Lionel 2022 Volume 1 is up! Whatcha Getting?

@Rider Sandman posted:

My “catalog” list is likely meager.  My “custom run” list could be expensive. I hope Lionel’s new minimums don’t kill too many projects.

Ah, my pet peeve, custom runs!! I really wish there was one place we could see all the custom runs. It seems like there are more popping up everyday...

@Jeff T posted:

Ah, my pet peeve, custom runs!! I really wish there was one place we could see all the custom runs. It seems like there are more popping up everyday...

Couldn’t agree more! Would possibly give more custom runs a chance to fire off if the community knew what was all offered.

NY Central Atlantic.

Us Armed Forces ES 44 AC  # 1775  ( Wished Lionel had made it 1776.)

Not much of interest to me in the new catalog. Like the F7s, but not in the road names offered. Asked Steve Nelson (Mr. Muffin) to consider a special run in either NPR or NYC. I would buy either. Steve was very concerned about the prices of the engines, and the higher number which need to be ordered now by a dealer in order to have a special run done, so we shall see. The GLa hoppers were a surprise and are of some interest to me, as I have a bunch from the first couple of runs of them, when Lionel still had their great trucks and couplers. However, I won't consider buying any of these if the couplers on them are not articulated. The prices of the hoppers are also outrageous, although I'm sure there will be a discount offered by the dealers. I did not hear any comments from Dave or Ryan about the freight car couplers yesterday, but I did not watch the entire program.

Pat

The newly tooled scale PE boxcar and reindeer car will be my only preorders this time around. I hope Lionel gets creative with the reindeer sounds as I am not sure what interesting sounds a reindeer makes

@jimcap posted:

NY Central Atlantic.

Us Armed Forces ES 44 AC  # 1775  ( Wished Lionel had made it 1776.)

I like that one too but I already have two CP locomotives on order. It’s a bit of a draw back when all these locomotives get delivered at once. Mr. Muffins Lay A Buy program bodes help though!

Probably a Class A -- either WWII or Post 1945. 

Probably Virginian and N & W hopper two-packs.

Gotta admit the rocket train is kinda cool -- have to think about how I'd justify running it on an Appalachian-inspired layout.  Maybe it's passing thru the mountains on its way down to the Cape.  :-)

@BlueFeather posted:

Probably a Class A -- either WWII or Post 1945.

Probably Virginian and N & W hopper two-packs.

Gotta admit the rocket train is kinda cool -- have to think about how I'd justify running it on an Appalachian-inspired layout.  Maybe it's passing thru the mountains on its way down to the Cape.  :-)

Right! Think Homer Hickem from the movie “October Sky”

@Jeff T posted:

Ah, my pet peeve, custom runs!! I really wish there was one place we could see all the custom runs. It seems like there are more popping up everyday...

It would be great if Lionel would put a list on their site. It would also be helpful if OGR would create a new sub forum for them. Only allow dealers to start threads (although all users could comment within them) to keep it from getting cluttered with anything other than announcements.

@Rider Sandman posted:

It would be great if Lionel would put a list on their site. It would also be helpful if OGR would create a new sub forum for them. Only allow dealers to start threads (although all users could comment within them) to keep it from getting cluttered with anything other than announcements.

That is an excellent idea! People could propose a custom run and OGRers can weigh in what they want and train dealers can select special runs they would like to sponsor!

Preordered two U.S. Army 0-4-0 locomotives thus far. I really like small switchers (steam and/or diesel).

@Allan Miller posted:

Preordered two U.S. Army 0-4-0 locomotives thus far. I really like small switchers (steam and/or diesel).

I’m with you Allan, I’m just disappointed they’re legacy. The lionchief 0-6-0’s were such a great value.

Nothing yet, Still waiting on the UP generator Car for the Funeral Train.

@TheRambles posted:

I’m with you Allan, I’m just disappointed they’re legacy. The lionchief 0-6-0’s were such a great value.

On the other hand you could say that is their strength. Their small size means that people with smaller layouts with O-36 curves can enjoy scale Legacy operation. That is a good thing!

That 0-4-0 little steamer in Long Island looks pretty tempting. However, I have someone that’s willing to sell me a premier A5 0-4-0 ps2 in a different livery for under $300.  It runs awesome but I’d have to do a repaint to get LIRR. Decisions, decisions.

Did Lionel give out delivery dates for all this new stuff?

@laz1957 posted:

Did Lionel give out delivery dates for all this new stuff?

Do they ever.  The N&W Class A is being pushed hard for a 2022 delivery is all I heard.

here's my overall opinion of the catalog if anyone's interested

https://youtu.be/bPNC4OGui28

@laz1957 posted:

Did Lionel give out delivery dates for all this new stuff?

Nothing official from Lionel yet, but the delivery dates TrainWorld has on their website says December 2022 for mostly everything from this catalog… Some things could come earlier though 🤷‍♂️

@paigetrain posted:

here's my overall opinion of the catalog if anyone's interested

https://youtu.be/bPNC4OGui28

Thank you for sharing!

I don’t collect much modern stuff, but I’ve gotta say the two Canadian National Veterans ES44AC’s with matching Bay Window caboose is starting to tempt me haha!

To my suprise, I'm "considering" one of the NYC 0-6-0's.

I've never owned a scale MTH loco before and its not a mortgage payment( or two)

The general higher level of detail of MTH tooling. Along with "never before offered with Legacy" make me reconsider preordering.

It will be interesting to see if Lionel keeps the tender deck plate along with the whistle and bell cords.

Nothing for me this time.

nothing for me. you can tell they have the upper hand now with MTH gone.   $99 hopper cars and $399 PRR horse car.  

@Rick Rubino posted:

nothing for me. you can tell they have the upper hand now with MTH gone.   $99 hopper cars and $399 PRR horse car.  

In all fairness, the dealer discount is pretty good on horse cars. 275 at some dealers

Trainworld and Mr. Muffins has alot of items discounted.

@RickO posted:

To my suprise, I'm "considering" one of the NYC 0-6-0's.

I've never owned a scale MTH loco before and its not a mortgage payment( or two)

The general higher level of detail of MTH tooling. Along with "never before offered with Legacy" make me reconsider preordering.

It will be interesting to see if Lionel keeps the tender deck plate along with the whistle and bell cords.

Thats another engine that could have gone with the Mogul tender.

Pete

@EricTrainMan posted:

In all fairness, the dealer discount is pretty good on horse cars. 275 at some dealers

That is a lot better.  Still, wish it had three doors.

@Norton posted:

Thats another engine that could have gone with the Mogul tender.

Pete

While I have your attention Pete. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but a search was dead ends.

Whats the difference between the" New York Central System"  lettering vs. "....Lines" and "New York Central" for that matter. Specific locations on the RR?

@Rick Rubino posted:

nothing for me. you can tell they have the upper hand now with MTH gone.   $99 hopper cars and $399 PRR horse car.  

7% inflation and supply shortages contribute more to the price increase than the loss of MTH as a major train company does. But you can look at it this way: people are paying those prices and I think it is a positive sign for the hobby that people are willing to spend discretionary dollars on our hobby. And to be fair to Lionel, it’s not all about pure profit for them, they are reinvesting some of those dollars on new tooling and new Legacy technology. Again, this is a good sign for how well the hobby is doing.

