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Show Much of Value of Streamlininjr Lies in Appeal Designer Says Color May Be Useful. Too RAILROAD trains have styles like automobiles and dresses ; and for the same reason rea-son sales appeal. The sleek so-called streamlined trains which have become so popular in the last year are known technically tech-nically to the industrial designers who create their lines as stream-styled stream-styled rather than streamlined How well such styling can be built into a motor car Is shown if a short exposure photograph Is made of one of the new models standing still on the road. From the print It is difficult to tell whether wheth-er It's going 00 or zero miles an hour. Tliat effect as attained by stream-styling stream-styling Is the work of an artist who has a flair for adapting artistry to an Industrial object. The airplane in exterior design Is truly streamlined stream-lined of necessity and Is the work of the scientist and engineer. Inside, In-side, however, the designer goes to work and stream-styles the cabin for sales appeal. Value of Dramatic Appeal. Speaking before a recent meeting of the New York Railroad club, Otto Kuhler, industrial designer for some of the nation's largest railroads, told the railroad men some of the new tricks of "streamlining" existing exist-ing steam trains, and even the newer new-er type Diesel articulated units owe their main value to their dramatic appeal. The modern lines of speed built Into the locomotives, either steam, Diesel or electric, have the same appeal ap-peal to the public as the gaudy painted engines of an earlier date. The change has been necessary to provide something besides the older circus ballyhoo type of appeal, according ac-cording to Mr. Kuhler. Color Can Be Used. Color, recommended the design consultant, can serve a very useful purpose. Said Mr. Kuhler: "If we stand at an unprotected crossing a black spot the shape of a freight engine, a mile away, may give us plenty of time to cross safely, but a brilliantly colored front end can warn us that something some-thing very fast Is coming. I feel sure that we have lost more than one human life that might have been spared If color could have flashed Us warning ahead. "Instead of confusing the outlines out-lines of a train by black and white striping as we see It on gasoline-electric gasoline-electric cars, I believe In making a train look like a train." |