In the opinion of many railfans, the E-series diesel locomotives built by GM's Electro-Motive Corporation in the late 1930s are the pinnacle of railway design. The cab unit shown here is often referred to as "the most famous face in dieseldom," and the red-and-yellow "warbonnet" paint scheme, created for the Santa Fe Railroad, is regarded as one of the most familiar corporate images of all time. (It is still in use by the BNSF Railway.)

This degree of perfection was not the work of one brilliant individual. The roster of inventors listed at the bottom right corner includes some of the biggest names in the history of rail technology. Harold L. Hamilton and Richard M. Dilworth were respectively president and chief engineer of EMC before and after it was bought by GM in 1930; Martin Blomberg designed the Pullman Company's M-10000 streamliner for the Union Pacific; and Leland Knickerbocker is credited with the paint scheme.