While some may consider any PE items to have "fantasy schemes", I think the berk/heavyweights at least are rooted deeply enough in pop culture to be considered "real" (even though they aren't prototypical). There is a history behind PM 1225 being used for the film a so it simply makes sense to offer a scale version of it in the PE scheme to those of us who want more than just a starter set version.
The PE freight cars are fun playful additions to round out the theme, however I do think that the PE Acela (and even the BiPolar) dives so far into the fantasy realm that it is not appealing to many buyers. There is no story behind these engines being painted in these schemes to make it relevant enough to most in the hobby. If these weren't as expensive as they are, this might not be the case. I think that the GP9 Lionel made in the early 2010s was a different story because that was marketed more as a 'Christmas themed' item than a PE item.
As other's have stated, each person has their own interest and hopefully there is someone getting enjoyment out of each and any PE item that Lionel produces. Personally, I plan on purchasing the PE berk and heavyweights in the future (currently using my train-funds to build a layout and increase my PRR collection first). In the PE line, I think I would be interested in more scale freight cars similar to the previous offerings. On a personal bias, I strongly prefer the black roof heavyweights over the snow covered roofs and hope I can find some when I commit to buying a set.
