I bougght my first one the "Silver Colt" and I must say I am impressed with the detail. Very well done. I rode the "Silver Colt" when it was part of the Rio Grande Zephyr between Salt Lake City and Denver in 1981.
The California Zephyr cars by BLI are excellent. I have a twelve car train. The 14 section sleeper is used as a coach right behind the baggage in my train.
The Rio Grande Zephyr was a great train. I rode it in May of 1975. When I bought the CZ ctrain I bought the cars I had actually been in. The cars of the CZ were mixed so there would be cars from all three roads in a train.
Both Athearn & Intermountain make EMD FP7's for the WP Athearn makes the F9's in D&RGW P2K makes the Alco PA's. P2K makes the CB&Q E7 & E9 units.
Agreed. All of mine are first release and they are very impressive.
Now that the new release is hitting the stores, I am amazed to see first release cars still being listed at insane price levels on ebay. Why? It's not like they are superior or in limited supply.
duckdogger Agreed. All of mine are first release and they are very impressive.Now that the new release is hitting the stores, I am amazed to see first release cars still being listed at insane price levels on ebay. Why? It's not like they are superior or in limited supply.
They were in demand for several years and some just wanted them so bad they would pay over the price that they were worth.
The prices should get back to normal since the 2nd release has some improvements. The window shades are now on the inside. My set is the first release also, but they are very nice.
The major defect that stands out is the dome glass that does not fit almost flush to the dome, but the new ones did not correct this error. Overall, they are great and look fantastic on a layout. My power is a set of the Genesis F3ABB with Soundtraxx installed. The new FP7A will replace the F3A when the new Genesis model is available.
CZ
I heard the window shades were on the outside - which was weird. But when I looked at my cars, they don't really look like it. It would bug me if they did look on the outside, a lot.
Like it was said, they are nice looking. I have 15 of them: bought all the RGZ versions offered in the early run(s) 3 Dome-coaches, 1 Dome-obs, Diner, 16 section sleeper/flat top coach, Dome-lounge. AFAIK, those were the only RGZ cars offered before this fall. I filled in another 8 cars sleeper, domes, baggage etc of other names for a full CZ trainset. Real nice.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Recently I bought the cb&q observation, its simply amazing. Finally my first HO car with illuminated drum head, markers and tail light.
BLI makes the best cars, if only they would make the Fleet of Modernism.
rjake4454Recently I bought the cb&q observation, its simply amazing. Finally my first HO car with illuminated drum head, markers and tail light. BLI makes the best cars, if only they would make the Fleet of Modernism.
I would like that Fleet of Modernism and the S1 big engine along with the turbine S2. Lets request BLI to do them.
CAZEPHYR I would like that Fleet of Modernism and the S1 big engine along with the turbine S2. Lets request BLI to do them. CZ
I'm in!!
rjake4454 CAZEPHYR I would like that Fleet of Modernism and the S1 big engine along with the turbine S2. Lets request BLI to do them. CZ I'm in!!
Ol' Fred down by the Hysterical Society would love a set like that with both S1 and S2. Could we see something like that in N scale too please
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
So has anyone bought the Broadway Imports Blueline Burlington E7's to go with the CZ set? If so were they as good?
CMStPnP So has anyone bought the Broadway Imports Blueline Burlington E7's to go with the CZ set? If so were they as good?
Based on comparisons I've seen with the BLI and Walthers new E8's I'd go with Walthers if and when they do a CB&Q.
I should be receiving my Blueline PRR E7 units shortly, I'll let you know when I get them how they compare to the Paragon series.
I really want to get the Burlington E7, maybe I will soon. I can't decide between that or the far more expenseive PCM Burlington F3 A-B-A set, which looks absolutely amazing.
Oh, btw. My Zephyr car squeals badly right out of the box, does anybody know where to lube exactly? I've never oiled passenger car wheels before and I don't want to mess up the car or cause too much oil to get on the track.
The "California Zephyr" here is pulled by:
CB&Q-P2K E9a (2)
D&RGW- Athearn Genesis F9a-b-b-b-a
WP- Intermountain FP7a-F7b(2)
AS to the squeeky wheels I suggest using Labelle 108 oil very sparingly on the bearings in the trucks.
0
I also have an out of gauge wheel set on my obs but I set it aside after the test run. Anything special about bringing into standards?
duckdogger I also have an out of gauge wheel set on my obs but I set it aside after the test run. Anything special about bringing into standards?
Be prepared to replace the plastic axle, my cars from this run havent shown up yet but the first run had the axles glued to the wheel shafts. I destroyed the axle trying to get it apart.
I ended up replacing all the axles with the axles from the older athearn genesis "working" roller bearing cars since the axle have the same internal size as the broadway cars.
Mr. SP The "California Zephyr" here is pulled by: CB&Q-P2K E9a (2) D&RGW- Athearn Genesis F9a-b-b-b-a WP- Intermountain FP7a-F7b(2)
I'm also using the Athearn Genesis F9ABBBA set, but after 1968, one of the F9A's and two of the B units were off the roster having been wrecked. If you want a 69-70 power set, buy the #5764 F7A offered by Genesis. That F7A and #5761 pulled the Zephyr to the end, and was mixed with the F9A #5771 sometimes. We also need #5571 and 5574, F7A units which also pulled the Z in latter days.
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I left Model Railroading in 1984, trying to get back into it. I am familiar with Athearn as thats what I used extensively when I was younger so I might go with that and I like the F7 or F9 idea. So one more question on these cars I realize it states a minimum radius curve on the advertisement but has anyone operated on a tight radius with these cars? Just curious.
