Demonstrator Engines

I got a good deal on the Premier GE EVO, so I picked it up.  It is cool with all the lights, but I normally don't go for demonstrators, it's the only one I have.

Only thing is a EMD SD35 demo.

Only one I have is a Berkshire Lima Demonstrator. K-line built it. Don

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I got a good deal on the Premier GE EVO, so I picked it up.  It is cool with all the lights, but I normally don't go for demonstrators, it's the only one I have.

I was running the Lionel GE EVO last week and and was asked if the real engine had all those moving lights. I never doubted it, but never fact checked.

I have a few demonstrators, received this one a few months ago.

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Only thing is a EMD SD35 demo.

An SD35 demo? Are you sure? I never seen an SD35 in Demonstrator colors. GP35 well that's another story.

@cjack posted:

I was running the Lionel GE EVO last week and and was asked if the real engine had all those moving lights. I never doubted it, but never fact checked.

It did. 

I have a number of them. Absolutely love them. My favorite are the F7 AB pair from 3rd Rail. Also have from MTH a GP7, GP30, BL2, E8 AA pair. Plus from Lionel the CCII FM Train Masters. Probably another I’m forgetting. 

The color schemes are terrific, and I can run them with any railroad.

Matt

I used to have a good number of them and I really like demonstrators for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their attractive liveries. Sold more than a few in the past few months or so, and still have several (or more) to sell in the near future. I really do like them (discussed demonstrators in one of my Editor's Corner columns some time ago), but am selling most of mine now because I heed to thin the inventory a good bit prior to a possible move (again).

Here is the one I own.

I have to thank Hot Water (Jack) for sending me the actually EMD painting diagram when I assisted 3rd Rail with this project.  First diesel 3rd Rail did with ball bearings on all the axles and it shows when running.

For anyone interested, there is an excellent book that features nothing but demonstrator paint schemes on diesels.  Quite a resource.  It may have been a Withers publication?

This one is a classic.  I don't own this set, but helped with getting the painting diagram correct with very little info.  I have permission to post this photo.

Color diagram I created for the 3rd Rail F7.  I was still doing all the graphics my self at that time.  Glad we trained a very talented artist in China to do these.  It saves so much time and now that I own Bluebeam Revu - I can scale PDF files and markup them up in 1/4" to the foot scale in millimeters.

And for anyone who cares about these, this was the SD7 painting diagram.  The last project I drew the graphics for before moving into a reviewer role.

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

An SD35 demo? Are you sure? I never seen an SD35 in Demonstrator colors. GP35 well that's another story.

Yep. Black high nose. 

one of my favorite

I have 2 GE Evos and they look really cool when run in tandem.

Bob K. N2XSU

Yea- they are pretty cool. Here's the two I have (so far )

MTH BL-2

K-line

Here is one of mine.....

Donald

All of my Fairbanks Morse engines , will be in Demonstrator colors , when there was one .... in N and O

eagerly awaiting the Lionel  BTO Train Masters , later this year ...

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Only thing is a EMD SD35 demo.

EMD did not have an SD35 demonstrator. What you may be thinking of were the preliminary SD40 demonstrator units (434 A, B, C, D) that were built on SD35 frames, but had the 16-645 prime mover. They were painted black.

jim911, where was the video shot? Too short. Would really love to see a full spread view of what seems to be an incredible layout.

Thanks, swede

I have a BL-2 that "visits" my rails sometimes. A nice runner.

If he sells it, I may buy it;  I've always wanted to give it a custom paint job. Cream, brown, green, red and white sandwiched in layers.

......A BLT

With mayo 

If I wanted class, the CRIP TA  would be "The One" 

@Badge109 posted:

I have a number of them. Absolutely love them. My favorite are the F7 AB pair from 3rd Rail. Also have from MTH a GP7, GP30, BL2, E8 AA pair. Plus from Lionel the CCII FM Train Masters. Probably another I’m forgetting. 

The color schemes are terrific, and I can run them with any railroad.

Matt

Agreed!

