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  1. I just watched a video about the Rexall Train A NY Central Streamlined  Hudson and passenger cars which were custom painted to do a USA and Canada advertising/ promotional tour for the Rexall Drug Store Chain I loved the color scheme used and wondered if there would be enough interest for MTH or Lionel to produce it in O scale since no new tooling would be required Any thoughts
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😈

I thought it was blue and white, not cream?

Lord only knows ….that model might’ve been built god knows when, model paints can yellow with age …..especially whites…..I’ll probably go down the middle of the lane and use a bone white ( ish ) …..I think the blue on that KTM model is fairly close, or at least a descent representation……of course those in the inner sanctum ( you & Pete ) will see spray outs before going on the model,…..😁

Pat

So here's a few quick questions. The train itself was a big promotional thing for the drug company, which looks like they would have potential clients for their drugs on board? How long did this engine last with it's shrouding? I would imagine it was only painted up under the Recall colors and once done, shrouding scrapped and back to normal unshrouded operations? It would have been interesting to see what a Mohawk looked like under the NYC colors.

So it is a royal blue, ah. That is much better than the colorized photo as that looks like a much lighter shade. Thanks for that great history lesson Doug.

I’m also going at this from another direction Dave, I’m contacting Rexall drugs, to see if they have any history information about this, ….Rexall is still obviously around, they were bought out by a SanFransico group around 2016…..ish??….I’ve put an inquiry in, …..we’ll see if they respond or if I get crickets …..of course I stated what a satisfied Rexall customer I am….😁

Pat  

@harmonyards, Pat, that is usually the best way to go. Give them honey instead of vinegar and you should get far. They'd have to have something, that's for sure. If this were some random store promotion I could see there being little information about the place. We're talking about a huge unveiling, like the World's Fair size(sort of). They'd have to have some archived information. The only other place which is needle in the haystack would be the Library of Congress. You can find out a great deal there, but you really have to know what you are looking for and be able to narrow the field. I can't remember exactly what it was on a railroad search, but it was in relation to my paternal grandfather's travels out west when he worked on the pipelines. I only managed to get something I think around St Louis and I don't think all of it was exactly what I was looking for. It was very interesting however. I just wish I would have saved the information I got. I had messaged my sister some maps of the area, that was about it.

That custom 2 rail model of Rexall (NYC 2873) was done by the late Tom Harley for the late Mike Hill, both noted O Scalers. Mike told me that Harley was able to take a USH NYC L-2 Mohawk chassis and fit a Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt shell/boiler.  Mike also told me that he researched the exact colors by traveling to several locations in IL (where he lived) in order to record the exact colors of the Rexall drug sign.  He told me that the blue was "easy" but he thought a little different than the Rexall blue of the signs, but the final white or "off white" was actually a very light cream color.

When MTH expressed an interest in modeling the Rexall locomotive but as a Hudson, I sent them the photos of Mike's engine for the color match.  I am convinced that, as a result of Hill's investigation, the colors of the MTH are "as close as we will ever get".  Think about it...why would Rexall select a blue and an off-white that was different than their symbol/trademark???

I saw that Mike's engine was sold in a recent auction for what I regard as a very high price...over $4,000.

@Hudson5432 posted:

That custom 2 rail model of Rexall (NYC 2873) was done by the late Tom Harley for the late Mike Hill, both noted O Scalers. Mike told me that Harley was able to take a USH NYC L-2 Mohawk chassis and fit a Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt shell/boiler.  Mike also told me that he researched the exact colors by traveling to several locations in IL (where he lived) in order to record the exact colors of the Rexall drug sign.  He told me that the blue was "easy" but he thought a little different than the Rexall blue of the signs, but the final white or "off white" was actually a very light cream color.

When MTH expressed an interest in modeling the Rexall locomotive but as a Hudson, I sent them the photos of Mike's engine for the color match.  I am convinced that, as a result of Hill's investigation, the colors of the MTH are "as close as we will ever get".  Think about it...why would Rexall select a blue and an off-white that was different than their symbol/trademark???

I saw that Mike's engine was sold in a recent auction for what I regard as a very high price...over $4,000.

Do you have any more information on the build?…nice to know it was done with a Lionel CV boiler shell, ….In an off-line discussion, we’ve been wondering if stretching the shell was necessary or not, …..do you know if the shell they used was indeed stretched, or was it used as is,…..I think I can nail the colors to a cross, it’s getting it dimensionally appropriate as a first step ….I’ve done a couple rough, and I do mean rough mock ups and I’m digging what I’m seeing, but dimension wise, the Mohawks are a bit longer than a J1e, which obviously we all know is what was under the dress of the CV, ……my micrometer eye ( which sucks BTW) says the roof line should sit back about 24” more than a Hudson would ….but don’t quote me on that just yet……my general rule of thumb in O scale is if I’m within 18-20” …I call it good and move on,….so it’s close ….close enough to be a PITA anyways ……😁

Pat

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