@mlavender480 posted:

The Conrail GP20 is interesting but I’m not sure it’s worth the price.

Yeah. The $500 MSRP for a traditional Geep, even with LC+2,  kinda made my jaw drop.   In the 2021 catalog, LC+2 Geeps had a MSRP of $375. That's a 33% increase! Street prices: $450 vs. $340. Still about a 33% increase.

@RickO posted:

While I have your attention Pete. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but a search was dead ends.

Whats the difference between the" New York Central System"  lettering vs. "....Lines" and "New York Central" for that matter. Specific locations on the RR?

That was Lionel’s way out with the tall tender. I do the same thing when relettering an engine for NYC but its not quite correct for the parent company. System and Lines indicate its one of their subs like the Big4 or Michigan Central or a few others. You will notice the small lettering at the top of the coal hopper. That will have the letters of the sub. The sub may or may not have tenders like that even if the parent company didn’t.

Pete

@Rider Sandman posted:

It would also be helpful if OGR would create a new sub forum for them. Only allow dealers to start threads (although all users could comment within them) to keep it from getting cluttered with anything other than announcements.

This is a heck of an idea, actually. I think this would be helpful and very effective. Some dealers make announcements but this would centralize it.

Hi all, as in previous years the Lionel online catalog doesn't work with screen readers. Last few years someone was always kind enough to send me a link to a .pdf of the Big Book Catalog that I could download. Can someone give me the direct download link to the catalog for 2022? thanks

Frank,

I sent you a pdf copy to your email.

Can anyone tell me which Lionel pat number F40PH best matches the Downeaster Cabbage unit? thanks

Maybe the Class A once I figure out all the little differences between them all including the LCCa version provided they price it the same as dealers due with the other ones

Or paying more for it because you get a year free.

@PSU1980 posted:

Maybe the Class A once I figure out all the little differences between them all including the LCCa version provided they price it the same as dealers due with the other ones

Or paying more for it because you get a year free.

That’s right! I forgot about the LCCA class A. So Lionel is offering nine different  Vision Class A’s Amazing output for one catalog!

There are a few items I an considering. The only definite is the Trippy Trolley. Its really cool man!

@Madockawando posted:

That’s right! I forgot about the LCCA class A. So Lionel is offering nine different  Vision Class A’s Amazing output for one catalog!

Yep, the 1222 is the exclusive for the LCCA! There’s gonna be a big issue with it though: in the catalog and on the Facebook live show Ryan and Dave did they mentioned the 1222 is gonna have Roller Bearing rods. In reality the only Class A’s to ever have the Roller Bearing rods were the 1238-1242! I have no idea why Lionel decided to put them on the 1222 since it was never equipped with them in the entirety of its service on the N&W! They should’ve made the LCCA version the 1242 or one of the five others if they really wanted to do a version with the Roller Bearing rods instead of throwing them on a model where it’s entirely inaccurate…

@N&WGuy posted:

Yep, the 1222 is the exclusive for the LCCA! There’s gonna be a big issue with it though: in the catalog and on the Facebook live show Ryan and Dave did they mentioned the 1222 is gonna have Roller Bearing rods. In reality the only Class A’s to ever have the Roller Bearing rods were the 1238-1242! I have no idea why Lionel decided to put them on the 1222 since it was never equipped with them in the entirety of its service on the N&W! They should’ve made the LCCA version the 1242 or one of the five others if they really wanted to do a version with the Roller Bearing rods instead of throwing them on a model where it’s entirely inaccurate…

I wonder why they made that choice with that number?? Maybe they can change it… it shouldn’t be difficult to do.

@Dan VM posted:

There are a few items I an considering. The only definite is the Trippy Trolley. Its really cool man!

It is really cool! Lionel has their sense of humor intact.😁

@Madockawando posted:

I wonder why they made that choice with that number?? Maybe they can change it… it shouldn’t be difficult to do.

Yep, all they’d need to do is just change a “2” to a “4” where the road numbers appear and *bam* all fixed!

@Jacobpaul81 posted:

ATSF had 15 Baldwin Berkshires which they built.  #s 4101-4115

ATSF had 7 Lima-built T1A Berkshires they acquired from the Boston & Maine.   #s 4193-4199    These were only kept from 1945-1949.

Lionel uses the old K-Line tooling for the Boston & Maine Berkshire.  It's a gnarly looking locomotive.

Yes, the Santa Fe bought T1-a Berkshires from B&M. However, I believe that the Southern Pacific bought the T1-b's from B&M.

Lionel's model is of the T1-b. The T1-a and T1-b were very similar with the major difference being the sand dome. The T1-b's were heavier and were equipped with larger tenders.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...4#146142158327793444

I have both the K-Line version #4198 and the Legacy version #4199.  The #4199 is a very nice locomotive and this new one in the catalog will probably be too with the extra bells and whistles.

@Madockawando posted:

It is really cool! Lionel has their sense of humor intact.😁

Yes. I saw those far out prices!

Brendan

Always wanted an MTH ATSF 2-10-4. Not anymore!

@Keith1366 posted:

It does look like they are not wanting to make the remotes and wanting to move to using your phone or tablet to control trains with, which for someone like me just getting setup in O scale will leave me without a remote. Phone control is ok but I would rather have a remote.

There are no chips to build the cab 2. There will be no chips in the foreseeable future.  The decision to go back to the previous remote was one that permits Lionel to still sell their system in light of materials shortages.  I’m certain that a new remote that is fully compatible to the base three with a smaller charging base will be offered as soon as the materials become available.  

I'll probably pick up an 0-6-0 and one or two of those I-beam flatcars. Those are the items that jumped out immediately and who knows what will be in the second catalog. The 0-4-0 would be cool but I don't have any use for it with my current layout design. It would be cool for some urban freight switching. Maybe I'll see if I can add a small city.

I want the CAB3 but I don't think I'll gain anything until I get a locomotive that needs 4 digit addressing. I only have the CAB2 and CAB1L. My CAB2 base is working fine for now.

Will Visionline/Legacy engines have the 4 digit addressing system going forward? Does anybody know?

@BillYo414 posted:

I'll probably pick up an 0-6-0 and one or two of those I-beam flatcars. Those are the items that jumped out immediately and who knows what will be in the second catalog. The 0-4-0 would be cool but I don't have any use for it with my current layout design. It would be cool for some urban freight switching. Maybe I'll see if I can add a small city.

I want the CAB3 but I don't think I'll gain anything until I get a locomotive that needs 4 digit addressing. I only have the CAB2 and CAB1L. My CAB2 base is working fine for now.

Will Visionline/Legacy engines have the 4 digit addressing system going forward? Does anybody know?

Yes they will be trickled in over time and if you watch the lionel video discussing the catalog they tell you all this stuff.

@Shawn_Chronister posted:

Yes they will be trickled in over time and if you watch the lionel video discussing the catalog they tell you all this stuff.

I'll have to check it out. I forgot all about that. I got distracted by the endless doom and gloom.

After looking through the online catalog, this thing should have been released back during Halloween.  Those MSRP's are scary!!