The book about demonstrator locomotives to which Jonathan referred is "Diesel Demonstrators" released by the late John Scala's Weekend Chief Publishing in 2007. If you like demonstrators, it's an enjoyable and informative book to have.

https://www.arizonahobbies.com...strators_p_2619.html

Bob

I have a few.  A GP-35 purchased from Mr. Smith (Chris Gans) and a GP-20 purchased from Mr. Miller.

Only have two both made by MTH.

AND

Ron

edit:  Just remembered kind of have a third.   A Baldwin Centipede PS-2/3v Demonstrator.  Bought it off a fellow forum member to uses to upgrade my original ProtoSound Pennsy Centipede's to PS-2/3v.  Exchanged the pilots, the shells and paint the exhaust stacks and had a very smooth running PRR Centipede. 

 A little demonstrator family history:

the original EMD FT ABBA demonstrator was sold to the CNO&TP after it finished her demo tour.  She was repainted in Southern coolers, renumbered, and had a long career. Afterwards, the lead unit was repainted in original colors and is on display at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.

My grandfather worked on the CNO&TP at the time and was given an instruction booklet 15 minutes before he made his first run in a diesel.  Thus, ending his old job as a fireman on the steam engines.   He kept the manual of the diesel that has been claimed to be the engine that started the end of steam.

You can see the Southern and original EMC demo numbers in the manual.

@jstraw124 posted:

 A little demonstrator family history:

the original EMD FT ABBA demonstrator was sold to the CNO&TP after it finished her demo tour.  She was repainted in Southern coolers, renumbered, and had a long career. Afterwards, the lead unit was repainted in original colors and is on display at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.

Not quite. The Southern Railway donated FTA #6100, still in Southern Railway paint & styling, to the National Museum of Transport, in he St. Louis area. The unit remained in Southern Railway paint, until EMD received permission from the St.Louis museum to "borrow" the #6100 in order to attend the big open house and 50th anniversary event of the FT (1939 to 1989) in 1989. The #6100 was removed from the museum, and towed to the EMD plant in McCook, IL, where it was cosmetically restored back to its original appearance, including an accurate "GM" 1939 demonstrator painting & styling, and 103 road number. After showings at other "big events", such as the California State RR Museum "Railfair '91", the historic unit was returned to the museum in St. Louis (and the 'FTB' was returned to theVirginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, where it was borrowed from).

My grandfather worked on the CNO&TP at the time and was given an instruction booklet 15 minutes before he made his first run in a diesel.  Thus, ending his old job as a fireman on the steam engines.   He kept the manual of the diesel that has been claimed to be the engine that started the end of steam.

You can see the Southern and original EMC demo numbers in the manual.

Hot Water, It's to bad there's not a great deal of money to be made writing books as you are a wealth of knowledge. You remind me of some of the old railroaders that tell their experiences in Classic Trains magazine.  

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Hot Water, It's to bad there's not a great deal of money to be made writing books as you are a wealth of knowledge. You remind me of some of the old railroaders that tell their experiences in Classic Trains magazine.  

Thanks. That is quite a nice complement. I had done some writing for Classic Trains Magazine, when they first came out. Now, I find it a bit difficult to sit down and write whole articles, so attempting to do a book, as Rich has just done, would be pretty much out of the question. I preferred doing the Pod-Cast interviews for Notch 6, though.

I have a few, going back to MTH Proto-1. All but three are EMD and I sometimes kick myself for not getting a BL2 and F3 set when they popped up on eBay. My favorites are the GE ES44AC and ES44AC Hybrid, and the EMD SD70ACe initial demonstrator and Caterpillar demonstrator, plus the SD60M demonstrator custom painted by Jeff Sohn (one of two he did). My first demonstrator acquisition was an MTH Proto-1 SD45 demonstrator,

@ChooChoo Bob posted:

I have 2 GE Evos and they look really cool when run in tandem.

 

Bob K. N2XSU

I agree. Technically, though, 2010 consisted with 2005 is a temporal distortion -- 2005 was rebuilt into 2010. But it's so cool. I have a video somewhere on my YouTube channel.

Matt, that one is really sharp!!

I only have the GE hybrid with the charging lights. A huge crowd pleaser!!