This is a joke, right?

artyoung posted:

This is a joke, right?

No! A joke would have been if they had lettered it "Maroons"! "That's all folks!" 

artyoung posted:

This is a joke, right?

Nope, this is 100% real. It is a unique car that has an interesting story, and the reality is that the manufactures would not have touched this on their own.  

This car can be further customized in so many ways.  Does anyone know when students pulled this prank?

And the price is ?

aussteve posted:

And the price is ?

$79.95 plus 9.00 for shipping. 

POTRZBE posted:

This car can be further customized in so many ways.  Does anyone know when students pulled this prank?

My source for the original photo tells me in happened between 1960 and 1962

So we're celebrating vandalism??

No Jeff,it's called creative writing.....LOL

This is way cool. Not only is this a unique piece of rolling stock that is prototypical, it tells a story that not many people knew about. I love it! Ill probably order one soon. Bravo Derek!

The way things are going recently, it will come back from the factory spelled "Monon"

This is a neat idea.

Next do the FGE "SOLID CLOD" reefer!

A very unique and fun offering! Just ordered mine. Have always like different and unique items. 

NICE, but a little pricey.

Derek:

Love the concept of XP Trains.  I just ordered one.

Neal Jeter 

I won't be ordering one but anticipate others may think of me when they see it and order as a gift.

What, me worry?

Jeff T posted:

So we're celebrating vandalism??

Surely you've seen the cars with graffiti decals.

I'll bet that even the guys who had to repaint it got a laugh out of it.

Will the car come with paperwork that tells the story behind it, along with prototype photos?

Mallard4468 posted:

Will the car come with paperwork that tells the story behind it, along with prototype photos?

We're looking into this. It is something that we would like to do with every car we release. Just need to get a final OK from Lionel. 

Maxrailroad posted:

This is way cool. Not only is this a unique piece of rolling stock that is prototypical, it tells a story that not many people knew about. I love it! Ill probably order one soon. Bravo Derek!

I got my Degree at Purdue and this would make a great display in my office and maybe tell the story of it to friends.

     I have the schemes I like, one by MTH the other I made with Highball graphics decals on a Lionel PS-1.

                              High speed scheme has never been made yet in O.

MORONS would be found in other places, not hard to locate these days. 

Mallard4468 posted:

Jeff T posted:

So we're celebrating vandalism??

Surely you've seen the cars with graffiti decals.

I'll bet that even the guys who had to repaint it got a laugh out of it.

Which is also vandalism.

No doubt they did, but I'm sure the foremen who had to justify the expenditure viewed it more grimly.

I love it.  Nice and humorous for the one person in who will catch it running it on a club layout. 

Off this subject but reminds me of my one of a kind GGD car.  When I was helping Scott at my first York at the booth he was displaying the factory sample.  I asked him if I could buy it and he told me just to make it go away.

While I'm a Ball State grad (architecture), leave it to the engineers at Purdue to pull off relettering a boxcar.  The best we managed was to rewire the architectural school elevator so that the floor buttons took you to the wrong floor one night.  Full disclosure, it was the class ahead of mine that did that!  Don't want that coming back 30 years later.

I like the car.  Have to see if finances will permit me to purchase one.

Thanks Derek, I just placed an order for three "MORONS" (Moe, Larry, Curly).

What a great car and story! I can't wait to get mine!

Wonder how long the car ran in service before repaint was caught and corrected?  Used to watch a Monon BL-2 switch a concrete plant in southern lndiana...

I think my wife would buy that car and give it to me to run around the layout...

colorado hirailer posted:

Wonder how long the car ran in service before repaint was caught and corrected?  Used to watch a Monon BL-2 switch a concrete plant in southern lndiana...

I'd like to know the same thing. I think it really depends on how far the car got away from Lafayette before someone noticed it and reported it to the shop. It's one of those things that you do a double take when you first see it, I would think it made it for at least a few weeks. 

PS. Thank you everyone for a GREAT first day of sales. 

Does it say Moron on both sides or is it one of each?

I think it's hilarious and might buy one. It was a harmless joke done decades ago. No need to get worked up over it. I don't encourage vandalism, but the are a lot bigger issues in the world than this car. 

palallin posted:

Mallard4468 posted:

Jeff T posted:

So we're celebrating vandalism??

Surely you've seen the cars with graffiti decals.

I'll bet that even the guys who had to repaint it got a laugh out of it.

Which is also vandalism.

No doubt they did, but I'm sure the foremen who had to justify the expenditure viewed it more grimly.

If you find it objectionable, then by all means don't order one.  By not ordering one, you will send a strong message of disapproval to all the would-be vandals out there, and I'm sure many of them will change their ways as a result.