Going through and semi-conservitively making a list of items I liked, wanted and wish I could get the catalog price total came to $13,625. Even back in the day when I was spending money on trains like a drunken sailor I never had to spend anything near that for twice as many items.  Yeah, I know, me and everyone else. But now with less competition, Lionel (and yes the others too), have turned into the model train version of Mr. Potter!  And I do not buy locomotives that I already have just to upgrade the electronics.  But this catalog contains some things I didn't know I wanted.  I'm sorry to say I'm not seeing the value in these products anymore.  I'm glad I bought when the pricing was competitive and during the famous 'blowouts'.

Here's my wish list:

2231490 Norfolk & Western Class A 2-6-6-4 #1210-WWII (Just because)

2226870 Santa Fe VISION LINE Stock Car 3 Pack (Haven't bought any of these before)

2231142 Santa Fe Texas 2-10-4 #5022 (5022 ran on PRR rails, and I'm getting to like big Santa Fe steam)

2231380 Southern Pacific A-1 Berkshire 2-8-4 (It looks beastly yet cool and operated not far away)

2231570 Strasburg 0-6-0 #31 (It's Strasburg. I miss going there)

2232080 PRR 0-4-0 #477  (These little guys are growing on me, plus it's PRR)

2233361 Penn Central RS-27 #2407  (I love everything Penn Central. And the RS-27 was only done in ProtoSounds 1.0.  Cool it'll now be Legacy)
2233362 Penn Central RS-27 #2409

2233780 Amtrak Phase IV ‘Cabbage’ #90229 (I have a plethora of Amtrak equipment so I need these... I mean I'd like to have these on the roster)
2233800 Amtrak Veterans ‘Cabbage’ #90208

2233580 Aberdeen, Carolina & Western F9 AB (No other reason than it looks so darn pretty.  Perfect for my made up excursion train power or just to haul freight)

2226430 Union Pacific Rocket Booster Flatcar 5 Pack w/Rocket (Just so cool looking.  I have enough UP power that I only want the add on cars)
2243150 Union Pacific Rocket Idler Car 6 Pack

684028 BNSF Rotary Gondola 4 Pack  (All these rotaries to add to the ones I have)
684005 CSX Rotary Gondola 4 Pack
684010 Union Pacific Rotary Gondola 4 Pack
684015 Norfolk Southern Rotary Gondola 4 Pack

2243260 Union Pacific Ore Car 6 Pack (Again, to add to ore cars I have to make the train longer)
2243270 Union Pacific Ore Car 6 Pack

Its doubtful much if any of this will appear on Penn American Railroad rails.  Mr. Potter would bankrupt me!

Part 1 of my Lionel Catalog video.  I'll release Part 2 of the 2022 Lionel Catalog video in a couple days.  I've been away from the hobby for a long time so I'll be sharing my perspective on prices, quality, the selection, etc... as I'm becoming reacquainted with new technology and current Lionel products.

@BillYo414 posted:

I want the CAB3 but I don't think I'll gain anything until I get a locomotive that needs 4 digit addressing. I only have the CAB2 and CAB1L. My CAB2 base is working fine for now.

Will Visionline/Legacy engines have the 4 digit addressing system going forward?

I was under the impression the 4 digit I.D. is an option for those who have hundreds of trains. That newer stuff will still take a 2 digit I.D. if you program it that way.

I really like this new selection of Steamers, Diesels, however I’ve had my eye on a Legacy 0-4-0 with the slope back tender for years, so that’s on my list. I’m very interested in the Cab 3 set up, but it’s a year away for delivery, so, who knows. All I have been able to do is look at the new book via my iPad, I can’t wait to just relax in my recliner with the actual dream book. I think Lionel has really put together a lot of great trains and accessories for everyone. It’s a great catalog. It will also be fun to see what Pats Trains, Mr. Muffins, Nassau Hobbies, Legacy Station, Trainworld, and other dealers offer in special run locomotives. It’s a great time to be in model railroading. In my opinion, Lionel has the best of the best in command control systems, allowing our trains to operate and sound so real. Happy Railroading Everyone

The Legacy 0-6-0 looks awesome in the catalog except for one major thing - the tender to engine gap is huge; you could drive a semi through that gap Perhaps the gap is needed to enable O-31 turns, but an adjustable drawbar could easily solve that issue.

Just like accurate boilers, tender to engine gaps have become my version of rivet counting; the rivet counter is on one should and the bona-fide toy train man is on the other. The toy train voice usually wins but not for this model.

The prices in the catalog have increased.  Maybe Lionel did well to keep the prices as low as they did, as inflation as a whole has made making toys more expensive.  The Producer Price Index (PPI) for construction for the 12 months ending October 2021 showed increases in price of:

Fabricated metal products: 38.8%

Iron and steel: 101.5%

Steel mill products: 141.6%

Nonferrous wire and cable: 31.3%

Crude petroleum: 116.9%

Natural gas: 231.3%

These increases might be lower overseas, but then you would need to add in the increased transportation cost.

If the price increases in this catalog do keep folks from buying, then Lionel will go bankrupt like 1,000s of other businesses.

@Paul Kallus posted:

The Legacy 0-6-0 looks awesome in the catalog except for one major thing - the tender to engine gap is huge; you could drive a semi through that gap Perhaps the gap is needed to enable O-31 turns, but an adjustable drawbar could easily solve that issue.

Just like accurate boilers, tender to engine gaps have become my version of rivet counting; the rivet counter is on one should and the bona-fide toy train man is on the other. The toy train voice usually wins but not for this model.

I just took a second look. Is the tender unplugged from the engine?? The gap does look enormous but I can't tell from the picture if that's a plug I see like on the b6 I got.

My B6 doesn't have a gap like that and it navigates 0-36 no problem. I suspect this is a bad photo but lemme know what you think!

Edit: If this 0-6-0 is former MTH tooling, then the gap is big but not as big in the photo. I saw some videos on YouTube showing it.

Also, I removed my negative comments because negativity doesn't negate negativity.

No whistle steam on the 0-6-0 and 0-4-0 Legacys. Very disappointing.

Brad

@CAPPilot posted:

The prices in the catalog have increased.  Maybe Lionel did well to keep the prices as low as they did, as inflation as a whole has made making toys more expensive.  The Producer Price Index (PPI) for construction for the 12 months ending October 2021 showed increases in price of:

Fabricated metal products: 38.8%

Iron and steel: 101.5%

Steel mill products: 141.6%

Nonferrous wire and cable: 31.3%

Crude petroleum: 116.9%

Natural gas: 231.3%

These increases might be lower overseas, but then you would need to add in the increased transportation cost.

If the price increases in this catalog do keep folks from buying, then Lionel will go bankrupt like 1,000s of other businesses.

Well I don’t foresee a 7-10% raise in my salary this year. So few to no new trains for me.

@B rad posted:

No whistle steam on the 0-6-0 and 0-4-0 Legacys. Very disappointing.

Brad

Man would that ever be awesome!! Do you think they could actually do it?

@BillYo414 posted:

I just took a second look. Is the tender unplugged from the engine?? The gap does look enormous but I can't tell from the picture if that's a plug I see like on the b6 I got.

My B6 doesn't have a gap like that and it navigates 0-36 no problem. I suspect this is a bad photo but lemme know what you think!

It's a computer generated illustration with the use of original Mth products. The actual legacy version hasn't even been manufactured yet.

