That is great news for new people that doesn't have a Big Boy, but 1 Gen VL Big boy is a great machine. Personally, I'm not going to buy new Gen VL Big Boy just for 2 or 3 new features. Thanks to god, I found a brand new 4014 from a collector at MSRP $2699 two years ago, and until today I didn't have time to run it and add smoke oil, yet.
Talking about price, if new Legacy Challenger is $2,499 (almost same price from 1 Gen VL Big Boy and $600 more than VL Challenger), I think price for this new generation Big Boy will be around $3,499 - $3,699 because it will have more smoke/steam/lights features than previous generation, so with shipping and taxes we are talking about around $4,000.00 maybe. To much for me only for one loco.
I recommend you if you doesn't have one and want pay less, wait until August-October 2025 to buy a Lionel refurbished VL Big Boy for about $2,899. Just few weeks ago I purchased almost a brand new Clinchfield Challenger VL from them, almost a half price.
But anything product with good quality and design is welcome.
