The C&NW livery can be attributed to the history of the city of Antigo, even if it isn't historically accurate in itself for this particular locomotive.  A brochure put out by the Langlade County Historical Society of Antigo states, in part; "In 1892 the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad took over the line, starting a longstanding relationship with the community that lasted over 90 years.  Over the ensuing years, the railway erected a series of buildings that dramatically altered the city, including a passenger depot, a large roundhouse, pump house, warehouses, and shops.  By the 1940s, the heyday of the steam engine, the Chicago & Northwestern served as Antigo's largest employer with 300 workers on good-paying jobs.  Rail usage began to decline in the 1950s as the interstate highway system was developed and companies turned to semi tractor-trailer units to move their goods.  The last "Iron Horse" steam engine to roll through Antigo was on September 24, 1957, when the "Old 175" pulled in with seven cars on an excursion train from Green Bay to Three Lakes.  The last diesel-powered passenger train rolled through Antigo in 1971 and the last freight train 11 years later.  The rails were removed by the fall of 1983.  The railroad era is over, but its formative impact remains!" "The Langlade County Historical Society...took the initial steps toward preserving that history in 2001, when a caboose was purchased, restored, and placed on rails on the museum's grounds.  Now comes the next step--the purchase and the restoration of the "440," a steam locomotive very similar to that once called Antigo home."

In fact many small midwestern towns had a similar relationship with the "fallen flag" C&NW railway, and I have personally seen many old pieces of former C&NW equipment, signs, etc. on display in towns throughout Wisconsin.