If you look closely that's an Mth wireless drawbar on the tender. It looks like a twisted Mth tether on the loco. None of it resembles the small tether used on the b6.

One could also complain about the silver handrails. Didn't ps1 locos have silver handrails? Again, computer generated images of an MTH loco.

I suspect the engine tender gap will be closer as well. If nothing else. This is one thing Lionel has been good about improving on steamers the last few  years.

@BillYo414 posted:

Man would that ever be awesome!! Do you think they could actually do it?

Only if they offered a non powered 0-6-0. The can motors in these are small enough. What are you willing to sacrifice in reliability and durability over extra features?

Scanning the catalog again I noticed the BN SD40-2 in bicentennial paint.  Cab number is 1876.

Would this run well with my Legacy U30C from 2011?  Is Legacy speed control unchanged after 11 years?

Reason why I ask is these two BN engines, U30C #1776 and SD40-2 #1876, pulled the American Freedom Train by themselves when 4449 went into the shop.  I can pull my AFT set with these and be correct.

@BillYo414 posted:

Man would that ever be awesome!! Do you think they could actually do it?

Why not? The Camelbacks from last year had it and these can't be any smaller.

@RickO posted:

Only if they offered a non powered 0-6-0. The can motors in these are small enough. What are you willing to sacrifice in reliability and durability over extra features?

I didn't realize these were any smaller than the Legacy Camelbacks from last year or even the ten wheelers  from the year before which both have whistle steam and work very well. I guess I get the 0-4-0 maybe being too small but the 0-6-0 Legacy at that price should have whistle steam. Just figured it was a cost cutting measure even after price increases.

Brad

@B rad posted:

No whistle steam on the 0-6-0 and 0-4-0 Legacys. Very disappointing.

Brad

The boilers are tiny. Maybe you could choose between a motor or an extra smoke unit.
My guess most would pick a motor.

Pete

@RickO posted:

Only if they offered a non powered 0-6-0. The can motors in these are small enough. What are you willing to sacrifice in reliability and durability over extra features?

I don't exactly know how the whistle steam plus blow down/safety valve works but I was curious if they could piggy back whistle steam off the main smoke unit. Either way, as far as a YARD locomotive, give me better operations over more features. Nothing worse than trying to build a consist and having to stop every other minute because the locomotive is mad.

@B rad posted:

Why not? The Camelbacks from last year had it and these can't be any smaller.

I didn't realize these were any smaller than the Legacy Camelbacks from last year or even the ten wheelers  from the year before which both have whistle steam and work very well. I guess I get the 0-4-0 maybe being too small but the 0-6-0 Legacy at that price should have whistle steam. Just figured it was a cost cutting measure even after price increases.

Brad

I never saw the Camelbacks in person or video actually so I'm not sure. I mean whistle steam would be cool. Maybe on the next run!

@N&WGuy posted:

Yep, all they’d need to do is just change a “2” to a “4” where the road numbers appear and *bam* all fixed!

If they change the 1222 to 1242 with roller bearing rods then it will have the wrong tender and wrong tender trucks just like the 1238 illustrated in the catalogue. I guess it is possible they will/should change the tender and trucks from the one illustrated in the catalogue since they already have the molds for the more accurate tender and trucks.

If they did not use roller bearing rods and kept the number 1222 then the model would be pretty much right on.

@Jdjones24 posted:

Where are you guys doing all your preordering?

https://www.whiterosehobbies.c...e-scale-model-trains

I really was interested in a switcher for the New York Central, but the 0-6-0 offering just isn't my cup of tea. The Atlantica I'm not going for either along with the 0-4-0's. Just not good enough for me. The one other thing I don't even consider was the 2-10-4(again) for the PRR. Sorry, not biting on that either. I do already have one, and just not interested this time around considering it was just a few catalogs ago that they were in there.

The one thing I am hopeful of right now is if Mr. Muffin is able to get a custom run of the B&A Berkshire in the green paint scheme. There has been talk about these green beasts a few times on the forum and it would be great to see one of these come around(in Legacy) as they have never been offered before. I think that would be where I put my money on it. Other than that, I still am debating a few things.

@B rad posted:

Why not? The Camelbacks from last year had it and these can't be any smaller.

I didn't realize these were any smaller than the Legacy Camelbacks from last year or even the ten wheelers  from the year before which both have whistle steam and work very well. I guess I get the 0-4-0 maybe being too small but the 0-6-0 Legacy at that price should have whistle steam. Just figured it was a cost cutting measure even after price increases.

Brad

Cambelbacks have large fireboxes, on the Lionel camelbacks the firebox is under the whistle and bell.

I don't usually buy new.   If I do, this year would be:

CAB3, running all lionel from 1 remote, CAB3 and a powermaster is intriguing. 

The Frisco 0-6-0, if I can convince myself the tender is OK.   Still working on that.   A used B6  that looks good and upgraded with ERR command may be cheaper. 

The Incredibles aquarium car.  A family thing.

North Pole doodlebug.  Over the Reindeer car.   Sorry $300+ for a car just is too much.

The former MTH tooled 0-6-0 engine is shown in the catalog paired with Lionel's 0-8-0 tender which I thought was interesting. The gap they are showing may not be what it actually ends up being when it's made. Did Lionel just get the tooling for the locomotive and not the tender to save money? Is this something that is typically done? Maybe they felt their tender was a better representation of the prototype.

It probably has more to do with having an existing tender with Legacy components fitted and that was the easier path to getting it going.

As a start ... there will be more....

- SP SW-1 Switcher

- Hallowe'en Doodlebug

- SP F-7s (AA) + B units

- CAB3 (why not?)

@CAPPilot posted:

Scanning the catalog again I noticed the BN SD40-2 in bicentennial paint.  Cab number is 1876.

Would this run well with my Legacy U30C from 2011?  Is Legacy speed control unchanged after 11 years?

Reason why I ask is these two BN engines, U30C #1776 and SD40-2 #1876, pulled the American Freedom Train by themselves when 4449 went into the shop.  I can pull my AFT set with these and be correct.

They should work together. I operated a LEGACY SOO SD60 made years ago with a LEGACY Rio Grande SD40T-2 made recently and the operated in unison.

Andrew

@falconservice posted:

They should work together. I operated a LEGACY SOO SD60 made years ago with a LEGACY Rio Grande SD40T-2 made recently and the operated in unison.

Andrew

Andrew,

Thank you.  I guess I will buy something out of this catalog.

I think everyone who thinks its is a great move for Lionel to abandon the CAB-2 are nuts!  Not everyone has the finger dexterity to operate a full blown remote on a phone, especially if it has a smaller screen.  Not everyone owns a smartphone.  It is EASY to re-engineer the CAB-2 to use available electronics!  Any competent engineer could do it.  Chips today are done like this:  Write the mathematical formula for the digital portion of the device.  A computer converts your code into 1 and 0's, and a computer based programmer creates the chip.  Any analog to be done is done with chips that are currently available.  Transistors/FET's are transistors/FET's.  Surface mount inductors, resistors, and capacitors are in adequate supply. Lionel is pulling the wool over everyone's eyes!  Did you guys hear of the Arduino, or the Raspberry Pi?  Highly effective microcontrollers for $20.00!  They could easily implement a CAB-2!  Lionel also never fixed the base charging system for 3 ni-cad batteries.  An engineering student could solve that problem in a second year lab exercise!

