Daylight differences...?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi All

While PCM has announced the Morning Daylight (currently scheduled for December 07 release) I just noticed that BLI will release the Coast Daylight (order deadline 09/07/2007 - Release Date February 2008).

What exactly are the differences between the Morning Daylight and the Coast Daylight? Is it just the name or are the cars different as well? Are the PAs okay to run both trains or rather not?

Thanks for your help!

Daniel

PS: The announcement of the Coast Daylight can be found on the PCM/BLI shared website www.precisioncraftmodels.com under delivery schedule or rolling stock. No stock numbers announced yet… guess that will come in a week or so.

2

OK, I’ll try to explain here. When trains 98 and 99 came into existence in 1937 they were just called “daylights” and pulled by steam. Then in 1940 another train was formed- 96 and 97. It was called the “noon daylight”. Trains 98 and 99 then were named “morning daylights”. That name stuck until 1952 when it became “coast daylight”. From what I can make of it is that the “morning daylight” would be steam and the “coast daylight” would be diesel. Same train numbers (98 and 99), just different eras. Hope I got this right.

3

[#ditto] That sounds about right. They describe this in “SP Daylight, The Most Beautiful Train in the World” video narrated by Michael Gross. They also mention some upgrade to the G4’s but they do not go into detail about it. They had so many passengers they had to go to 2 trains a day each direction.(Morning, Afternoon) The profits from the bar car covered the trains operating expenses on every run.[:O]

4

Thanks for the answers they were very helpful.

I guess then the cars will only have minor changes between the PCM Morning Daylight and the BLI Coast Daylight.

Hopefully this will help speed up the release of these models and I really am hoping they will stick with the Decemeber 07 resp. February 08 release dates.

Can’t wait to have my PAs, GS-4s and Rolling Stock… [yeah]

5

The “Coast Daylight” was completely re-equipped around 1939 and the cars from the original were used on a new train called the “Noon Daylight”. The “Coast Daylight” then became the “Morning Daylight” to distinguish the two.

In 1949, SP cancelled the “Noon Daylight” and used those cars to create a new train called the “Coast Starlight” as it found that the “Noon Daylight” was losing ridership. The “Coast Starlight” replaced trains 69/70 the “Coaster”, a coach and Pullman economy night train whose ridership was holding up well. Althought the “Starlight” was essentially a coach train, two or three Pullmans would be in the consist, often heavyweights. In 1957, the “Starlight” was discontinued and coaches were added to the “Lark” which had been all Pullman up to then.

Although diesels did appear on SP Coast Line passenger trains from time to time (including the specially painted “Golden State” E-7’s), steam was the rule until January, 9, 1955, when Coast Line passenger trains were officially dieselized.

That’s the short form.

Andre

6
  1. Originally it was the ‘Daylight’ since it ran the 9 hrs between LA & SFduring the Day. It was a deluxe all-coach train painted in Indian red, yellow-orange, & black, with silver-gray striping and lettering.

All new cars were built by Pullman featuring X large windows, articulated cars, individual baggage doors, full-width diaphrams. and use of Cortesan steel .

  1. It became the ‘Coast Daylight’ when the ‘San Juaqine Daylight’ was added for the 'Valley route: via San Fernando/Tehachapi/ Modesto/ Oakland.

  2. An overnight all-Pullman ‘Lark’ in 2 tone gray was added.

  3. During peak years, A ‘Noon Daylight’ was added and the original was renamed ‘Morning Daylight’ to distinguish if from the ‘Nooner’. An ‘Owl’ overnighter was added to supplement the ‘Lark’.

http://www.kls2.com/~karl/rr/consists/sp-md-1946.html

7

Here are some details of the BLI Coast Daylight cars:

HO SP Coast Daylight Passenger Cars Train #98: San Francisco to Los Angeles - Post War

Pre-Order Deadline 09/07/2007 ETA February 2008

BWL/1570 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Baggage Chair, Antenna, #3302 74.99
BWL/1571 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2462/Chair M #2461 (2-Cars) w/Antenna 134.99
BWL/1572 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2474/Chair M #2473 (2-Cars) w/Antenna 134.99
BWL/1573 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Chair, #2485 69.99
BWL/1574 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Parlor, #3002 69.99
BWL/1575 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Parlor Observation, Antenna, #2954 89.99
BWL/1576 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Coffee #10258/Kitchen #10227/Diner #10256 (3-Cars) 189.99
BWL/1577 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Tavern, Antenna, #10314 74.99
BWL/1578 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2458/Chair M #2457 (2-Cars) 134.99
BWL/1579 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2460/Chair M #2459 (2-Cars) 134.99
HO SP Coast Daylight Passenger Train #99: Los Angeles to San Francisco - Post War

BWL/1580 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Baggage Chair, Antenna, #3303 74.99
BWL/1581 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2470/Chair M #2469 (2-Cars ) w/Antenna 134.99
BWL/1582 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2476/Chair M #2475 (2-Cars ) w/Antenna 134.99
BWL/1583 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Chair, #2486 69.99
BWL/1584 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Parlor, #3003 69.99
BWL/1585 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Parlor Observation, Antenna, #2955 89.99
BWL/1586 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Coffee #10261/Kitchen #10260/Diner #10259 (3-Cars) 189.99
BWL/1587 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Tavern, Antenna, #10315 74.99
BWL/1588 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W #2466/Chair M #2465 (2-Cars) 134.99
BWL/1589 HO SP Coast Daylight Car, Articulated Chair W 2468/Chair M #2467 (2-Cars