Has the Lionel 57' Mechanical Reefers been cancelled?

Not on 10/10/2014 shipping schedule.

Maybe ready to ship?

AF facebook page indicates a December/January delivery

 

Roger

Why did you think they were cancelled?

 

Frank....unrelated but,,no sign of FEC at GE yet..im watchin !!!conrail john

Precisely.  No normal person thinks that way.  And it's bass-ackwards thinking like that which makes me wonder if Lionel even has a clue what's being shipped each month -- not to mention what's being manufactured next.    I'm convinced they don't.  And that's pretty sad. 

 

Case in point...  My current favorite item I'm tracking on the shipping schedule is an O-Gauge item:  6-27092 CSX Heritage 60' Boxcar.  It's as old as time, still hasn't been delivered, and the shipping schedule indicates July 2014 even though it's now October 10th.  What does that mean?      I can only conclude that nobody at Lionel has a clue if/when that item will ever be produced. 

 

Staggers the mind. 

 

David

Several items on the list are marked as shipped with the month listed. The S gauge 57' reefers were listed a few days ago and are now missing. One of the minions probably attempted an update and mistakenly deleted a page.

Seriously, I doubt something that's been headlining on the Lionel Blog since September 12th has been cancelled.

 

"Lionel’s upcoming American Flyer PFE reefer represents a car following the split of the company with SPFE markings and a Perishable Fruit Express logo over the UP shield."

 

Rusty

Unless things have changed -- and just about ANY change would be welcome regarding how the online shipping schedule is managed  -- items so marked are either part of a split shipment, or they are produced on an ongoing basis (i.e., track, transformers, basic sets, etc...).  In either case, the fact that the product is still listed is intended to imply that another production run is on the way.  Exactly when is anybody's guess.

 

David

Maybe a display of soon to be delivered Flyer at York will answer the question.  

 

Ben 

They actually updated the Flyer Facebook page? 

 

Wow.

 

I gave up checking in on it when the latest update, the Christmas holiday greeting, was still getting top billing after Easter.

 

Rusty

Hi Rusty,

 

     I have been reading what has being said about the 57' Mechanical Refrigerator cars and have became frustrated so I asked Lionel. I received a notification that the cars have been pulled and will not be made. So everyone can save their money.

Donald Payer

 

 

Well that is not a good sign.  It would be nice to have an explanation.

Which seems pretty odd being that they've been headlining the Lionel blog for the past 4 weeks.

 

The trouble with Lionel's "talk to us" is you seldom get the same answer twice.  Everyone there seems to be in their own silo.

 

If the reefers are cancelled, well then more money available from me for MTH, SSA and AM.

 

Rusty

In S Gauge American Flyer? Or O Gauge?

Just a reminder to everyone... This is the S-Scale Trains sub-forum, so the comment about cancellation of 57' mech. reefers is likely refrerring to Lionel's S-gauge product.  The American Flyer 2014 catalog had 5 of these cars catalog'd.

 

The last of the O-Gauge 57' mechanical reefers were cataloged in 2012 vol 1, and all 3 roadnames were delivered a while ago.

 

David

Well, the 57' mechanical reefers are no longer on the shipping schedule.

 

That means one of two things:

1: Shipped

2: Cancelled

 

Take your pick.

 

Rusty

 

Perhaps the demand for "modern style" cars is not as great as some may have anticipated? Most of the newer modern diesels are still in the blowout mode.

Considering the prototypes of these cars began cropping up in the late 1960's-early 1970's, they're hardly "modern" anymore.

 

But there are a still bunch of S gaugers out there that this type of car is outside their "comfort zone."  SHS made a conscious decision back in the early days to make cars visually compatible (meaning car height and length) with Gilbert Flyer.

 

But still, if the 57' mech reefers are indeed cancelled, it's a sad day for S.  I suppose it's instructive that Lionel didn't have any mention of them in their York presentation.

 

Rusty