I am looking at buying one or two Northern Pacific steam engines. I was aware some of their passenger engines had gray boilers, but didn’t know some freight engines also had gray boilers. Was this the case for a certain period (say, 1920-1940), or were there gray-boilered freight engines till the end of steam?
Regarding the engines themselves, I’ve noticed W&R costs at least twice the price of Key and PFM. Are W&R products that much better than Key in terms of running quality and details, or is much of the price difference due to the fact Key and PFM engines are unpainted, while W&R products seem to be factory painted?
Finally, i havent had any brass painted in probably 30 years. What is the general price for getting an HO steam engine painted these days?
Thanks for your help.