A green paint scheme with a thin red stripe adorned them until the C&IM was renamed as the Illinois & Midland Railroad when they were bought by Genesee & Wyoming and added to the G&W's ever-increasing roster of shortlines.
Initially, the locomotives sported a green coat with a narrow red stripe until the C&IM was rechristened as the Illinois & Midland Railroad following its acquisition by Genesee & Wyoming and integration into G&W's expanding roster of small railroads.