To me, there are two critical considerations. First will it physically go around a lessor radius, and second, how will it look, i.e. prototypical or toy-ish? Why spend $60 plus on a car and then run it on a radius that is too tight to the point of appearing grotesque? Reminds me of the way Lionel passenger cars looked going around a basic circle when I was a child.
It's your money and layout, so the decisions and opions are yours alone.
duckdogger To me, there are two critical considerations. First will it physically go around a lessor radius, and second, how will it look, i.e. prototypical or toy-ish? Why spend $60 plus on a car and then run it on a radius that is too tight to the point of appearing grotesque? Reminds me of the way Lionel passenger cars looked going around a basic circle when I was a child. It's your money and layout, so the decisions and opions are yours alone.
Well, to that point. Curves can be hidden from view or in plain view. If the curve is hidden from view, I'm not particular about how it looks as long as it does not derail. For operational consderations I would rather have a closed loop layout versus stub end terminal to stub end terminal. I have space considerations to contend with at some point. It's nice to have 22 inch radius curves everywhere though and I presume your layout is in your basement.
Where I live here in Texas they have expansive soils which means no basement because it would be crushed when the soil expanded so the houses are floating foundation where I live. Therefore the layout has to reside in a bedroom of the house or the recreational room of the house. The recreation room of my house is already in use with a theatre system. So that leaves a spare bedroom. Now while it is true I can buy another house, maybe 3500-4000 sq foot this time with a much larger TV room that would accomodate 22" curves. Thats a lot of money to pay for a HO Scale layout. I'd also probably need to have it ceramic tile instead of carpeting.
$60 is not a lot of money for me. I'm happy to own them just to have them on display. Where they are right now. Would be better to run them though. Hence my interest in starting up a layout again.
I don't know much about five chime horns because I've never heard any where I live.
But I do know that Canadian and American three chime horns sound different.
Canadian diesel locomotives built in the 1950s (e.g. F7A, GP9, RS-3, SW1200RS) were fitted with the Air Chime M3H, a horn that was tuned to a D minor chord.
Similar locos built in the US with the same type of horn were equipped with a Nathan M3, which was tuned to an A major chord.
Second generation diesels (e.g. SD40, GP38) built in either country had the same horn arrangement but instead used the new K series horns made by Air Chime and Nathan, although the K series horns were a semitone higher in pitch.
short vid clip of the BLI CZ cars pulled by old school ('94) P2K E9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFiAJ2zZJcM
7j43kI passed on these cars because the plating had, to my eyes, a reddish hue that didn't look "right". This is opposed to my recent collection of Walthers plated Superliners, which have just the right color. To me.
Really? Thats the first anyone has ever said about the finish. No, they don't look reddish in real life and they look very nice. Apparently you don't really need CZ cars if ou are able to pass them by that easily because for anyone modeling an era and RR route the CZ traveled, then we were extatic when these came out. I model the D&RGW from the mid-60's through the 1980's, therefore I need them both for the CZ and the Rio Grande Zephyr. No brainer.
Guessing, I would say that the Broadway cars were nickel plated, and the Walthers cars chrome plated. I would also speculate that if you ran the BLI cars by themselves, your brain would "make" the color look OK. I was a bit more concerned, because I planned on mixing the potential BLI cars with other brands. Ed
My eyes, not my brain say they look fine. I also plan to run the CZ cars mixed with other cars, like the sleepers tacked on to the end in the late 1960's, and the Pullman Standard ex C&O cars on the front occasionally.
Speaking of Walther's metal-plated Superliners. The plating looks a little off too, somehow cars look more toyish that one would think with metal plating. When people here talk about thick paint on MTH Dreyfuss, I think of new Walthers Superliners. I compared these cars with Kato Superliners, and although the later have "regular" paint job - they have crispier molding and look a little better.
trainsBuddy Speaking of Walther's metal-plated Superliners. The plating looks a little off too, somehow cars look more toyish that one would think with metal plating. When people here talk about thick paint on MTH Dreyfuss, I think of new Walthers Superliners. I compared these cars with Kato Superliners, and although the later have "regular" paint job - they have crispier molding and look a little better.
There are advantages to both KATO and Walthers. Someone a few months back did a nice photo reveiw comparing both to the prototype and each other. Both had minor flaws in detail and both were quite nicely done. Until I'm in better financial condition, I won't be experimenting with the newer Superliners, and will suffice with the 12 earler Walthers cars I have for representing the 1980's California Zephyr.
A big question in Rio Grande modelers mind, is will BLI ever tool for the Rio Grande Zephyr cars which had the California Zephyr name plates removed from the top sides of the cars, as well as the roof antenae's.
I contacted BLI shortly after teh first run was released to see if they would do some in undecorated (but plated) and without the various nameplates, antennae, etc as some of the cars could be used for other Burlington cars other than CZ. I got a response that they would look into it, that was a few years ago now.
Ricky
It appears the wheelsets are standard 36-inch metal? Anything to prevent a changeout to correct an out of gauge issue (and where the axles are glued to the wheels)?
Hate to resurrect an old thread but are all the runs of the California Zephyr cars complete by BLI now? Are anymore in the original trainset colors planned for the future?
Contact BLI's customer service department. I recently worked on a set of 12 cars for a friend. All of the cars were from the first run, and according to the guy I talked to at BLI, there was a batch that arrived with wheelsets out of gauge. Of the 12 cars I worked on, every one of them had at least one truck with wheelsets out of gauge. Since it was a factory error, BLI provided me with the trucks to replace every one of them, free of charge. Replacing them was simple...snap the old truck out, snap the new one in.
Robert Beaty
The Laughing Hippie
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The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the
end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming
your way. -Metallica, No Leaf Clover