NP Vista Dome North Coast Limited

Hi All,

I just picked my self up a nice 11 coach set for the NP Vista Dome North Coast Limited. All streamline Rivarossi/Con-cor coaches in green, Very nice. So what motive power would be right for this? And would they have been in the same green livery?

-James

 

Hi James. F7s are the order of the day. Intermountain do them in the correct livery.

 

Thanks Dad,

Yep those are what I need. http://intermountain-railway.com/n/html/69933.htm

-James

 

Those are awesome shots, thanks Hemi,

-James

 

NP did have 2 FP7, but they were rarely ued on the NCL. After NP "lost" engines at the Granite Lake and Evaro Hill accidents they were desparate for passsenger power, so they pulled the FP7s into NCL service.

When NP dieselized the NCL they started with F3 A-B-B units.
That became impractical to turn at the end of each run, so they acquired additional A units. By that time EMD had upgraded to F5, so the NP bought F5 A units.
That lead to
F3A - F3B - F5A and
F5A - F3B - F5A units.

When the F7 arrived they were mostl run in
F7A - F7B - F7A units

In the 60s NP started to mix the passenger units, so any combination of F3, F5, F7 and F9 A & Bs are psooible.

Cheers
Dirk

 

Hi James,

Well... while I'm no expert of the NCL... the folks who have answered your questions are 'the experts' and have given you spot on information!

I'd love to see pictures of your new NCL consist... particularly the domed coaches and domed sleepers. Intermountain has NOT even attempted to make a domed car for any railroad as of yet... and their efforts to complete an NCL has been proceeding at a 'glacial pace'.

Your talents at 3D modeling might help to fill the void of these two models... which are the signature cars of the NCL consist. I'm not sure if the models you've purchased are correct for the NCL... I've been told that the original ConCor/Rivarossi domes were 'about right' because of the 'slab aluminum' siding... but... they were Pullman domes. The ConCor & Kato Budd domes are correct for the NCL... except they did NOT have the slab aluminum siding. So... I think we need a morphed version of those two models to create a slab aluminum sided Budd style sleepers and coaches. I may not have all my facts correct... but others may chime in to fill in any missing or erroneous details.

How about it James... you may have some customers waiting.

 

Hi Joe,

Thanks, that’s a good idea. I will have to do some research and see what they really need to look like. As for my set, I haven’t actually picked them up yet, but when I do I will share some videos. For now I have an A-B-A set of SP&S FA2 to pull it, I know, not right but it will look nice!

-James

 

Sorry to pipe in late as a google for Northcoast limited photos brought me to this thread.

I'm one of those fortunate ones who can tell you first hand it was indeed something in it's heyday. I grew up in E St Louis, IL and my father and grandfather were both railroad men. As a kid I was lucky to have been able to ride the NCL with my grandmother on several occasions to go to Bozeman, MT and visit cousins. We'd get on the GM & O to Chicago in the wee morning hours and then depending on schedules and ticketing would either catch the NCL in Chicago or the Milwaukee Road and then change trains in the Twin Cities (where I live now). I was a very young lad but have vivid memories of sitting in the Vista Domes, eating in club and dining cars. My grandmother would save up all year and get a compartment. I remember all too well one hair raising train change in Minneapolis we had barely made the connection and in fact the NCL was leaving the station when a red cap with luggage cart my grandmother and myself were running down the platform. I was hefted up onto a moving train into the hands of a conductor as my grandmother and luggage were tossed onto the train a couple cars down. I might have been all of 5 at the time but remember being really upset and the conductor was the kindest man and in the gentlest of voices re-assured me I would be fine. He was leaning out the car watching and then came back and assured me my grandmother made the train and he would stay with me until she found me.

Another time we were up in one of the Domes when the train ground to halt outside Livingston and we sat there and watched as a herder moved his sheep herd across the track to another summer pasture. Later as a railroad dependent, I used my card quite bit as I traveled back and forth to college in Bozeman on the cheap riding the Northcoast Hiawatha until it was cancelled in 1979.

