I really tried not to get sucked into this post. I I won't pre-order from Lionel. Aside from the fact that I am trying to reduce train inventory, I can still buy stuff I like. And the Pacemaker steam engine Lionel has in the new catalog really caught my eye. But what color red? The last time I pre-ordered from Lionel was the 2007 Texas Special Legacy passenger set. A total disappointment from both color shade and quality. On the color shade, I wanted glossy like the Texas Special F3 set Lionel did in the late 90's. Even Mike Regan couldn't give me guidance on that. And on the QC side, the engine couldn't pull the cars that came with it up a 2% grade.
Lionel could describe color in the catalog or on their site if they wanted to do that. QC is a different issue. I NEVER had these problems from MTH. All you had to do was talk to Andy or Rich. They KNEW what was in the catalog.
Gerry