Even though I have 2 Mohawk's and 1 UP Turbine on order, I think charging $100 plus list price for a cheap boxcar etc. is simply ridiculous!  Menards gives you close to the same level of detail for $19.00  Some of Menards new boxcars come with metal trucks for $19.00!  This new Lionel catalog is pricing trains off the market, and really will cause the collapse of the train market for the little guy with a couple of kids that want a decent quality train set to operate and have fun with.  They will migrate to Menards.  When Menards production engine hits the streets, so long Lion Chief sets (maybe). What are they $600 up in the new catalog? With all amortized tooling for the engines, tenders, and set cars.

You really have to have very deep pockets to order anything from this new catalog   Not just my opinion! Yes, I will order things from the catalog, Base 3/CAB-3 or whatever it might be called.  Probably an NYC Atlantic, and the newly tooled/MTH tooled switch engine, either PRR, or NYC, or both.

I still think Lionel has gone too far with all the price raises.  The small steam switcher is done with tooling that was amortized by K-Line.  It should list out at less than $300.00.  If you guys knew the inside story on how Howard's decisions about tooling have cost Lionel a fortune, you would be sick!  None of this post is a knock on Dave or Ryan, just the money bags scrooges that run the company.

It is also really cool to see Lionel using 3-D printers to mock-up several of their new pieces.

Lets not forget the super slow response of the controls in the existing version of Bluetooth and WI-FI.

I'll be buying selective rolling stock also.

Just give me my PAPER CATALOG first!

Don, using a tablet instead of a smart phone solves the key-size matter.  I can run my new SW-8 with my phone, but the iPad is a far better platform.  As for the chip issue, I don't know what's in the CAB-2, but control systems chips are in short supply right now (see automotive).  If the chip(s) used are no longer produced, reviving the CAB-2 would require significant fresh engineering.  All kind of things are moving to the Bluetooth/App world, so Lionel likely sees this as "going with the flow" and getting rid of unique hardware that will eventually, if not now, get orphaned by the market.

As for pricing, our club sold a bunch of sets, whether donated intact or assembled from odds 'n ends, over the holidays.  The buyers told us that they were not able to find sets in local stores (small market) or the sets in the stores were incomplete.  If we had more transformers, we would have sold even more sets.  Retailers and customers at entry-level seem to be pushing back at some price points.

Already preordered:

Cab3

Santa Fe Warbonnet Doodlebug

Thinking about preordering:

Aberdeen Carolina & Western (not sure whether the color will come out correctly, based on a couple of recent color errors from Lionel)

The more and more I think about it the Class A maybe a purchase as well. WW2 scheme.

@Jack Texas Special posted:

Thinking about preordering:

Aberdeen Carolina & Western (not sure whether the color will come out correctly, based on a couple of recent color errors from Lionel)

I put in a preorder despite a few concerns; I hope it gets made.

My concern is less with the precise shade (it's hard to pin down what that is) but with the pearl topcoat, I really want them to get that right.

Seeing that these were painted so recently, and from my experience the guys at ACWR are pretty nice, I'm hoping that Lionel was able to just get the paint formula/code.  Maybe I'm putting a little too much hope out there, but we'll see.

I really like those woodsided passenger cars, particularly the Wabash ones, but at over $200 a car, it’s a little too steep a price. I don’t know that I’ll be able to do any orders this go around, but one of those 4-4-2 Atlantics would likely be what I’d go for if I could.

Cab 3 and cab-1L thus far. 

@Landsteiner posted:

Cab 3 and cab-1L thus far.

I am getting those as well as a couple of the CP Military tribute locomotives.

@CAPPilot posted:

The prices in the catalog have increased.  Maybe Lionel did well to keep the prices as low as they did, as inflation as a whole has made making toys more expensive.  The Producer Price Index (PPI) for construction for the 12 months ending October 2021 showed increases in price of:

Fabricated metal products: 38.8%

Iron and steel: 101.5%

Steel mill products: 141.6%

Nonferrous wire and cable: 31.3%

Crude petroleum: 116.9%

Natural gas: 231.3%

These increases might be lower overseas, but then you would need to add in the increased transportation cost.

If the price increases in this catalog do keep folks from buying, then Lionel will go bankrupt like 1,000s of other businesses.

Thanks for pointing this out @CAPPilot. We have been hit with tremendous increases in shipping costs in our business to the point where the ocean freight costs can be almost as high as the value of the merchandise in the container being shipped. Lionel is facing this expense the same as all other industries and companies can not afford to absorb these increases in shipping costs.

I’m waiting to see the custom runs before I commit to anything. But possibilities include a WWII Class A, a Santa Fe 2-10-4, and some RS27’s in PC & conrail.... maybe a Soo Line too.

I'm really tempted to add that US Military Railroad bobber to my list. Sure it's expensive and a piece of Civil War era equipment, but it would be a perfect companion to the Army 0-4-0....

I have never pre-ordered from Lionel in the past, but I must say I am tempted to order the six car set of the Amtrak Phase III Heritage cars.  Combined with my GGD scale Amfleet cars and Phase III Slumbercoach I have on order and I am close to completing a long-time goal of creating a Broadway Limited circa 1989.  If I do, I could do without the dome car and I refuse to pay for a diner with sounds I have no interest in, but the K-Line Amtrak diner comes up on that auction site pretty often and it would be an easy repaint.  The only car I'd be missing then would be a section sleeper and a baggage dorm.  I have some 1960's vintage aluminum extruded cars to make additional coaches as well as a heritage lounge, but the train I rode on often had a mixture of Amfleet and Heritage cars.

Tempting .... oh so tempting.   

Furthermore, although out of my budget, the Lionel F40PH is vastly superior to the MTH version while it is only somewhat superior to my K-Line ones.  Those are tempting as well, but with my current orders for 3rd Rail and GGD items the F40PH will likely be a pass.  I have 7 in Amtrak already.

I've yet to ever pre-order anything from Lionel, but there were definitely some pieces from this catalog I was interested in. At the very least I was thinking about the Ford and Amtrak 44-Tonners, and part of that is because they are among the cheaper options in the catalog. I also would like the Phase III F40PH as well, and the Union Pacific F7's and the Conrail SW1. I like a lot of the things that were shown in this catalog, even those purple and yellow Aberdeen, Carolina and Western F9's are pretty cool, but the items I mentioned above are ones I would pre-order if I could.

@MartyE posted:

The more and more I think about it the Class A maybe a purchase as well. WW2 scheme.

I think that would be the one I'd be ordering too Marty. I did manage to get the Ryan & Dave show in, took 3 days but I did it. Stomach bug sidelined me all weekend long, so no work for me today. I still want to look a bit more at the other non-shiny versions and which have the Y3 tender with the doghouse. Most likely 1210 is the one for me. Probably order the BR&W S1 Diesel set since the real deal is not but 5 minutes away from me. Probably also pick up the N&W as well as the PRR coal hoppers and that will probably be it. Still waiting to hear if Mr. Muffin is going to do a B&A Berkshire in green paint, that would be the only other thing I'd get.

Okay, now I am more on the fence on which Class A I was thinking about getting. Why, well, I am sort of interested in what the heck "Commonwealth Trucks" are, and notably "cast pilot without after-cooler".

