Bought an MTH Nabisco 4-8-4- leave it alone?

It's your choice but none of my stuff is ever considered "collectable".  Nowadays, trains you think are collectable get reissued later making them not so.  If you are an operator and not a collector, don't let one engine change your mind.  Plunge ahead with your original "M O".

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Dennis

I think Dennis has the right perspective, plus I doubt there will ever be a big price market for that loco: maybe if you kept it a long time and found the right buyer you could double your money - maybe, probably not.  Regardless, even if you were throwing away a future profit, why not do what you want with it?  You and he will have fun repainting it and relabeling it with the Chawgo  Big and Questionable RR name and logo, etc., and that will be a memory much more "collectable" than anything else!

A train in the hands of a 7 year old is exactly what it should be... a toy.

Do whatever you (he) want with it.

Yes !  I think you should consider it "his train, his call".  There will [ probably and hopefully ] be many locos where you make the decisions;  I'd let him make this one, and consider it  another benefit of being lucky enough to share your hobby with your son.

I normally wouldn't 'preach' like this, but you did ask, didn't you ?

SZ

Brady's has had this engine displayed for a number of years now.  Come to think about it,it may be in a set.

Norm Rish

I got this engine along with an Oreo box car when I worked for Nabisco. It was made for the 100th anniversary of Nabisco. I paid 395 for the engine. It was the first engine MTH did for a company. I believe 500 engines were made and 1000 Oreo box cars. I thought it would go up in value but it never did. I keep it because it reminds me of my years with  Nabisco......................Paul

Ouch...I paid $200 because it was never ran...add proto1 sounds and we were set. It's neat stand alone in the fact it was made for the one year, 1998, for Nabisco.....the dark blue isn't bad with the red stripping. "My" issue...hahaha...is that "I know" what a Gs4 is supposed to be colored, and that's not a bad paint scheme in it's own right.

Maybe when/if I come up our railroad colors and graphics he may change his mind about it's current coloring...but it looks like she'll ride as painted for now. 

Oh great, the boy just got me into trouble..he just mentioned to my wife that dad was thinking of repainting the new engine and mommie's old one{K-line coke christmas train set}..."no, I'm getting ready to repaint the 3 lionel shorty passenger cars from plain pullman dark green to the k-line set's dual green colors so they match....not repaint her "engine"...I told her.

 I "was told" that I'm not repainting her train{"engine"...she needs to get the lingo right-hahaha}...you have to picture the waving finger in the air and the other hand on her hip...too dang funny....there's too many engineers{chefs} here in this soup!!! 

Ok, so I'm not repainting anything but passenger cars...still.

Do either the engine or the boxcar have a yummy icing filling?  Can they be dipped in a big glass of milk?

Well, we were eating girl scout cookies at the time of purchase.,..does that count?

I would leave it alone, it's a pretty unique paint scheme.  I have a feeling that years down the road, that blue engine will be very special to your son, even if it seldom gets used.  There are plenty of "normal" black steamers out there to purchase.

Everything in this hobby is a collectible if you can find someone who wants to collect it, and nothing is collectible if only you see it as such.  There's far more out there in the latter category than in the former, and the best advice--now and always--is to not buy/keep anything as a collectible unless you're perfectly willing to find out later on that it has no collectible value at all.

If your goal is to repaint it, by all means do so and enjoy the item for your own purposes. UNLESS, of course, your son wants to keep it as it is.  If that's the case, buy it for him and let him decide its fate.

I agree with the others, let your son decide.  It may be collectible, it may not.  Though is it was, it should really stay in the box and be wrapped up and put away protected to retain it's value, thus being of no use to your railroad.  See, it's a trap meant to rob you of the fulfillment of playing with your toys.  I feel sorry for all those kids who kept their toys in boxes missing the enjoyment of play all the while hoping for some financial return one day. Anyway, there needs to be a sarcasm font for sure.

Do want you want with your trains, there will always be more.

Bob,

    Being a X Nabisco employee I say leave it alone no repaint unless it is into Daylight colors. Why don't you and your son hunt for other Nabisco/Nabisco Foods train cars. There were a lot of them Oreo, Graham Crackers, Planters Nuts, Mikbone, Shredded Wheat, Team Flakes, Creme of Wheat etc. It will be a good project when going to train shows etc.

JohnB

I agree with that. Maybe you can find some passenger cars that would look good with it.