Recieved a call from Chuck at FRT yesterday. He said I could expect my 'Hiawatha by Tuesday...Yea !!!!!. Now...Should I weather the train or not????? Following the current thread about this set, and the fact that it is sold out already, I was wondering if anyone has made the decision to weather it. I weather all my runners, but this train did not go into Washington as I recall. Who has plans to weather this set???????
They kept it pretty clean. I'd say a light coat of "road dust" on the undercarriage and trucks would be just enough. The maroon plastic used on those parts is fairly dull, but does need to be knocked down a bit. Now if you run the Hiawatha towards the end of it's life.....then go nuts. They were pretty beat up by then. I didn't buy one from this run, as everyone in Modutrak bought one (I think), so I'm waiting for a latter run, because I love the look of the really beat up ones.
Marty- I would go with what Matt has already stated. If operated within their prime of life, keep it pretty clean. If at the late and downgraded time, then they still kept them fairly clean, but their sheet metal was getting a bit bruised, etc. No, they did not operate to Washington. These were kept primarliy in the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor. With use also on the Chicago-Omaha main line. There were only five, so they could not get very spread out, in order to cover their routes. In very late years, then they wandered some- But not transcontinentally. Boxcab E50
Considering that they were one of the premier trains operating in that area with some serious competition they were kept quite clean and about the only thing I've seen on the prototype was a little dust along the lower sections after a run. Now at the end of thier life when they were being used for brake tests they were showing thier age. So I would also go with a little light weathering around the lower sections of cars and loco.
