WOULD YOU? GN Big Sky Blue Premier Passenger Set?

I might be interested John, but what I really want is to create an early Amtrak "rainbow" Empire Builder, so just a few big sky blue cars would do. I also like the K-line 21' cars best. As far as I know they only made 3 cars for the set before they stopped. Been watching a set on eBay for a while, but his price is a little high.

I'd like a BSB Passenger set however, Premier wouldn't run on my small diameter curves and I don't believe I could afford the set.

I would consider it, but probably not from MTH. They have consistently gotten the colors incorrect for the BSB scheme. The MTH GN blue is too dark (looks like Conrail blue) and they apply gloss black on the roofs which should be dark charcoal gray. By the way, a BSB passenger train really needs two SDP40 or SDP45 engines, and NO observation car!

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

I might be interested John, but what I really want is to create an early Amtrak "rainbow" Empire Builder, so just a few big sky blue cars would do. I also like the K-line 21' cars best. As far as I know they only made 3 cars for the set before they stopped. Been watching a set on eBay for a while, but his price is a little high.

I'm with you.  $549.00 is nuts.  I've been watching too.  Reality, I don't want 21 inch cars. My longest are 19".  I would have to adjust several spots to accommodate a 21" car.  And, I want more than 3. 

I'd pony up for a complete set.  So if there weren't any observation cars, replace the observation car with a full dome car! I'd even like to see a BSB SDP45 or a F45 in BSB.

I hear you John. My layout can handle the 21" cars. If I was to get those three off the bay, I would want to find a bunch of random K-line cars cheap ($100 - $125), and repaint them to fill out the train. NP two tone, Builder green and orange, BN green hockey sticks (1 year), ex CB&Q stainless and some re-lettered Amtrak.

I have to admit downsizing to the MTH cars would make the project much easier and cheaper.

One of my favorite railroad artists is Larry Fisher. I have 3 of his prints on my walls. "The Rainbow" is one of my favorites, and I don't have it. It is one of his earlier works, and there are copies still available, and they aren't even expensive. Well under the price of a single K-line car.

What is expensive is the framing. Mainly because I would triple mat it.

The GN Man posted:

I would consider it, but probably not from MTH. They have consistently gotten the colors incorrect for the BSB scheme. The MTH GN blue is too dark (looks like Conrail blue) and they apply gloss black on the roofs which should be dark charcoal gray. By the way, a BSB passenger train really needs two SDP40 or SDP45 engines, and NO observation car!

I would think that if this project was to be done as a small custom run, MTH would work with the sponsor to get the colors just the way they are supposed to be.

Keep in mind, even if you had a paint chip off an actual car, it may not match the way you think it should. I always thought that Floquil's version of BN Cascade green looked horrible, and Scalecoat was much better. Floquil seemed more dulled down and faded, where Scalecoat was vibrant as if it came straight from the paint shop.

Mike Wolf will have to finally research the correct scheme for Great Northern's Gray, White, and Big Sky Blue paint scheme for the SD45 and the passenger cars to paint them correctly in China using the Premier and the Rail King SD45 and passenger car sets. The Premier and Rail King GN Big Sky Blue and Charcoal Gray SD45s can each have their own road numbers since there are many numbers to choose from.

Andrew

I'm a member of the GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.  I have the chip.

John C. posted:

I'm a member of the GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.  I have the chip.

Excellent! That should put those fears to rest.

After thinking about it, it seems more logical and cost effective to do the Rainbow with this set at the core. I'm in!

BTW, I found a copy of the Fisher print for a good price. Still one left John.

falconservice posted:

Mike Wolf will have to finally research the correct scheme for Great Northern's Gray, White, and Big Sky Blue paint scheme for the SD45 and the passenger cars to paint them correctly in China using the Premier and the Rail King SD45 and passenger car sets. The Premier and Rail King GN Big Sky Blue and Charcoal Gray SD45s can each have their own road numbers since there are many numbers to choose from.

Andrew

Every time the subject of color matching comes up, I'm compelled to post this image.

Same locomotive, same layout, different lighting.  Cool white florescent tube in ceiling fixtures, cool white CFL in reflectors, daylight CFL in reflectors.

Plus, it matches the EMD paint chip in broad daylight:

Additionally, Bill Wade of B.T.S. once told the tale of when a customer (when he owned a hobby shop) brought in an HO model of a Seaboard E-unit, painted with the very paint that the Seaboard used, all the so-called "experts" in the store proclaimed it the wrong color.

