Return to Unusual Items & Production Prototypes

Lonny and Paul Beno came across this car at a recent show.  These photos show two sides of what appears to be a Northern Pacific car painted to represent the observation car of the Sunset Limited set, a car that was never made.  The fact that the painter only lettered one side of the car, which was typical practice with paint samples, and the fact that they didn't even bother to remove  Northern Pacific "yin/yang" symbol, but simply spray painted over it, argues for the fact that this is a genuine paint sample and not a reproduction.    It is interesting to note that the numbering sequence in Maury Romer's 5 digit HO production lists assigns the numbers following the unlighted Sunset Limited coach to other freight cars, however the number 33712 is assigned to a lighted version of a Sunset Limited observation car.  33710 and 33711 are assigned to a lighted combine car and a lighted dome car respectively, so it appears Gilbert was planning a lighted version of the Sunset Limited set, possibly containing only a combine, dome, and observation car.  The release of these lighted models was set for 1963, the year Gilbert ceased production of HO.  At that same show, Lonny and Paul came across 2 other cars which appear to be reproduction cars of a dome car and an observation car to complete the Sunset Limited set.   For more on these reproduction cars, click here.