After taking the helm of the New Haven Railroad, Patrick McGinnis launched a redesign of the organization's logo, trains and passenger stations. Three companies - Talgo of Spain, Budd, and the Pullman Company - built experimental high-speed trains designed by Breuer's office. Herbert Beckhard and Hamilton Smith directed the project. Herbert Bayer, a well-known graphic designer and friend of Breuer's from the Bauhaus, devised the exterior color scheme of the trains based on Herbert Matter's logo for the company. The trains performed well on trial runs, but the quality of track between New York and Boston did not allow them to travel at the high speeds for which they had been designed.