All the Lionchief Plus Geeps have this extended front pilot. It looks really not good. And what makes it look even worse is that the entire frame is jacked up higher and the pilot has two steps instead of three. Just look at the attached photos for a side by side comparison with a postwar Geep. Very striking.
The TMCC Geeps from the 90’s looked better also, so the electrocouplers aren’t a good excuse.
It looks like when Lionel improvised and added a mounting ring to convert the truck from a Pullmor to can motor it contributed to the height. It’s still far better looking than the ridiculous appearance of the cheap Alcoa and Geeps from the 80’s where they crammed can motors into those plastic trucks and jacked up the whole frame to a silly height.
