Would you marry these engines and cars?

If you look at photo's of the Daylight excursion runs, there are older heavy weights, aluminum streamliners and many color variations. Only in the model train world does everything match so well.

Steve

SP didn't have any daylight F3-F7 units as far as I know. They did run ALCO PA and PB units in Daylight colors, though, but generally with streamlined cars. They also ran Daylight E units, and those have been made by Weaver and MTH.

If you already have the cars and you already have the locos, then run them. It's your train.

But if you only have the cars and are looking for a loco, there was a scale sized Daylight 4-4-2 that Lionel made some years ago. That would be a good bet.

There are lots of scale GS-4 and GS-2 locos on the market, but rarely do they come cheap. And the GS locos generally pulled streamlined cars.

You could get an MTH heavy Pacific and mate it to a separate sale K-Line Vanderbilt tender if you have the skills to modify the tender. I've done that and it looks pretty good.

You could pull the cars with a cab forward.

I do not know if the heavyweight cars actually came in Daylight colors on the SP or not, but if they did, they probably ran with steam.

Do it.  It will look good.  Who cares if its historically accurate: it's your layout.  

And it would look good - that is for certain.  Nice train it would be.

sir-its your railroad-run what you want-its your layout-it is what it is all about-only super die hards know what engines ran with what passenger cars-do it and enjoy your passenger set-joe

SP F and FP units were black widow, then red and gray.

But many times Lionel, W/WBB would have an F3 painted in an E unit livery because an E would not fit on o-27 or 0-31 layouts!