lionel dash 9

I'll take a guess and say the Dash-9 at the time you specify was a custom modification and paint scheme created for Neil Young's HORDE layout.  Neil used to take this layout to concerts he put on I believe in the 1998-ish time frame.  Note the large lens below the headlight is the camera used for the track level view.  He even brought this layout to York once with a huge diamond-vision screen  to show it off, it was quite impressive (you could see the track level view from halfway across the parking lot as the train moved! ).

The boxcars were probably similarly custom painted.  There is a HORDE boxcar that was offered to the general public, but it looks nothing like the red cars behind the engine in the video.  (It's a white base color with a HORDE graphic on it - I didn't watch the whole video to see if it showed up there)

The good news is, if you are willing to go for a more traditional paint job on the same engine, the GE Demo version that is seen around the 18:36 mark is available somewhat regularly.  It's not by any means as well detailed as more recent versions of Lionel's Dash-9 (it was made in 1996-1997).  It's number is 6-18226, with a similar Southern Pacific unit that is item number 6-18228(video).

(sorry if any of the above was covered in the audio, I was watching without sound )

18226 pic:

Hope this helps.  Even nearly 20 years later, I still think the horn on these is one of the best I've ever heard on an o gauge engine.

-Dave

I have that loco as well - one of the best sound packages at the time.

This is the real loco it's based on...

It (18226/18228) also has the rare feature that the electro-couplers can be triggered via a traditional uncoupling magnet for those not using TMCC. 

One of the very few items made that way before Lionel decided that design was too expensive and started just stating we should uncouple the adjacent rolling stock from the engine, as has been written in pretty much every engine manual since.  I know only of these 2 engines and the 18232 SOO SD-60, but there may be a few others.

-Dave

Dave,

The HORDE locomotives were custom-painted Dash-8's, not Dash-9's.

And I think the only locos missing from your coupler list are the two BNSF Dash-9's in the 6-18235 2-pack.

TRW

PaperTRW posted:

Dave,

The HORDE locomotives were custom-painted Dash-8's, not Dash-9's.

TRW

 

Seagull,

If you stop the above video at 18:17, right when the 2 locos are coming out of the tunnel, yes it looks like the first one which is running backwards is a narrow nose Dash 8.  However the 2nd loco sure looks like a wide nose Dash 9.

Stu

NOT LionelLLC posted:

Seagull,

If you stop the above video at 18:17, right when the 2 locos are coming out of the tunnel, yes it looks like the first one which is running backwards is a narrow nose Dash 8.  However the 2nd loco sure looks like a wide nose Dash 9.

Stu

Oh.

Don't recall ever seeing the HORDE Dash-9's before.

Suppose I should have watched the video first.

TRW

Dec 1997 issue of OGRR has an article on the HORDE layout.  The custom Dash 8 locos are in a few photos as well the Psychedelic Commodore Vanderbilt.