Great job, Derek.  I'm in!  Wish I could afford more than one, but that wouldn't be prototypical, would it?

I just ordered one as I find it very funny, and maybe I'll celebrate a little vandalism too! Give me a break.

At the least, I guess you could say it was a MORONIC idea! LOL!

Things like this and more common graffiti are certainly breaking the law, and do not exist on my layout, but I can't help being amused by railroad modelers who are so offended by it that they seem to place such activities on the same level of someone breaking into the Louvre and painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Some guys need to get out of their basements more often! 

German posted:

Things like this and more common graffiti are certainly breaking the law, and do not exist on my layout, but I can't help being amused by railroad modelers who are so offended by it that they seem to place such activities on the same level of someone breaking into the Louvre and painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Some guys need to get out of their basements more often! 

That's something of a stretch, isn't it?

Here IS a stretch: M-O-N-O-N. ☺

Just to clarify a few points, the car will have the Moron lettering on both sides. I can not confirm it was done that way, but judging the way the tracks were laid out it was certainly doable if they had enough time. 

Also, I spoke with Lionel this morning. We will be including a sheet with the car that shows the prototype photo and tells the story. This will be folded and in the orange box. 

For all the Purdue alum reading, "Boiler up and Hammer Down" 

Assuming that they were undergrads, the evildoers would now be at least in their late 70s.  I wonder if any of them became model railroaders.  Maybe they're on this forum? 

You can come clean - the statute of limitations has expired.  

Some of you Moron's need to lighten up a bit. The vandalism part was a joke... Jeez...

As a proud Boilermaker, love the car and the story behind it.  

This is a bit goofy.

Typical Purdue Students

Great stuff, this.  Been looking for Moron for a long time.  

Er.  Monon.

Good news as of this morning. I spoke with Lionel and they are in the process of painting the bodies. It sounds like they will have a production sample to me next week which I will post photos of here. Outbound date from Lionel is supposed to be 4/1. That being said, I will be out of town for a few weeks, so the plan is to have these cars ship the week of April 16th. As part of that conversation, I gave Lionel our hard order number today. I left us some wiggle room, but we are well over halfway sold out on these. If you have an interest in this car, please head to Madisonposter.com to order. We just had an ad come out in the TCA quarterly and sales have been brisk since then. If the trend continues, we will be sold out or darn close by the time the cars arrive in five weeks. 

Thanks again everyone! 

Derek

Derek,

Thanks for your delivery schedule update, too bad the boxcars could not parallel the York dates (11 thru 13 April); it would be fun to pick those "Morons" up at York, maybe next time.

Looks great.

Just ordered... Couldn’t pass up a Moron!!! Hope you still ship USPS.

The big plus per the Purdue story, it is just like today. People with no business being in college are recruited to be athletes. History repeats itself as they say.

I will get one, too much fun telling the story to those who ask.

Great idea!

Apples55 posted:

Just ordered... Couldn’t pass up a Moron!!! Hope you still ship USPS.

The plan is that these will all still go via USPS. Worked out very well for us with the Madison Hardware cars last year. Thanks for all the orders in the past 24 hours. Keep em coming!

Call me Moron, cause I'm getting 1 too...

Super O Bob posted:

Typical Purdue Students

Now, now! I got my Engineering Degree there. But am getting a car to remember those that had the innovation and skills to do this without ever being caught. Wonder if any are working for the CIA now??

BOILER UP!

josef posted:

Super O Bob posted:

Typical Purdue Students

Now, now! I got my Engineering Degree there. But am getting a car to remember those that had the innovation and skills to do this without ever being caught. Wonder if any are working for the CIA now??

My Dad told me if i couldnt get accepted to University of Michigan, he was not sending me to college...  then he paused and said he might let me go to Purdue.

Hey Rick Arestad, check these out!

Looks like a must have! 🤣

The cars are here from Lionel and all preorders will ship TODAY. I do have some extras, so if you’re interested head on over to the link in the first post and grab one while you have a chance! 

Derek:

My car arrived today.  It's a winner!  Can't wait for your next project car.  

Neal Jeter

Received mine today. Internal rattling. Opened the doors and found these two loose inside. What are they? Thanks,  Joe

I had  one rattling around inside also.  I believe it's a car weight.

Neal Jeter

Hey all, 

Those do appear to be car weights that may have gotten knocked loose during shipping. Obviously that is not what we want to see, but it is an easy fix. These were glued by the factory to the floor of the car inside. Please let me know if it creates an issue for the car. 

