Title should have read: Is anyone interested in the PSC Firefly cars. I'm able to get a decent break on these car sets. If anyone is interested, please PM and I can give you price estimates. Two varieties, high gloss and regular gloss. September delivery. Full interior w/passengers, lighted with lighted drumhead and markers.
Don, Can you send me a copy of photos? They will be great for referance when I start my G-scale train! Thanks, Dan
No problem, Don. I was able to snip and copy to file! Thanks again for posting them. Even if I don't do HO anymore, the photo will go a long way to a 1/29 set of cars! Dan
According to the PSC web site, these cars are arriving now. Should be available in time for Christmas. Terry
Guys, I am late to the game here but what era did this paint scheme operate in, how much are the cars and where the heck do you get 'em? Thanks. Rick
Rick, they ran from Dec. 10, 1939 to the diesel era from KC to OKC, Texas, through Tulsa with Tulsa finally being the final terminal. You can find them at Brasstrains.com for a reserved price of $1499. They are showing only the high gloss set instead of both the high gloss and regular gloss. Don may know of other possibilities to purchase them, but this where I bought mine. They are matched to the Firefly engines that came out this last year. The engines were also available in high gloss and regular gloss, so the cars can be bought to match the engine if you bought the engine. Terry
If anyone is interested, PSC still has some of the satin finish as well as the high gloss. Let me know.
My cars arrived today, and they have exceeded all my expectations. The data sheet, which was included in the box, states the the train was named for a comedic-opera, The Firefly. This operetta was written during 1912 by Rudolph Charles Freml; the libretto was written by Otto Harbach. The operetta was reprised during 1931 on Broadway, and again during 1937 by MGM. Jeanette MacDonald starred in the movie. The original score was retained for the movie, but the libretto was not. This is the only reference that I have seen that provides any background for etymology of the train's name. Who'd a thunk it.
Operatic theme seems a bit highbrow to me. I like to think the train was named for Rufus T. Firefly, a character played by Groucho Marx in the 1933 movie Duck Soup. GS
I always wondered about the "Firefly" name for a day train?? I guess some Frisco official was a musical comedy fan? TAG 1014
Karl, you might be able to have it both ways. Friml was a well-known composer for movie scripts as well as musical comedy. Dates on "Firefly" were opening in 1912 and revival in 1931. That could have been fresh in someone's mind when writing the script (in 1931 to 1932) for "Duck Soup" that appeared in 1933. The dates are verifiable, the possible connection, as far as I know, is conjecture. George
FYI NY Times article 1983: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/10/arts/operetta-friml-s-firefly.html And Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firefly_(operetta) TAG 1014
I hope that you fellas who were able to afford the Firefly brass trainset, would be so kind as to post some photos of your train so that those less fortunate of us can drool...)) Thanks, Tom