Good News for Blue Bird Passenger Train Fans

 Will it have one Budd Dome and one Pullman Dome, like the original?

LOL.

Sure?????????????????

Shouldn't the six car train include three dome coaches and a dome observation?

Mill City:

I am glad you brought this up. One of the popular routes of the Blue Bird was from Chicago to St. Louis. It was a six car consist. That included an Observation Dome car, three Coach dome cars, a diner car, and a combo car.

Lionel has listed it's 18" car offerings in sets of two. To get the six car configuration listed above, you will have to purchase four two-pack sets. I don't see this as a big issue as I plan to run it with seven cars and have an extra combo. I Like my passenger trains to have a baggage car, though in this case it would not be prototypical.

In any case, this should prove to be a heck of a nice looking passenger train. My guess is this will prove to be a big seller for them. The passenger cars will sure help move many of those E8s.

Good work Brian, that set will be a beauty and I hope you will take advantage of pre-ordering a set to add to your passenger train collection.

I am really impressed in the way Lionel is responding to forum members and others who have questions and concerns about their products.  Well done Lionel.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Lionel breaks out it's three 2-pack sets as follows

6-81842    Dome Observation/Coach

        43    Combination/Vista Dome

        72    Baggage/Diner

It seems to me that you will need more than four 2-packs to achieve the consist you describe above. Or is there something I'm not seeing here?

I think it is a beautiful train and I have no doubt that it will be very popular. It certainly would be easier to consider if it was offered in a correct consist.

I just realized the the car 2-packs don't lend themselves to building long consists.  If I wanted to buy multiple coaches or dome cars I'd have to get cars I really don't want (Conbo for instance.)   Set breakups here I come!!

I have always been frustrated that the importers don't offer correct cars for a train or railroad.  I am a NH fan.  Nearly all the NH sets have a dome car.  The NH never had a dome.  As far as I know, the PRR and NYC didn't have domes either but we always get sets with them.  The SP never had a short dome, etc.  It is especially amazing that MTH doesn't offer correct cars in 3-rail but that their HO trains are very prototypical.  The MTH HO line is one of the best being made.

I suppose that most 3-rail modelers don't care about a prototypical consist or aren't aware that a particular railroad never operated a certain car.  Why do 3-rail modelers want accurate engines but not accurate consists or cars?

I am glad that the Blue Bird will be available even though it will be costly to build a correct train.  I remember seeing the Blue Bird waiting for passengers in Chicago many years ago.  It was one of the most beautiful trains ever to operate.

Joe

Originally Posted by Chris Lord:

I just realized the the car 2-packs don't lend themselves to building long consists.  If I wanted to buy multiple coaches or dome cars I'd have to get cars I really don't want (Conbo for instance.)   Set breakups here I come!!

This is the conclusion I came to. A Combo is part of the original consist, so one is fine. But in order to have three Vista Domes, your going to end up with two unwanted Combos. In order to have a Dinner, your then stuck with a non prototypical Baggage car. That's three dead cars out five 2-packs. As Brian suggests, you can reduce the benched count to two by simply adding the fantasy Baggage car.

I would love to have this train, but it would come with a lot of extra baggage.

Hi Joe, it isn't that some of us who model 3 rail O gauge don't care if an item or released passenger car consist is not prototypically correct.  Most realize that what Lionel and other O gauge manufacturers are issuing are toy trains and nice one's at that.  Companies like Atlas and 3rd rail are more into the prototypical trains and that's OK too.

If I purchase a passenger set, of which I have about 6 MKT Texas Special sets, I can run my passenger consist with or without the dome cars.  When I have friends or guests over they enjoy the lights and the looks of the dome cars along with other passenger cars so I run them.

Bottom line, I appreciate all the different trains that manufacturers are making and have fun with the one's I purchase.

Steve, Lady and Tex

As Texas Special Steve has said, "I am really impressed in the way Lionel is responding to forum members and others who have questions and concerns about their products.  Well done Lionel."

You have sure got this correct. They listened to my suggestion and gave me a very prompt response. Mike Reagan has assembled the right team to significantly improve Lionel's ability to respond to their customers. Well done Lionel.

I'm glad you will finally have your Wabash Bluebird, Brian.  That's going to be a beauty.  To bad Lionel isn't offering the dome cars separately.  The Lionel Wabash E units are very tempting.