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I saw the Mr Muffins custom runs on display at his layout yesterday. They look fantastic. The NYC is very nice and the B&O is a stunner with the oil tender. I think everyone is going to be very happy with them. If the catalog versions turn out as nice, this release of the Pacifics will be a home run.

The B&O is not an oil tender, it is a coal fired engine with a Vanderbilt Tender. It looks like an oil tender, but it is not. Take a closer look and you can see the coal load(on Mr. Muffin's site or post on here).

Just paid my invoice for Mr. Muffin’s custom B&O Pacific.  Can’t wait!

For anyone who happens to be interested, the results of a little history digging I did…corrections welcome for anyone with better info.

The B&O had numerous classes of 4-6-2 Pacifics that were built over a decent span of years and by both Baldwin and Alco.  The class designations all started with “P-“ (I can’t imagine why).  The P-7 was perhaps the most famous and attractive class with many being painted in blue and having either partial or full streamlining.

Lionel’s model of the Pacific is based off of the standard USRA design, and Mr. Muffin’s model of #5236 is accurate in that it’s a P-6 class which were in reality also based off the of USRA standard design.  Look up photos of B&O 5236 and compare it to the model from Mr. Muffin and it’s a bit difficult to spot differences!  The rounded Vanderbilt tender is accurate as well.  The only color photo I could find appears to show the engine clearly painted black, to my eye.  The only thing I’m unsure about is the gold striping down the sides, but they do make the engine pop!

I do know Steve had told me at York that very few of the custom B&O's were getting the blue paint, mine being one of them. I don't remember the number, I would say maybe 10, but could be wrong. I just know that it is going to be a beauty in blue.

No doubt, hope you like it!  And please post photos when you get it!

Between the price and prototypicality, I stuck with the black, but the blue was very, very tempting.

Skip, I'm tried looking through the locomotive database pictures last night of the Central's Pacific and none had the hood. I think Pete(Norton) had said that the Central didn't actually have this version of the USRA Pacific's, sort of hard to remember being that was near the beginning of this year.

I sort of wonder of the Cardinal will have the hood as well. I do remember either Pete or Pat(Harmonyards) had posted the real picture of the Cardinal. Maybe search that on the forum here and see if there are any results. Other option would be to see if either of them or many of the railroad scholars know.

While Lionel is calling them USRAs they are actually pretty close to some of the NYC early Pacifics. Cab number puts them in a K3 class but I can’t read what class Lionel put on the cab of these engines. As for the headlight you could swap it for one off the Hudsons. Lionel has been using the wrong headlight on those forever but they are correct for this engine.

Pete

Thanks for the information Pete, I knew you knew more about these since we had already discussed quite a bit when the catalog came out.

As Pete mentioned, these new Pacifics are indeed a little closer to a NYC prototype,….not 100% but I’d say passable…..pilots and ladders suggest K3g class,..probably take minimal effort to make it “convincing” …..early CENTURY heavyweights would really suggest the “ time before the great Hudsons” …..when the K class was supreme ….

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

As Pete mentioned, these new Pacifics are indeed a little closer to a NYC prototype,….not 100% but I’d say passable…..pilots and ladders suggest K3g class,..probably take minimal effort to make it “convincing” …..early CENTURY heavyweights would really suggest the “ time before the great Hudsons” …..when the K class was supreme ….

Pat

When they released the catalog, I was really hoping for something Central. The Cardinal just wasn't cutting it for me. Good thing Steve offered this one up in all black. At least we knew the color scheme would most certainly be right.

When they released the catalog, I was really hoping for something Central. The Cardinal just wasn't cutting it for me. Good thing Steve offered this one up in all black. At least we knew the color scheme would most certainly be right.

The various designs of Steve’s special runs required distinct black, graphite, and silver to be used based on the particular model.  Having seen them in person, Lionel appears to have stuck the landing perfectly on each of them. Hopefully, this bodes well for the catalog versions and future models.

The various designs of Steve’s special runs required distinct black, graphite, and silver to be used based on the particular model.  Having seen them in person, Lionel appears to have stuck the landing perfectly on each of them. Hopefully, this bodes well for the catalog versions and future models.

I certainly hope so. That was the big question asked at York by Skip, and seeing that this run looks to be good in the colors, hopefully the other stuff coming will be great as well(even if they have clown 🤡 trains coming).

I'm curious of how long it is going to take before the blue version of the B&O gets through Harry Heike's hands(and brushes). I believe Steve ordered one in blue for himself as well, so when they get back, he'll definitely announce it. I just can't wait, wish it was here already, lol.

Dave, I’m the last guy who should be commenting on painting, but I’m guessing it will be a major project to paint them. The Vandy tender alone would be a huge job given all the intricate details.

IDK, I think Steve had either commented somewhere or maybe when he emailed/talked to me. If your good at something, it is pretty routine to you and may not be as annoying if it were someone doing it the first or second time. Harry has been doing all sorts of painting for quite sometime, and I would guess he does know what he's doing. If it were me, blue would probably come out green.

Thank you - I will post some - these came out spectacular..... I am very pleased with all of them. I think Pat also did a B&O custom run - maybe he could post pictures of it here as well....

EYBE2660

Holy Baltimore Blue!!! Steve, is that the B&O Blue? Dang(meaning the other D-word), that is beautiful. I can't wait for you to send me my order invoice for sure now. That is so stunning. You make the best custom runs. 👍😊🐻

Should be about a week and a half before I see that beautiful B&O blue Pacific show up at my door(maybe two weeks). I cannot wait to see this in person, that blue is doggone beautiful. I wish I could remember when I was a kid what engine my uncle had that was a stunning blue. I'd ask him but it may take a week getting through some of the train talk. I'd say the Blue Goose, but when I had asked him several years ago about it, he said he didn't have one. So, I'm left with a mystery of what postwar engine he had that was blue. Not unless it was some standard gauge piece, but I think I'd remember something like that.

@PRR1950 posted:

The only "blue" steam engines I can recall are the Blue Goose (Santa Fe), the Blue Comet (CNJ) and the Royal Blue (B&O).  However, at 71, my recollection isn't always that great.

Chuck

The P7 President series started out green but later were painted blue. I have a movie made in 1951 that shows both a black and a blue B&O Pacific.

More info here.

https://davieloco.wordpress.com

Pete

@PRR1950 posted:

The only "blue" steam engines I can recall are the Blue Goose (Santa Fe), the Blue Comet (CNJ) and the Royal Blue (B&O).  However, at 71, my recollection isn't always that great.

Chuck

As long as you get most things right, that's where it counts. I had only ever known the Blue Goose, but didn't know who would have modeled it. That's why I was really confused when my uncle said no. Not knowing if Lionel(or Williams) had modeled anything during what was the postwar hayday and something my uncle would have bought, it left a big question mark floating.

@PRR1950 posted:

The only "blue" steam engines I can recall are the Blue Goose (Santa Fe), the Blue Comet (CNJ) and the Royal Blue (B&O).  However, at 71, my recollection isn't always that great.

Chuck

The Frisco had 3 well-known blue steam engines, the 4500, 4501 and 4502 Meteor northerns. The Wabash also had seven P-1 class Hudsons painted blue.

Last edited by breezinup

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