Adorned in the classic ''Black Widow'' scheme made famous by its parent company, Southern Pacific, the Cotton Belt was the Eastern extension of the West Coast road. The Black Widow scheme consisted of a black body with silver, orange and red nose. A red stripe wrapped around the bottom of the nose and ran the length of the engine. Cotton Belt logos and side lettering were retained in lieu of SP markings. This scheme evolved, as did the physical appearance of the FT. Later in their careers they took on F style side grills and large number boards and had their lighted side number boards plated over.