Rusty

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

John C. posted:

I'm a member of the GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.  I have the chip.

Excellent! That should put those fears to rest.

After thinking about it, it seems more logical and cost effective to do the Rainbow with this set at the core. I'm in!

BTW, I found a copy of the Fisher print for a good price. Still one left John.

Really?  Where?  How much?

I was working there in Minneapolis/St. Paul, on the GN SD45/SDP45 delivery, when the GN "rolled out" that Big Sky Blue paint scheme in 1967. All the employees thought it was just terrible! I had to agree with them. 

John C. posted:

Really?  Where?  How much?

HERE... I think it's their last one.

I had to pay the sales tax because it was in my backyard.

Hot Water posted:

I was working there in Minneapolis/St. Paul, on the GN SD45/SDP45 delivery, when the GN "rolled out" that Big Sky Blue paint scheme in 1967. All the employees thought it was just terrible! I had to agree with them. 

I can see why you and they would feel that way after all the years of the classy green and orange. It was a bit of a shock. At least it only lasted a few years, until the BN merger, then the green only lasted one, until Amtrak.

If the BN would have looked better on the passenger cars if they did not 'Hockey Stick" the white stripe.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

If the BN would have looked better on the passenger cars if they did not 'Hockey Stick" the white stripe.

I can see why you might say that, but have you ever seen a car painted that way? I have, but I forget where. Might have been a video. Point is, that scheme looks really boring. As goofy as the hockey stick is, it makes the cars visually interesting.

I was about 11 years old and tried my hand at HO. I had a full AHM set of those BN passenger cars. I loved that train, and still miss it.

Hot Water posted:

I was working there in Minneapolis/St. Paul, on the GN SD45/SDP45 delivery, when the GN "rolled out" that Big Sky Blue paint scheme in 1967. All the employees thought it was just terrible! I had to agree with them. 

No interest here. Not only is the BSB scheme unattractive, it's irritating as a reminder that GN traded in their beautiful green/orange/yellow scheme for it.

Just my opinion.

I would definitely buy an MTH Big Sky Blue set.  They need to make the scheme with F7s to look really great.  I've asked MTH before to do this.  I also have the K-line/Lionel cars which are awesome, along with the very rare MTH FP-45s.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

If the BN would have looked better on the passenger cars if they did not 'Hockey Stick" the white stripe.

Apparently, the first iteration of the BN executive fleet was minus the hockey stick:

Looks kinda boring...

Rusty

rdj92807 posted:

I would definitely buy an MTH Big Sky Blue set.  They need to make the scheme with F7s to look really great.  I've asked MTH before to do this.  I also have the K-line/Lionel cars which are awesome, along with the very rare MTH FP-45s.

I was VERY lucky that after looking/asking for about three years a gentleman on this FORUM sold me the MTH F45s big sky blue; which he had NEVER opened!!!  Of course, when my wife, Connie, and I got a hold of both the powered unit and the dummy it took us about ten seconds to get them out of the boxes!  Those were my Valentines Gift in 2014--and the best Valentines Gift I ever received! 

Hey John, I see the Fisher print sold. I hope that it was you that got it.

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Hey John, I see the Fisher print sold. I hope that it was you that got it.

No.  Someone beat me to the punch.  No big deal.  It is a very nice print.

I like the Big Sky Blue, White and Charcoal Gray because most of my colors are blue based.

I like the Glacier Green applied to freight cars in the 1960's  because I find it to be a pleasing shade of blue-green.

I do not like the orange, yellow, and yellow-green used on the earlier GN locos because it is too much yellow.

Andrew

John C. posted:

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

Hey John, I see the Fisher print sold. I hope that it was you that got it.

No.  Someone beat me to the punch.  No big deal.  It is a very nice print.

John, if you're still interested, I found more. I believe this time I've located the actual source of the eBay listing. Your patience may have paid off, they are selling them out of their catalog for $14.95. I think I paid too much for mine.

Yes I would buy it to break up and make a Amtrak Rainbow Empire Builder set. I love what Lionel just did with the scale sized Penn Central passenger set and think the Amtrak Rainbow Empire Builder set would sell great no matter who makes it.

Elliot:

Thank you.  $14.95 is very good.

John 

People would still have to repaint an MTH SD45 pair or F3 A-B-B-A set since the GN Big Sky Blue scheme did not make the current catalog.

Andrew

falconservice posted:

People would still have to repaint an MTH SD45 pair or F3 A-B-B-A set since the GN Big Sky Blue scheme did not make the current catalog.

Andrew

Disappointed again!