I purchased 4 of the Fox Valley BNSF ES locos back when Matt changed the orange. It is better than the old color. My question is how do I tell what BNSF ES locos have the new color orange as I would like to purchase more (I have been looking at FVM#70209 and #70301 for example). Thanks.
The issue of "which orange is more correct" can drive you nuts and has been debated before. Looking at photos is not much help either as time of day, photo processing, loco cleanliness and paint fading can have a big effect. Case in point with a loco number FVM did with their first release.... BNSF 5719 looking pretty darn FVM-ish in 2005 (including the pale stripes and logos), even without the contrasting peach pumpkin behind it... http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1455815 Here's a photo taken in 2004 where it looks WAY more like a Kato, so fading isn't a possibility in this particular case.... http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=76023 Then, there's the issue of room brightness. We typically model the daytime but our rooms are typically nowhere near as bright as it isoutside. So, I have a theory that Kato's orange looks more like it would in bright daylight on our darker layouts, where FVM's looks too dark in that setting. Take a FVM outside in the sun and see what you think then. Nonetheless, the difference between my FVM unit and my Kato's is noticeable and admittedly a bit distracting (as the difference between my Katos and a custom painted unit I did). I have been playing around with some weathering chalks to try to even things out between them. I used a soot colored powder on my Kato AC4400 and I'm trying a bright orange chalk on my FVM unit (5719). I have noticed that a little goes a long way with making them look way more similar. Russ
One more for comparison. FVM unit lashed to a Kato unit.... http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=85863
Any BNSF locos that Matt has released since the Yellow power bar loco will have the new color. I think that includes all the C4 and the last 3 Gevos released.
JSL - any idea what the stock numbers are? I was trying to fish through the FVM Facebook page and I want to make sure I get the right colored ones. Matt hasn't responded to my email either. Thanks.
All the es44C4's and es44ac in H3 are new orange. The H2 es44ac and all the es44dc they've done so far are old dark orange with the exception of the one with the Christmas train banner on the side.
ATSF5078 - you stated above about the H2 paint scheme - I didn't know FVM made them with that paint scheme?
They did the ES44AC in BNSF H2 as their first run of Gevos. If your interested in one PM me. I'm going to sell all my BNSF FVM Gevos, they are all in the old orange.
And to answer the question about the part numbers you mentioned, FVM 70209 is new orange, the other two numbers 70207 & 70208 are new orange those three are the latest batch of BNSF from FVM. The other number you asked about FVM 70301 is old orange as its from the first release of BNSF H3 Gevos along with 70302 & 70303.