I guess that is the "after-cooler"? Sorry that is a little blurry. I am also guessing that the art work for all the Class A tenders are show with the extensions as they all look alike to me, even though some say extensions, others say commonwealth trucks. I'm curious, what does a Class A tender look like without extensions? Or is that just some more fiction going on there? Anyone care to educate me please or correct what Lionel is offering?

Anytime Illinois central makes the cut I’m in

Here is what I ordered from the catalog.

UP VL Stock Cars Set

Swift VL Stock Car Set

Wabash End Door Box Car

CB&Q End Door Box Car

Boston & Albany Berkshire W/Green Boiler (Mr.Muffin Special Run)

I’ll most likely get the Base 3 since I have some LC engines. And I’m planning on getting an 0-4-0. But otherwise this catalog didn’t have too much for me (thankfully, the last two killed my wallet).

If @MrMuffin'sTrains is able to arrange for a custom run of an Atlantic and 0-6-0 in Nickel Plate Road, I’ll be getting both of them as well. His custom runs, along with ones from Stockyard Express, represent most of my engine and rolling stock roster.

I‘m debating getting a F40PH. I preordered the Atlas/MTH version because of the issues from the last release. But could be swayed to grab Lionel’s version if there was a compelling reason.

@Keith Crook 020419 posted:

If @MrMuffin'sTrains is able to arrange for a custom run of an Atlantic …  in Nickel Plate Road, I’ll be getting both of them as well. His custom runs, along with ones from Stockyard Express, represent most of my engine and rolling stock roster.

YES!!!

@superwarp1 posted:

NOOOOOO, Lionel you are killing me.   B&A berkshire is back in the catalog.  But no green version.  Maybe I can get a dealer to do a special run.  Stock cars three pack but 450.00 list!!!!

Mr Muffin will announce later this week the green version get your wallet ready!

@dk122trains posted:

Mr Muffin will announce later this week the green version get your wallet ready!

Don, are you always in the know? I am glad that this should be coming to a Mr. Muffin's near you.

@dk122trains posted:

Mr Muffin will announce later this week the green version get your wallet ready!

Do you know of any more Special Runs that MrMuffin’s will be announcing?

@Patrick B posted:

I'm really tempted to add that US Military Railroad bobber to my list. Sure it's expensive and a piece of Civil War era equipment, but it would be a perfect companion to the Army 0-4-0....

I had my eye on that as well but there is zero chance of me spending $95 on a bobber caboose.

-Greg

Here's my take on the 2022 pricing and Lionel Catalog:

I've recently returned to the hobby after a few decades away.  I'll be building a new layout this year and I know almost nothing about the new technology (TMCC, Legacy, etc..).  Although I'm interested in the new Class A Vision steam engines I still need to back fill some things on my wish list ie Big Boy.  I will probably wait until I have my new layout up and running to purchase anything big.

I'm looking at getting a few things to get started:

• Lionel Base 3
• Cab3 App
• BN SW1
• BNSF and/or BC Rail ES44AC
• BN SD-40
• CP Veterans SD90
• Miller High Life box car
• 1776 box car
• Polar Express

Does anyone know if any of the ore cars or hopper cars in this catalog are die-cast instead of plastic?

@ChooChoo1972 posted:

Does anyone know if any of the ore cars or hopper cars in this catalog are die-cast instead of plastic?

I believe Ryan had said on the Train World video that they were plastic.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Okay, now I am more on the fence on which Class A I was thinking about getting. Why, well, I am sort of interested in what the heck "Commonwealth Trucks" are, and notably "cast pilot without after-cooler".

I guess that is the "after-cooler"? Sorry that is a little blurry. I am also guessing that the art work for all the Class A tenders are show with the extensions as they all look alike to me, even though some say extensions, others say commonwealth trucks. I'm curious, what does a Class A tender look like without extensions? Or is that just some more fiction going on there? Anyone care to educate me please or correct what Lionel is offering?

Yes, that is the "after-cooler". Later A's had them.

If you will look at the "Pilot" model photo, look at the very top of the coal bunker of the tender and those pieces sticking up are the extentions in order for the tender to hold more coal. No "fiction"!

The "Commonwealth" trucks will be the same trucks found on the Class J tender. The Y6b model has "Buckeye" trucks. Very different. Sorry, I don't have pictures here on my tablet to show the difference, but, you can look them yourself.

@Big Jim posted:

Yes, that is the "after-cooler". Later A's had them.

If you will look at the "Pilot" model photo, look at the very top of the coal bunker of the tender and those pieces sticking up are the extentions in order for the tender to hold more coal. No "fiction"!

The "Commonwealth" trucks will be the same trucks found on the Class J tender. The Y6b model has "Buckeye" trucks. Very different. Sorry, I don't have pictures here on my tablet to show the difference, but, you can look them yourself.

Yeah, on the "Which Class A are you getting?" topic, I popped the pictures of the coal bunker as well as the dog houses on the tenders. The artist filled in the windows black on some of the models on the catalog, this making it hard to see what is going on. I forget all of what else I had posted over there, but someone else had also commented on the commonwealth trucks and buckeye trucks stated exactly what you said above Jim. Also, during the Train World video, Ryan credited those(in general) who took the time to point out differences like the cover over the turrets, as well as a few other things with the models. They remarked on this on the Class A part of the catalog which helped me decide that I will be getting 1211 model.

I ended up ordering the Louisville and Nashville vision horse car, the Amtrak veteran's NPCU, Amtrak station sounds diner, N&W hopper two pack (can't believe they didn't offer a six pack to go with the A), and the chapel car.

In a perfect world I would've liked a Class A, the Ski Train set, and the rocket train. The heritage ES44s are disappointing because it makes me think we're still at least a couple years out from having real ET44AC tooling in O scale and I'm sure everyone on this site is tired of hearing me beg for it.

When is the cutoff for the catalog? I thought someone had asked but don't remember seeing a date. Usually it is a month and a half after release.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

When is the cutoff for the catalog? I thought someone had asked but don't remember seeing a date. Usually it is a month and a half after release.

I've seen FEB 11th for a few dealers. I think I also spotted a FEB 14th.

Do you all think the cab3 bases will be available without having to preorder? I'm thinking I'd like one but not too sure enough at the moment to preorder. Sounds like they are a year out as it is.

Brad

@B rad posted:

Do you all think the cab3 bases will be available without having to preorder? I'm thinking I'd like one but not too sure enough at the moment to preorder. Sounds like they are a year out as it is.

Brad

I think if you want to hold off they'll be around.  Train World made it sound like they are ordering plenty.  I think once the dealers see the demand they'll order accordingly.

@B rad posted:

Do you all think the cab3 bases will be available without having to preorder? I'm thinking I'd like one but not too sure enough at the moment to preorder. Sounds like they are a year out as it is.

Brad

They will be available but if you pre order some dealers are offering some really good early discount incentives.  

@johnstrains posted:

I've seen FEB 11th for a few dealers. I think I also spotted a FEB 14th.

I would think Lionel might want to wait until after Feb 14 so hubbies have time to butter up the wives when the sticker shock hits.

@DaveSlie posted:

They will be available but if you pre order some dealers are offering some really good early discount incentives.  

