Bruk posted:BHalfway posted:With the release of the 2020 V1 catalog I’m left with the burning question of when they’ll produce this set again. Don’t get me wrong... I think Lionel did a great job with this catalog... But I’ve been waiting for them to produce this set for what seems like forever. The last time I saw it advertised was in 2008 I believe and from what I can gather it was never produced... I know the 18” aluminum cars weren’t for sure. Was the Smithsonian version the most recent production of the Dreyfuss? And when was the last 20th Century cars with the blue pin-stripping produced? Thanks for any comments
I believe Lionel doesn't have "their" own tooling. The scale one they did back in the early 2000's, if I'm not mistaken, that was part of the MTH/Lionel Lawsuit. Lionel would have to cut new tooling for that engine. If they do end up making it, expect to see it as with a 1600$+ price tag as a Brass Hybrid.
Id also like them to redo the Commodore Vanderbilt before they did a Dreyfuss. They could cram a bunch of features in that bathtub of a shell.
The Lionel diecast Dreyfus has the same frame as the early J3s, 5444 and 5433. The shells will drop right onto the frames. The drivers screw on the the axles just like the other J3s and the Pullmor Hudsons. The 2 lobe chuff cam can be swapped out with a 4 lobe cam easily for 4 chuffs. If there are any MTH parts it would only be the shell, the rest is all Lionel.
Why wait for a $2000 engine when you can get one for 500 bucks or less and upgrade it for a few hundred more?
Pete
