Is Red a rare color for a standard gauge #408?

The 408 was not sold in red, neither was the 402, 381, 318, or the #9.

The early 50, 42, 1911, and 53 came in maroon or deep red some years.  The 8 of course was commonly red or maroon.  The 380 was also often maroon.  There was a somewhat scarce 10 made in red in 1931. 

That's Lionel standard gauge.  

Red was a quite common color for Ives and Flyer wide gauge locomotives.

david

I think I recall a collector who was many years my senior talking about a "tomato set". What was that?

The "Tomato red" is the color my friend was speaking about. Apparently it's different from maroon, but I suppose it is just the color red that the number 8's and 380's were? Or is it a third color? What shade was the red for the number 10? 

Thanks for the info. I found a red no.408, but it sounds like it is a repaint, huh? I wish I could remember what engine my friend was talking about. He has since passed on to the big roundhouse in the sky, so I can't ask him. 

The 10 was a bright candy-apple red.  A red 408 would be a repaint.

Red was a standard color for the Ives 3241 and 3242.  The larger 3243 was made in a "wine red" for Wanamaker department stores, with matching passenger cars.  

Ives' 3235 and 3236 also came in red; and Ives made an 1134 steam engine in red for the National Limited set.

Flyer had a lot of red wide gauge engines: the 4644, 4653, 4684, 4743 and 4753 New Haven box cab; the 4019, 4667, and 4678 New York Central box cab; and the 4633 and 4635, 4683 and 4685 St. Paul bipolars.

Joe on the forum custom painted a 408E into Red for Christmas running. MTH made a red 408 with a Blue top and matching cars. Maybe it was a 42 which came in tomato. 

I think that was a 1953 Studebaker Coupe.

Bogie

I seem to recall some reference to a Red Tomato in one of the train collectors books from 40 years ago.  Maybe in the Shemp Collection?