Was the Phantom a good seller?????

I'm not getting rid of any of mine.   I have three of them.   I too have been offered more than I paid for them.   I love stuff like this.   The kids REALLY like them.  They usually hide in a  tunnel, and I fire them out and surprise visitors.

This set the Green or Grey (both) along with the American Freedom Train are high on my wish list.

 

They are hard to come by.. but every one in a while I will see one, but not have the COH to pull the trigger

I had the first version with the matching cars. If I recall correctly there was quite a delay in getting the pass cars made.  As others have pointed out, the engine could barely get moving with the 4 pass cars.  Always thought the pass cars really were not really a great match for the engine, as the ends of the pass cars just didn't give the train a continuous look.  Wound up selling the set for pretty much what I paid for it.

 

One thing I noticed about the Phantom loco, Wonder if the inspiration for the red cab windows came from Neil Young's tour bus ?

 

 

 

 

Instead of using 'Radio tubes', does the Phantom use train-sistors? 

Last time I looked, America' Best Train and Hobby in Itasca, Il. had three of the sets in stock.  If anyone is interested.

I have the original set with the four cars.  On the level track it pulls the four cars OK, but I wouldn't want to throw in any grades.  I've toyed with the idea of converting it to a DC motor, and adding a pair of traction fires and cruise control.

 

It is a kid magnet, so it's a worthwhile thing to keep in the stable.

 

I picked up the Pratts Hollow Version with the 4 car consist from a fellow forum member.  I really like it and want to convert to LEDs and add some aliens as well.

It does have a pulling problem, at least on the old layout. Poor traction on my RealTrax and even once running after a couple laps it would pop the breaker on my Z-1000 brick.  I guess I need to pull the motor apart for a real cleaning. I did lightly oil the armature and all the axles with CLP. Not much effect tho.

 

And you guys are right about the sounds, Nothing else sounds like that except maybe clips from a old Sci-Fi movie.

 

Edited for spelling

The first one issued had pulling problems, but the subsequent models apparently did not. I have the silver one (is it 2 or 3?) and it pulls its cars just fine.

RoyBoy:  Silver one was Phantom III

A Legacy one would be cool for sure.....I hope with 2 can motors, too....

Peter

I'd like to hear a 'lashup' of all the engines together.  Do they have different sounds?  Or are they all the same?  It still would be cool.

I found on my current set that the last observation car's wheels are too tight and do not spin freely.  I have to pull them apart once I get a wheel puller.

 

I also found that the engine had one wheel that was not pushed in all the way.  I took the engine apart an pressed the wheel on using a press at work.

 

I have the PhantomIII which has two traction tires plus magnatraction.  After I fixed the wheels it runs great.

 

Have you checked out the wheel spacing to make sure everything is spinning as it should?

Don't think u can do that: each engine only has 1 coupler, so u may put 2 together, but not 4.

You could lash up one in front and one in the rear as a helper.... That would be pretty silly though..... Unless the were phantom I s which have no pulling power.

I have the first edition and love the looks of the locomotive as well as the sounds!  The cars on the other hand just didn't go with the flow of the locomotive.  If they would have been designed to look like a continuous unit, then WOW!!!

 

Alan

You didn't go for the Tupperware look Alan?   I have the same one with the cars.  I'm thinking of some lighting mods to "dress them up" so they're distinctive.

Good description John!!..LOL!!  I am wondering if one could design a "insert" of some sort that would go over the top of two adjoining cars....something flexible...??  The distance between cars is so great that several modifications would be needed.  OR...Lionel could just come out with the cars without the boat shaped ends and make them articulate with one another and the locomotive....  Then....as is suggesting on another thread this morning, paint this train in several different road names/colors.  Think it might just sell...???

 

Alan

 I agree with several of the other posts.  The engine looked (looks) great and I bought it on spec with the hope that the cars would be a seamless streamlined consist.  The gray baloney string that resulted is/was a big disappointment.  Oh well, you can't have everything...where would you put it?

I agree that a more streamlined look would have been better for the cars, I'm not sure what the designer was thinking after the nice job on the locomotive.

 

I figure I'll just put some lipstick on this pig and run it.

 

A friend of mine repainted his Phantom loco to match the reissue of the pre-war Rail Chief cars. These are the red and maroon cars that were made from the Hiawatha stampings. It's a pretty good looking train.

Is it Lionel's Edsel ?

I believe that The Phantom must be a very good seller indeed. He runs 'Walker's Trains' in Bengalia, and makes enough from that to fund his other interests and activities. 

FWIW, I dug out my original Phantom I with the cars and ran it around.  On level track, it has no issues at all pulling the cars at any speed.  However, I do need to deal with couplers coming open, that's a whole other story. :-)

 

Oh, Nicole !      I haven't seen him in the papers for years now. I miss all those adventure strips

New operating session fixed the last car by pulling the wheels apart with a wheel puller....I need to do my taxes instead of playing with the Phantom....

 

A couple of posters were looking for a Phantom set. There's a Pratt's Hollow version on Dash Auctions (Trainz) now. It's just the four passenger cars, no locomotive. Remember, there's a 15% buyer's premium so figure that in when you set your maximum bid. 

 

Lionel Phantom Set

The "Phabulous Phantom"  

5195 made, I'd say that was a good seller!

 

 

Oh...you were talking about that other thing. 

Brings back old memories Jim.  Watching those things take off the carrier was pretty awesome, seeing them come back was even more awesome.  That is a big beast when you stand next to it!

 

One winter morning we were rolling into Glasgow, Va. when I just happened to look to the east and here came two Phantoms flying very low through the James River water gap, turned their white bellies up to me and continued up the James below the Apple Orchard Mt. radar. A signal I will never forget! We used to see a lot of low level flying in the mountain valleys.