Interesting side note ... the NP had 6 club/observation smooth sided cars made starting in the Pine Green days. All Six of these cars have survived and 5 are in usable condition (one is in Duluth, MN). I just recently found out the sixth (Arlington Club) is in disrepair and requires restoration but just came up for sale. It's rumored to be in a warehouse somewhere here in the Minneapolis-St Paul area (not sure about this) but is still in it's Lowey paint scheme. Just in case any of you want to buy yourself a real Northcoast Limited car. :teeth:

Oh and I strongly recommend Kuebler's (another Twin City guy) book on the NCL great backgrounder with lots of photos.

All the best

Kevin

 

Definitely looks like a bit of a fixer-upper:
http://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/detail.asp?id=785&n=Arlington-Club-REDUCED
http://jalbum.net/en/browse/user/album/828975

 

Yup that's the site

It would be great (ya pipe dream I know) if one of the MN historical societies, especially those linked to railroads and James J Hill, would raise the funds grab that and restore and save the last one of this once famous passenger train

To the original poster, James Norris ... so if you picked up a bunch of NCL cars I am presuming the NP is your focus. After cleaning out my folks home I just dusted off the boxes of my trains and decided to get back into the hobby (especially after this past winter) and my layout will focus on the NP.GN and CB&Q as well as include 'the Road'

If you want lets chat and compare notes etc, I'm in the ground breaking phase of my 'folly' so likely biting off more than I can chew

Curious, did you just pick up 'coaches' or did you find other types of passenger cars too? I'm finding it interesting that for a train that many herald as beautiful and popular the manufacturers seem somewhat stingy with availability

 

Since the thread was last viewed some new renderings of the Intermountain F7 A & B units scheduled for release in 2015 (maybe)... Hmmmm????

The renderings of the A unit and B units show them with a slightly different NCL paint colors. Personally... the rendering of the "A" unit lower green color doesn't quite right because looks too 'olive' green... but... as stated before... I'm sure others that have actually seen the consists may think otherwise.


The "B" unit's lower green color looks better as the 'light' green tone. Here are the image comparisons I copied from the IMRC website... I realize that these are only pre-production renderings... so lets NOT assume that the final product will be produced this way.


I'm just curious as to whether one of the them is correct... or more correct than the other. Hopefully we will see an actual pre-production MODEL with the final colors. Some of us may be considering the sound/DCC equipped model which will we selling between $170 to $200 a piece... so... getting the color as right as possible would be very important.

I actually think the "A" unit's upper dark green tone looks best... with the "B" unit's lower light green tone.

 

"I actually think the "A" unit's upper dark green tone looks best... with the "B" unit's lower light green tone."

I couldn't agree more!

 

I would love a set of the IM F7s but for now I am stuck running my set of NP coaches with these!

[video=youtube_share;4P5urZnQYuM]http://youtu.be/4P5urZnQYuM[/video]

I know, I know, not right. Still, they look nice!

-James

 

Just make sure you follow the NP procedures. In the first picture there is a problem. NP procedure is to have a lower car between the dome cars to give the passenger in the dome cars a better view. Not so in the first picture. Still trying to figure out where this picture was taken.


In the second picture, taken in Livingston, MT, the cars are properly arranged.



When I was a kid, we took numerous trips on both the North Coast Limited and the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha. There were no interstate highways back that and rail travel was the way to travel. With relatives working on both the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific, we always traveled first class. A lot of good memories of the great food, amenities and lots of time spent sitting in the dome cars.

 

Since Intermountain (Centralia), Walthers and Rapido all make NP passenger cars, is there anyone here who could tell me which of these mfgrs has the colors that are the most accurate? I'm painting a couple of cars right now and would like to keep it as accurate as possible. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Here's is what I have. The locomotive is an Athearn Genisis and the cars are from Walthers. Both are very close. I rode on this train a lot when I was growing up and it didn't take very long for the paint to oxidize so there could be variations in the colors of cars on the same train.