Rocky Mountaineer posted:
Here's the vista dome car on a display shelf. Overall, I am VERY pleased with the finish and detail level with these cars. Much better than I had expected. The silver has enough of a sheen for my taste, and the Texas Special red has a pleasant satin appearance to it. The fluted/ribbed sides and roof add TREMENDOUSLY to the overall appearance of these ABS cars. I have always preferred ribbed-sided cars to smooth-sided cars -- even when aluminum was the production norm.
Now let's go back to that vista dome for a minute... For comparison's sake, here's the Atlas-O dome from one of their Amtrak Zephyr (CZ) cars. Note the much higher level of rivet detail. Lionel's is nice, but Atlas-O's is SUPERB!!!
Also note the difference in skirting styles between Lionel's cars vs. Atlas-O's cars using the observation as an example:
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with Lionel's Texas Special passenger cars. They'll be keepers -- especially since I've waiting SO long to assemble this train. As I mentioned already in other threads, I was really hoping for 18" aluminum. But after numerous delays and Lionel's final cancellation of their aluminum passenger car production, there's very little to be disappointed about with these 21" ABS cars. Yes... I would have preferred them to be equipped with passengers. And I would have preferred the dome to have some "subtle" lighting for night-time running. Those two drawbacks may just need to be handled as future projects down the road when passengers arrive for the first real revenue run!
David
As many others have mentioned it looks like Lionel has mixed up many specific Pullman and Budd passenger car details into one car. Think these would have made a stunning 18" car set had Lionel delivered them as cataloged, the recently released SP and Pennsy 18" sets look outstanding with their gleaming finish. Not sure they live up to all the hoopla over the introduction of 21" cars. Enjoy your TS set David, as long as you are happy with them that is all that matters!
