ironlake I agree with you. $6xx would have been a more appropriate price point for this loco. Another bad point of this design, the worm gear is permanently pressed onto the motor shaft. When the motor eventually fails, you can't just use any motor. You will have to get a motor from Lionel with the exact matching worm gear. Bad idea.
I said this on another thread but it bears repeating. I'll take a big motor over whistle steam any day! I passed on the Heavy Mikado because of the motor/drive train design. I'm sure you'll be finding them on auction sites for $6xx by December.
Gunrunner, why do you suppose the Canons are more prone to shorting out? I also heard that Lionel had problems with the Buhler motors in their early Vision line offerings. Some people feel the Canons run smoother. What is it about Pittmans that makes them more rugged?
