Hi Guys,
That red stripe thing: one has to take into account the effects of the weather and exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun. The new Lionel J, to me, has a freshly shopped red stripe. More in appearance to the real J that is running at Strasburg. Other previous models have the stripe a much darker red. I'm not sure which is correct; I personally believe they are all correct. It just depends on how long the engines were exposed to the outdoor elements. Just my 2 cents
Steve