The wisdom of TWO Daylights?

Hi everyone, I'm not really sure what Don meant by that comment maybe someone could help me out?

I just want to make sure that I did not offend him or anyone else on here. I'm on this site just like everyone else which is to share thoughts, ideas as well as receive and give great advice with others. I have learned so much just from this forum ever since I joined a few years ago. Let's keep this a happy, safe, fun forum as it has been.

Thanks guys

-Matt

You just can't have too many Daylights...º¿º

Matt, might you be looking for some MTH ribbed side Daylight cars? I have a like new 7 car set with orig boxes for sale - it's somewhere on the For Sale/Trade forum; I think I put the ad up a couple months ago. If interested please contact me at pbender8540@charter.net. Thank you. Phil

Todd, I take it you went with the ribbed version since it seems to be the only offering in this catalog. I also noticed that they offer 2 styles (Southern Pacific and Southern Pacific Lines) I'm not sure what the difference is in having the word "Lines added. Also, not sure if you are aware of this but in the 2012 vol 2 catalog on page 70 you can get the matching Reefer car. 

Matt, the MTH cars I have came out around 2004, I believe. They've been catalogued for several years. The cars have incandescent bulbs. I have added many more passengers to the cars, mostly MTH figures. The lettering is 1946 and later style "SOUTHERN PACIFIC". Cars are like new. Please contact me at pbender8540@charter.net  so we don't tie up this forum. Thanks.    Phil

Matt, you will want to get cars that match the engine your ordered. MTH is producing both engines and cars in early and late lettering. "Lines" was removed around 1946 from the tenders and cars.

Pete

Matthew,

If you want to make your passenger train as accurate as possible with the GS4 you'd want to skip the dome car.

Dome cars didn't really start appearing on Daylight trains until the mid 1950s; by then the GS-class passenger steamers were all but retired; having been replaced predominantly by Alco PAs.  And of course as was previously mentioned they had already phased out SP LINES lettering in favor of just Southern Pacific about a decade prior.

I would be willing to bet that a Daylight 4-8-4 has pulled many dome cars.  I agree that the steam powered Coast Daylight never had them.  When we start seeking true accuracy, we need to get rid of five foot gauge.

I do have some films of a few GS's pulling some of the early dome cars that were rebuilt from the round end observation cars.  Those GS's by that point had the skirts removed and were all black with the large Souther Pacific on the tender.

Unless my math is off, O Gauge track is onlyl a little more than 1/16" wide in gauge, if that bothers you THAT MUCH, how do sleep at night running trains on 3 RAIL TRACK?

I wont even mention the "Lobster Claw" couplers, well I guess I did.

Doug

Challenger3980, 

Actually Bob2 is a 2-Rail modeler, thus he "can sleep at night" since he does NOT operate on 3-Rail track, nor has ANY issues with lobster claw couplers!

From what I've read, 1954 was around the timeframe when dome cars started appearing.  Most GS steamers were already retired with the remainder's operating lives already numbered but some were still around for a couple more years, but I haven't seen any photo or video documentation of skirted and Daylight-painted GS engines pulling them.

But then that's also why I said they were "all but retired" and "replaced predominantly by Alco PAs).  

No but unless he's doing Proto:48 he still has to contend with the incorrect track gauge.  

As I recall, without my reference material handy, SP had only five dome cars, all built in their shops.

Hardly "many."

Rusty

Guys and Girls, Just thought I'd let everyone who has a Daylight on preorder or currently owns one that in the MTH 2012 vol 2 catalog on page 70 they have a nice matching reefer car to go with the set. I just ordered mine today from Stock Yard Express. They were very friendly and I believe they said they also have a 2 pack with different road #'s

Matt, I have one of those and it's a very nice car. No idea if SP ever had any painted Daylight colors but like yourself I am willing to bend reality in three rail.

Pete

Nope, SP never had them; I believe that the R50b express reefer is actually a Pennsylvania RR prototype.

But as the old saying goes, model whatever you like.  

Actually Bob builds models mainly in 17/64" scale so his track gauge is correct at least for some of his models.  

The engine that I like that was in Daylight style paint were the streamlined Pacific types that ran on the T&NO in Texas.

Phil

Thanks Pete! I totally agree with you...just think it will look great in back of these engines prototypical or not

 

 

Another thing you can look into is that MTH offered an auxiliary tender several years ago (20-3037) to go along with their model of #4449.  They pop up often on eBay.

This was based on an actual prototype of a modified tender that was salvaged from AC-10 Cab Forward #4219.  After that cab forward was scrapped its tender saw duty as part of SP's MOW fleet as a fuel/water tender for one of their rotary snow plows and then ultimately converted to haul just water.

Eventually it was donated to the NRHS as I recall, where it ultimately ended up in the hands of Doyle McCormack and his "Friends of 4449" team, where in the early 1980's they rebuilt and "streamlined" it to use with #4449 on excursions to this very day.

That's why the prototype has the reporting mark "DLMX 4219" as DLM is Doyle's initials, along with the standard railroading placeholder (X) and the number 4219 preserving the heritage of the tender.  

MTH's model of DLMX 4219 is pretty accurate to prototype, the only minor discrepancy is that the trucks are not quite 100% accurate as the cab forward Buckeye tender trucks were a slightly different design than the Buckeye trucks that the GS tenders had.

Great bit of trivia John! While we are on the subject of oddball or limited production Daylight items. Consider heavyweight cars painted Daylight colors. I came across this list recently. Interesting that only the thee diners and two RPO had the clerestory roof. Lionel has made a separate sale heavyweight Station Sounds diner that would actually be prototypical (other than the fact its only 18").

Pete

Yes! very great trivia!! I checked out the pictures of the aux water tender...It looks cool and great to know there was such a tender by MTH.

Does anyone know if the new current MTH passenger cars now have LED lighting instead of incandescent overhead lighting?

Nobody picked up on the idea that 4449 has pulled about every kind of dome car you can imagine, and lots of non- SP cars painted Daylight.  But a poster above is correct - the 

Bakersfield to Sacramento run is where the dome cars were used, and I bet  the Northerns pulled them often. The SP never used aux tenders, to my knowledge.

Somebody tried to get Weaver to do the streamlined P-14 a while back.  Sunset and PSC came close with Daylight P-10s.

I think I mentioned that Daylight Northerns pulled express reefers and green heavyweights.  Photos abound.  I do not believe SP ever had any colorful express reefers - they may have all been owned by PFE or Railway Express.

I really don't lose sleep about accuracy and fidelity.  If I want a model faithful to a prototype I build it that way.  If I want something whimsical, I do whimsy.  My outer loop has a compound back-up Mallet pulling Tuscan PRR coaches.  Doesn't bother me a bit.

Matt,

I have a hunch Don was hinting that your profile picture has a passing resemblance to Detective Logan from the Law & Order TV series.

Well since you changed your profile picture with a different one without a suit & tie since then, it does alter the resemblance quite a bit. 

John, lol

Pshaw...that picture has nothing to do with Law and Order.  That's a picture of the GOVERNOR of ILLINOIS!  (If you know what I mean.)

Guys, I saw Mike Wolf yesterday and he said that the GS-4 Daylights should be shipping in March even though the site says they are due in February. I hope it comes sooner because I'm excited about getting these. I hope the matching passenger set ships the same time.