At the very apex of the Roaring Twenties, just months before 1929 stock market crash, the Central of New Jersey Railroad inaugurated its Blue Comet service between Jersey City and Atlantic City. Heading the fast, luxurious trains were the CNJ's nearly-new Baldwin-built 4-6-2 Pacifics. Three locomotives - painted in a beautiful blue livery with gold stripes, carrying the train's name on a bronze plate high on the boiler front, and numbered 831, 832 and 833 - covered The Blue Comet's fast schedule along the Jersey shoreline.
The train itself was painted in blue to symbolize the sea and sky of the Jersey shore, with a cream window band to represent both the shoreline's pristine sand and a comet streaking through the heavens. In a departure from normal railroad practice, the cars carried the train name rather than the railroad name on their letterboards. The rolling stock consisted of coaches and diners trailed by an open-platform observation, with each car named for a different comet.
The Blue Comet's glorious Baldwin Pacific joins the RailKing Line for 2008, trailed by accurately decorated, illuminated Blue Comet cars. Duplicate the drama and excitement of steam-era fast passenger service with this handsome, great-performing set, complete with billowing smoke, smooth operation at any speed from a crawl to full throttle, and authentic steam locomotive sounds and Blue Comet arrival and departure announcements.