Lionel Erie Lackawanna S4

I guess Lionel had to use up the wrong paint from the NYO&W NW-2s somewhere.

I went on George Elwoods web sight and actually those colors aren’t really that far off.

@MR-150 posted:

I went on George Elwoods web sight and actually those colors aren’t really that far off.

The pictures make it seem a little darker than it actually is  I have a cabinet full of about 40 Erie Lackawanna engines and this one sticks out like a sore thumb

Why does the stripe stop?

Color is correct. Most in real life faded to this lighter color very quickly. EL - CR 3692 in photo is the correct color. Notice the shades.

Colors on all EL units produced by the Mfg.'s has always been too dark except for the new Lionel GP-35 CR. 

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Why does the stripe stop?

Normal. Couldn't go over the grill. 

I.M.O. S2 and RS3 units should have stayed in the black and yellow scheme. Never liked the Alco's in the grey - maroon paint.  Just never looked right. I really don't like it on the GP 7's either.

The EL grey has been a topic of discussion for many years. The color is so reflective that picks up surrounding light and colors and appears differently in many photographs. Check out some of the many color publications about the EL and you will see the variations.  Add to that, I've heard discussions about Lackawanna grey versus EL grey and about which shop did the priming and painting.  I have quite a few EL and DLW models and I  tend to agree that most are too dark. It sure looks rich and makes for an attractive model, but growing up along the Pocono main, I don't recall seeing the darker shade. This hasn't stopped me from buying and enjoying these models that remind me of those days.

Many model produces have played around with the other two colors as well. K-Line DLW/EL maroon is a bit too purple but tolerable and early Weaver yellow was way to bright (I have toyed with the idea of weathering  my old U-25's to calm down the yellow).       

So lightly weather-up that baby (it is an ALCO after all) and you will have a beautiful rendition of what was very close to the way it appeared in its hey day!  Enjoy! Enjoy!      

Oops! sorry for the grammatical error. I dropped and "it" in the second sentence.

On the other hand, I think the atlas o double door 50' box car is very white. Too light for EL box cars. I've weathered these and they still look a bit odd.

Steve.  Your probably getting this one to weather

@bluelinec4 posted:

Steve.  Your probably getting this one to weather

OK , sounds good. 

So, the odd thing also is the EL only had (2) S-4’s, 526 & 529. I believe the stacks were positioned different.                        If Lionel is calling your 513 an S-4, it is incorrect for that number.  

513 falls in the S-2 line – up between 500 and 525. 

Erie Lackawanna Memories, The Final Years by Preston Cook, page 126. 

Some units had the red band while the later units went toward the maroon. Seems there is a mixed fleet depending on when and where the unit was painted. The Lionel red band is correct for S units. The yellow sills can be yellow or golden from age. I make all bright yellow items golden by applying orange and brown powders coated with clear flat.

Tell me which one looks out of place

@bluelinec4 posted:

Tell me which one looks out of place

My money’s on the red/white/blue one... sorry - couldn’t resist.

@bluelinec4 posted:

Tell me which one looks out of place

🤔😁😅😂😅😁😉 "Besides" the red one? 🤭

I’m inclined to agree with Earl and SIRT on this. I’ve modeled the DL&W, and E-L since I was young, having grown up in Hoboken in the ‘50’s, and modeling and photographing most of their equipment, not to mention a good library of books. For the most part, Atlas and Lionel’s grays are slightly dark, whereas the K-Line trainmaster looks quite right. None of this really bothers me, as photos depend on the time of day they were taken, and weathering has to be factored in. To my mind, a good match is the HO Life-Like E-8’s, and Rivarossi passenger cars. My Lionel version of the Phoebe Snow looks just fine on my layout!

@Apples55 posted:

My money’s on the red/white/blue one... sorry - couldn’t resist.

Now we know where that MTH truck got hi-jacked to!

@bluelinec4 posted:

Tell me which one looks out of place

On of these things doesn't look like the other...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCxrkl2igGY

Can you tell me which one it is?

[psst...It's the red one!]

Yeah yeah yeah  Its the red one  How about the one next to it   Thats not only Atlas and Lionel in there  Its K-Line, 3rd Rail And MTh also  I guess they all got it wrong except this S4

According to another thread, cataracts are the reason we older folks see off colors. 

I like the black and yellow transition scheme. Too bad MTH didn't offer any. They had an FM but cancelled it. Poor marketing as usual.

I had laser lens surgery in both eyes. Color is perfect.

EL has been modeled incorrectly all these years. See Morning Sun Books for details.

My initial impression is that it's way off, but that's just compared to other models I've seen, I dont model the livery. After doing a google image search, the colors of the subject S4 do indeed look closer to prototypical IMO.

That doesn't really matter though when every other model seems to use darker grey and maroon, even previous models from the same manufacturer. Lionel should have stuck with what has been made in the past assuming they'd be run/displayed together. Just my opinion which ain't worth much! Haha

@bluelinec4 posted:

Tell me which one looks out of place

All of the one's that have ERIE in front of L A C K A W A N N A.....

How does the new S-4 diesels run and sound? I was actually looking for a smaller diesel-electric recently, and just discovered this thread.

Maybe Lionel will do a PRR S4 diesel. god knows we have enough PRR S2 ALCos around!