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This thread prompted me to do some research using Joe Shine's GN Color Pictorial Vol. 1 as well as online sources.  I offer the following comments FYI:

1. The colors look reasonably good. Many manufacturers use too much red bias in the GN orange paint. Tru-Color GN Orange paint has this problem, too. 

2. GN 274 today resides at the Oregon Coast Scenic RR and was a unit restored in Portland by Doyle McCormack.  It was originally GN 274-B, built in 10/1950 as part of an F7 A-A set (274-A/274-B). It was primarily a freight unit with freight gearing but was designated for backup passenger service. The 274-A had a steam generator and the 274-B had a water tank. It was NOT delivered with a MARS light.  GN 274 does have a MARS light, as well as a snowplow pilot, and I'm not sure when these were added.  GN 274's white border around the number boards is also very unusual; I could not find any pictures of pre-BN F units with this, although one picture of a passenger F7 looked like it could have had a chrome surround on the number board. 

3. GN 274A-B was probably never used in transcontinental passenger service, i.e. Empire Builder, Oriental Limited, Fast Mail/Western Star because of its freight gearing. Such dual service units would have been assigned to excursions, locals, and regional passenger trains with a round trip of a day or less. The transcon trains got the best power available from the GN passenger fleet pool, capable of sustained 79 MPH running, and the secondary trains got what was left... 

4. The MTH model has a dynamic brake fan.  I'm not sure if 274-A/274-B had dynamic brakes. GN passenger F units in general did not have them but there were a few exceptions.  

The GN Man posted:

This thread prompted me to do some research using Joe Shine's GN Color Pictorial Vol. 1 as well as online sources.  I offer the following comments FYI:

1. The colors look reasonably good. Many manufacturers use too much red bias in the GN orange paint. Tru-Color GN Orange paint has this problem, too. 

2. GN 274 today resides at the Oregon Coast Scenic RR and was a unit restored in Portland by Doyle McCormack.  It was originally GN 274-B, built in 10/1950 as part of an F7 A-A set (274-A/274-B). It was primarily a freight unit with freight gearing but was designated for backup passenger service. The 274-A had a steam generator and the 274-B had a water tank. It was NOT delivered with a MARS light.  GN 274 does have a MARS light, as well as a snowplow pilot, and I'm not sure when these were added.  GN 274's white border around the number boards is also very unusual; I could not find any pictures of pre-BN F units with this, although one picture of a passenger F7 looked like it could have had a chrome surround on the number board. 

3. GN 274A-B was probably never used in transcontinental passenger service, i.e. Empire Builder, Oriental Limited, Fast Mail/Western Star because of its freight gearing. Such dual service units would have been assigned to excursions, locals, and regional passenger trains with a round trip of a day or less. The transcon trains got the best power available from the GN passenger fleet pool, capable of sustained 79 MPH running, and the secondary trains got what was left... 

4. The MTH model has a dynamic brake fan.  I'm not sure if 274-A/274-B had dynamic brakes. GN passenger F units in general did not have them but there were a few exceptions.  

GN Man,

  I am hoping the green is a true dark green not the brownish green Lionel used on the Legacy F3s. I have the Lionel Empire Builder streamliners from 1992 and was hoping they would match reasonably close. Did the GN roster any E6s?

Last edited by BradFish1

Bradfish1:  No, GN never rostered E6’s.  The streamlined Empire Builder from 1947 to 1950 was pulled by pairs of E7’s. Starting in 1951 the passenger F3’s and F7’s were standardized and pooled, from which daily power for the transcontinental trains was selected. SDP40 and SDP45 units were added to the pool in the mid 1960’s. 

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