rainbow era
nounEtymology From the varied, colorful appearance of multiple liveries in one consist.
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Rail transport, Railways, Transport US, Informal A period in the early 1970s when Amtrak operated a fleet of used equipment that still carried the paint schemes of their previous owners.
- Amtrak's Rainbow Era was the first few years where consists were multi-colored because many legacy carriers' former rolling stock was mixed together and not yet painted for Amtrak.2012 February 15, Tadman, “Ocean View in Rainbow Era”, in Railroad.net:
- We have come a long way since that “rainbow era” of using hand-me-down equipment.2021, “A Brief History of Amtrak Paint Schemes and Liveries”, in Amtrak:
1 more example
- That was the rainbow era when much of Amtrak was still running in the original roads’ paint until 1974.2022 May 30, markm, “Amtrak in a movie”, in AZL Forum: