminum truck vans and trailers the gold lettering was discontinued. The standard Great Northern logo was adopted. The lettering Stages replaced the Railway around the bottom of the herald. Forward facing goats adorned both the left and right sides of the equipment. A logo was placed high up front and low at the rear on both sides of the trailers. A logo was placed high on the front of the trailers. A smaller version of the same logo was located on both tractor doors.

In January 1950 the new Great Northern Freightliner image was adopted. The Stages lettering was replaced with Railway. Again the right side goats faced forward. This was to be the standard signage used by the trucking operation. The round Goat herald was omitted on the shorter doubles trailers.

An interesting note, the logos on the right side of the Stages/Freightliner equipment had the goat facing forward, while on rail equipment the goat faced to the rear.