Which Dealers? I have only seen the book price listed on the Base3

@Shawn_Chronister posted:

Which Dealers? I have only seen the book price listed on the Base3

Also curious where or who is offering an incentive.

@Shawn_Chronister posted:

Which Dealers? I have only seen the book price listed on the Base3

Tons of places. Legacy station preorder $400. Trainworld $439. Charles Ro $439. Marios Trains $459. Retail $499. Many many others offering preorder discounts as well.

Brad

Don't forget to support your local shop!  Sometime paying a little more is worth it.  The forum sponsors are great but when you need that bulb on a Saturday afternoon the LHS becomes invaluable.

@B rad posted:

Tons of places. Legacy station preorder $400. Trainworld $439. Charles Ro $439. Marios Trains $459. Retail $499. Many many others offering preorder discounts as well.

Brad

Correct.  Doesn't take too much of a search to find discounts. 

All of the above are great dealers ... plus note that Nassau Hobbies has the CAB3 for $399 pre-order.

And some dealers will even go lower than their online advertised prices if you call them, especially if you are ordering several items.   😎

@rthomps posted:

All of the above are great dealers ... plus note that Nassau Hobbies has the CAB3 for $399 pre-order.

Hah! Not this one though. The dealer that goes and grabs some Menards beta locos and puts them up on the big auction site for double.   ( maybe they'll sneak in a $50 shipping charge on the cab 3)

No thanks. I'd rather pay MSRP at Ro, Trainworld, or Muffins.

@RickO posted:

Hah! Not this one though. The dealer that goes and grabs some Menards beta locos and puts them up on the big auction site for double.   ( maybe they'll sneak in a $50 shipping charge on the cab 3)

No thanks. I'd rather pay MSRP at Ro, Trainworld, or Muffins.

That's why I like Marios.

Guaranteed free shipping and no tax outside of their state.

Yea yea.. I know it's up to the buyer to pay the tax. How many times have I heard that one on this forum.

I'll be sure to do that because my wife is a CPA.

Whatever... Catch me if you can. 😄

I have ordered the TA&G 2-8-4 but will be surprised if it gets enough pre-orders to make with Chattanooga being the biggest city the TAG served. I am thinking this engine would look great with a train of the MOW wood passenger cars,but those prices will keep me from pre-ordering them.

I have ordered the S-2 set, an extra vista dome for my Santa Fe set and Base 3. All from Mario’s.

I was glad to see they had some Aberdeen, Carolina and Western finally.  Albeit they aren't the SD-40-3's I was hoping for.  It would have also have been nice, instead of offering the plain jane passenger cars, if they offered the canopy and patio cars that ACW has.

Sadly, I could cough up these things before I could afford to buy anything from this catalog.

Anthony

Cab3, Aberdeen Carolina & Western locomotive and passenger cars, Santa Fe Doodlebug

When Dave & Ryan did a video with Trainworld they mentioned that they may be offering some of the other cars for the Aberdeen Carolina & Western train.  I think they had enough lead time to use existing tooling for the cars they are offering this time around and probably needed more lead time for the other more rare canopy and patio cars.  My guess is that set will be so successful this time around they will offer the other cars later, knowing they will be a big hit.

@RickO posted:

Hah! Not this one though. The dealer that goes and grabs some Menards beta locos and puts them up on the big auction site for double.   ( maybe they'll sneak in a $50 shipping charge on the cab 3)

No thanks. I'd rather pay MSRP at Ro, Trainworld, or Muffins.

I've dealt with Nassau Hobbies for years (and years) - along with Ro, et. al.  Never had an issue with the owners of Nassau; never had a problem with the product from Nassau.

I know nothing about your references -- but I assume, for your sake, that you can verify.

@rthomps posted:

I know nothing about your references -- but I assume, for your sake, that you can verify.

Links to ebay sales are not allowed. Your welcome to search the Menards f 3.

You'll find a vendor from Freeport NY selling them for $350 plus shipping.

Click on "visit the store" and viola, Nassau Hobby....but what do I know?

@RickO posted:

Links to ebay sales are not allowed. Your welcome to search the Menards f 3.

You'll find a vendor from Freeport NY selling them for $350 plus shipping.

Click on "visit the store" and Viola Nassau Hobby....but what do I know?

It's not my problem - it's yours.  I have nothing in this except that Nassau has been a good shop to deal with.

And, who the heck is "Viola"?

I hope we can keep this thread going and open.  Let's not go down the rabbit hole.

I wonder when the next Lionmaster LC+ 2.0 offering will come? I think I'm ready for a Challenger to go with my LC+ 2.0 Lionmaster Big Boy. Maybe volume 2?.......

Brad

@rthomps posted:

It's not my problem - it's yours.  I have nothing in this except that Nassau has been a good shop to deal with.

And, who the heck is "Viola"?

It's not my problem, it's theirs.

As far as "viola" ....well.  If you don't know.. That's your problem.

OK OK, enough griping about dealers, right or wrong. Back to the original topic please.

Par for the course for me...I'm not a Legacy guy so a few of the new Lion Chief Plus 2.0 items...

One of the Anniversary Amtrak Genesis locos (The Midnight Blue livery #100) and the Ma & Pa Doodlebug.

Contemplating a few more things.

@Will Ebbert posted:

OK OK, enough griping about dealers, right or wrong. Back to the original topic please.

I did preorder one of the NYC 0-6-0s. Mth has some great tooling. Legacy equipped Mth locomotives, finally!

Play nice guys ... or "viola" ... topic closed and "poof".

I was looking at the coal hopper cars(GLA's) and saw these weren't diecast cars as past runs. I don't remember if the prior offerings of the GLA hoppers have been all diecast(in recent years), but I do know if they were, I ordered them. I'll have to look further at this as I may not order them just because of that. After all, who wants light cars(yeah, I know you can add weight to them) being pulled behind a beast like the Class A?

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

I was looking at the coal hopper cars(GLA's) and saw these weren't diecast cars as past runs. I don't remember if the prior offerings of the GLA hoppers have been all diecast(in recent years), but I do know if they were, I ordered them. I'll have to look further at this as I may not order them just because of that. After all, who wants light cars(yeah, I know you can add weight to them) being pulled behind a beast like the Class A?

The GLA cars have only been done in plastic. The coal load is removable so I just put rocks in mine to add weight.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

I was looking at the coal hopper cars(GLA's) and saw these weren't diecast cars as past runs. I don't remember if the prior offerings of the GLA hoppers have been all diecast(in recent years), but I do know if they were, I ordered them. I'll have to look further at this as I may not order them just because of that. After all, who wants light cars(yeah, I know you can add weight to them) being pulled behind a beast like the Class A?

Dave, you might be thinking of the die-cast offset hoppers. They are some of the finest scale rolling stock Lionel has ever made.

I stalked the internet for a cabbage unit all last year. It took a bit of strength to ignore one I saw on eBay earlier this week. I let it go because I reserved the Lionel Downeaster variant last week! My plan was to find the original cabbage and have it custom painted. I'm telling myself I saved money.

I also ordered some F40s. I'm going to sell off my MTH F40s. I'm a fan of kinematic pilots.

@Rider Sandman posted:

Dave, you might be thinking of the die-cast offset hoppers. They are some of the finest scale rolling stock Lionel has ever made.

