A good Berkshire history Ted and thanks for all your hard work. Just a few thoughts to add regarding Lionel's reissued K-Line Lima A1 demonstrator. Lionel released this model with an incorrect tender and has yet to correct the error (when I called their attention to this they basically ignored me). The tender it comes with is what I believe K-line originally released it with years ago. It appears to be a B&A passenger tender of sorts. The tender Lionel uses with its NYC L-2A Mohawk would have been a closer match to what the Lima A1 actually had so why wasn't that taken into consideration? Maybe I am being overly picky about things but when Lionel charges $1,200.00+ for a scale steam locomotive it should be accurate.
I do have the MTH Southern 2790 and the P&LE 9401 in my collection. Both are beautifully executed models and good runners with excellent sound effects. I especially like the Southern 2790 in its green and silver paint scheme even though it never existed in real life. Thanks again and Happy New Year.
Originally Posted by Ted Hikel:
Just a few thoughts to add regarding Lionel's reissued K-Line Lima A1 demonstrator. Lionel released this model with an incorrect tender and has yet to correct the error (when I called their attention to this they basically ignored me).
There were variations among the tenders built for the early Lima 2-8-4s. K-Line made tooling for one tender. To make multiple tools for casting the various tenders would have been cost prohibitive. Apparently Lionel feels the same way. That is one of the disadvantages of diecast construction.
Maybe I am being overly picky about things but when Lionel charges $1,200.00+ for a scale steam locomotive it should be accurate.
I especially like the Southern 2790 in its green and silver paint scheme even though it never existed in real life.
Wouldn't it be fun to be working in a model company marketing department trying to figure out what train buyers want! 
They do the best they can with the budgets they have to work with and their best understanding of what we would like to buy. Where there is a gap we can either decide one of the available models is close enough, modify it to our liking or wait for a manufacturer to invest more tooling money. Fortunately we have quite a number of choices for out of the box dead on models of early Lima, Erie and several AMC Berkshires.
Ted,
I'm glad I wasn't the only one that caught the irony in Allegheny48's post.
I can't think of a better post to illustrate the dichotomies that exist in the hobby. I completely understand the guys that want things as accurate as scale modeling allows. And I completely appreciate the guys that buy what appeals to them, regardless if something is a perfect scale model or not.
But there are problems when both viewpoints are expressed by the same individual (and Allegheny48 is hardly unique in this regard.) Exactly what message are you trying to send to the managers making the decisions at today's manufacturers?
TRW