Yes, the offsets are diecast, and I do have quite a bit of them. Like I said, I don't remember if I did order GLA's before. Hard to say. What do you think about them?

Well, I went and saw Tony at my local train store and put in my order for the 1945 1211 Class A, the Black River & Western set as well as the 2 GLA Hopper packs for the Pennsylvania and Norfolk and Western Railroads. Nothing else is a bite for me.

I've been waiting for Lionel to produce Amfleets again for a long time! Happy to see a cab car being offered again as well. Picking up the following from this catalog:

• Amtrak Legacy F40PH Phase III  (Hoping to get this one repainted as MBTA to pair with my Atlas MBTA Comet Commuter cars that I also ordered)
• Amtrak Genesis LionChief Plus 2.0 Set
• Amtrak Amfleet Phase VI coach/cab car 2-pack
• Amtrak Amfleet Phase VI coach 2-pack

Very excited for these to come in!

I think I will also be ordering the N&W class A 1211 to go along with the new base3 I already ordered. Still making a decision on CSX f40 and Es44 1775

I’m thinking F40PH and a Cabbage unit. Anyone know if the AMFLEETs are scale? If not, does anyone make scale AMFLEETs?

@Roberto Sanchez 111918 posted:

I’m thinking F40PH and a Cabbage unit. Anyone know if the AMFLEETs are scale? If not, does anyone make scale AMFLEETs?

They are not full scale. GGD does offer scale sized Amfleets.

@Roberto Sanchez 111918 posted:

I’m thinking F40PH and a Cabbage unit. Anyone know if the AMFLEETs are scale? If not, does anyone make scale AMFLEETs?

They are 18ish inches long, which does look pretty good but not to scale.
Note that they do not match up nicely with other brands' Amfleets.
If you are looking for a cab car, Lionel makes the only model available, so plan on buying Lionel Amfleets too.
Your train's Amfleets should be all one brand, but any Amfleets look fine with other brands' other rolling stock.
For example, I have MTH Amfleets running with Golden Gate Viewliners.

Frankly, I prefer MTH and GGD Amfleets, but I really wanted that cab car.

Here is a comparison of Lionel and MTH Amfleets (Lionel left)

Some Metra f40s would have been nice to see,  reading & northern f units for me so far,  maybe Amtrak phase 3 passenger cars too.

@CharmCityAirLine posted:

They are 18ish inches long, which does look pretty good but not to scale.
Note that they do not match up nicely with other brands' Amfleets.
If you are looking for a cab car, Lionel makes the only model available, so plan on buying Lionel Amfleets too.
Your train's Amfleets should be all one brand, but any Amfleets look fine with other brands' other rolling stock.
For example, I have MTH Amfleets running with Golden Gate Viewliners.

Frankly, I prefer MTH and GGD Amfleets, but I really wanted that cab car.

Here is a comparison of Lionel and MTH Amfleets (Lionel left)

That is good to know. I had figured MTH(Atlas) AMFEET would be the same dimension as Lionel AMFLEET. I’ll have to take a look at Golden Gate Depot.

I’m just starting out my fleet and knowing myself, I’ll notice my 21” streamliner passenger cars are longer than my AMFLEETs. Especially when running together. I know it’s not prototypical, but my “happiness” mixes modern electrics sharing the right of way with early diesels and steam power. It’s all about where you draw the line. 😁

You'll have to be patient for the GGD cars as the next run is probably a couple years out, but I assure you the wait will be worth it. I have three Viewliner cars from the previous run and regret not buying more.

Already Preordered:

Base 3

Amtrak F40PH Phase V Livery NPCU (side note-love these cab units. They're not just great for push-pull with the powered F40ph units with which they can pair. They're great for push-pull with any Amtrak TMCC equipped or Legacy loco(I assume conventional, too), which is great because the NPCU is typically in push-pull with a Genesis(now offered by Lionel in traditional size) and the Dash 8 which Lionel offered scale versions of in Phase III Pepsi Can and Phase IV liveries.

Amtrak F40PH Phase IV Livery Powered Unit

Still Deciding on if I'll buy a freight unit from this offering. If I do, it will be one of the following:

RS-27 Penn Central, C&NW or SOO

SD90MAC Norfolk Southern(UP patched)

A Lionel Lines Legacy SD90MAC.

So the ones that actually are ordering or have ordered what are you getting?

I ordered the UP Rocket Booster train.  Exceptional value for the number of cars + a Legacy engine (that is, if you're into modern trains actually carrying rocket parts).  Decided to pass on Class A post-WWII -- not that I don't think it will be great, but that's a lot of train dollars that can purchase other things.

They sucked me in, I'm in for the UP Rocket Booster Train.   That and the Legacy A-5 switcher fills out my new train dance card.  I'm still saving money for the Strasburg #90 that I have queued up from the previous catalog!

I really wanted the Quilling Pigs but I can't bring myself to spend $400 on a pig.  I'm just going to get the vision line # 9999.      JP

I ended up just settling for the Amtrak Phase V NPCU and the Woodside Chapel Car.

Between the Acela in the 2021 V1 catalog, and 90 in the V2 catalog, plus all of the other special announcements, my wallet needed a break.

Yep, $450 for one sound car and a couple of extra empty cars is over the top for me!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

They sucked me in, I'm in for the UP Rocket Booster Train.   That and the Legacy A-5 switcher fills out my new train dance card.  I'm still saving money for the Strasburg #90 that I have queued up from the previous catalog!

I think that is an excellent choice!

I ended up with just the Aberdeen Carolina and Western F Units and heavyweights.  I thought about some others (the other ACWR cars, rocket train, a couple of the Atlantics), but since I also have a 3rd Rail P42 (Metro North) and a bunch of the Atlas Comet cars (also Metro North) on order, I decided that was more than enough for one year.

I went for the Base 3, decided it was time to move to legacy control.  Between that and the ZW-L I'm searching for; I should be set up to run my postwar and new stuff I want to expand into.

Seems like all I'm getting is the US Army 0-4-0 and the Railway Cannon. That CSX F40ph is super tempting but I would only be getting one of the engines and all of my other engines and rolling stock are traditional sized so that probably wouldn't work out all too well. At least the 4 wheeler is already a small engine so that should blend in """fine""".

Powered and dummy Illinois Central Heritage ES44AC. Have a concern of them being cancelled after Sunset canceled the IC Death Star SD40-2.

I have a few things already preordered from the new Catalog!

- The Vision Line Norfolk & Western Class A #1210 WW2 Era version

- The Vision Line Pennsylvania Railroad “What If” Class A #3701, an exclusive run for MrMuffin’sTrains

- The Legacy Reading & Northern F9 AB unit set

- The Legacy CN Heritage BC Rail ES44AC #3115

- The Legacy Canadian National Veterans ES44AC #3015

- The Canadian National Veterans Bay Window Caboose

"I really wanted the Quilling Pigs but I can't bring myself to spend $400 on a pig"

$330 plus shipping from Charles Ro on pre-order.  Not too bad for a sound car and two other freight cars these days.  Couldn't resist the NYC stock car quilling pig at this price.

Pulled the trigger on the LC+2.0 Genesis Set, and the LC+2.0 NYC Hudson. And a few add-on cars for the LC Super Chief set that I bought around Christmas.

I will expand my fleet into the southern region of the U.S.