Thanks,

Derek

Got mine today, as well.  Wife didn't notice the misspelling.  I guess her lack of interest was a contributing factor

Brendan

Seems pats trains stole your idea, he's got mth making same car 

tom21pa posted:

Seems pats trains stole your idea, he's got mth making same car 

We are aware of this and have had appropriate contact with all parties involved. Hopefully the outcome is the ethical one...

I was out of town for the weeknd, but my car was waiting for me when I returned today. Besides the weights issue, everything else looks great! Great idea again, Derek! Hope more are forthcoming!

Received mine today. Thank you Derek for your role to get this car produced. BOILER UP

Having more than one is not prototypical! 

tom21pa posted:

Seems pats trains stole your idea, he's got mth making same car 

My initial reaction was to think it was a bit underhanded.  However, unless proprietary artwork was stolen, I'm not sure I see a problem.  It's a reproduction of a "prototype" paint scheme - Lionel, MTH, and Atlas all make cars with the same road names and similar paint jobs all the time; why is this any different?  (It "seems" different, but I don't think it really is.)

Rigatoni Express Railroad posted:

Received mine today. Internal rattling. Opened the doors and found these two loose inside. What are they? Thanks,  Joe

You'll find witness marks on the floor where they fit.  I used some thick CA; it seemed to work - won't know for sure until they do a few laps.  Be very careful when you remove the floor!

Brendan posted:

Got mine today, as well.  Wife didn't notice the misspelling.  I guess her lack of interest was a contributing factor

Brendan

Although my sweetie is interested in the trains, she didn't notice either.  I guess she can't spot a moron when it's right in front of her.

Mallard4468 posted:

tom21pa posted:

Seems pats trains stole your idea, he's got mth making same car 

My initial reaction was to think it was a bit underhanded.  However, unless proprietary artwork was stolen, I'm not sure I see a problem.  It's a reproduction of a "prototype" paint scheme - Lionel, MTH, and Atlas all make cars with the same road names and similar paint jobs all the time; why is this any different?  (It "seems" different, but I don't think it really is.)

You're right it's not an issue if Patrick was able to provide MTH with a photo of the car which was not provided to Lionel by myself or subsequently included with our press releases in January of 2019. Using someone else's research is an issue. 

This is my last comment on this matter as I hope to have it resolved privately. Thanks. 

Derek

Would you believe I saw an email announcing the MTH one just a few minutes before spotting this thread?

(thinks "hmm...what would having one of each look like?")

---PCJ

This easy to miss "vandalism", is certainly far more acceptable than the moronic eye sores that soiled almost every car that rolled past a grade crossing l sat at yesterday morning.

"Lion Scale" appears to me to be a resurrection of the old Weaver molds. Not being familiar with all the Lionel designations, I had assumed "scale" meant their top of the line. My error.

Well, if Pat's is allowed to have MTH produce their Premier version of same, I'm in.   Joe  

Jeff T posted:

Some of you Moron's need to lighten up a bit. The vandalism part was a joke... Jeez...

Jeff, I'm huge a fan of sarcasm and dry humor. Unfortunately—I've learned this the hard way—electronic communication is just about the hardest way to pull it off. There is no way of discerning from your original post that it was not serious. Members have made similar statements about vandalism in all seriousness. Adding emojis lessens the subtlety and takes away some of the fun, but they're just about required when trying to use sarcasm and dry humor.

Since I'm criticizing you, let me further point out that an ellipsis is either "[space] [period] [space] [period] [space] [period] [space]" (Chicago Manual of Style) or "[space] [period] [period] [period] [space]" (AP style).

Back on topic: What a cool car! I love it.

Love it, I think I just read  history being made- the first reference from the Chicago Manual of Style in the history of the forum!  

Does anyone know if the rest of the LionScale Monon Boxcars shipped as well?

Just asking, there are two little screws on the bottom, are these the only ones you need to remove to get the body off? My weights are loose inside as well. You would think Lionel would know how to install these weights by now...

Is the same car with "MONON" unaltered available too?

John Rowlen posted:

If the Lionel cars come with quality die-cast trucks, why are weights necessary?

Maybe to bring it up to NMRA standards? Regardless, assuming that they have not changed the materials from the Weaver cars, they're pretty light, with plastic floors. Die-cast trucks will definitely help tracking and prevent string-lining, but so, too, will extra weight in the cars.

tom21pa posted:

...he's got mth making same car 

Copy-catting has been prevalent through the years. It's sad but not surprising.

TM Terry posted:

Is the same car with "MONON" unaltered available too?

2018 catalogue

Brendan

Received my MORON boxcar. Very nice.

In later years, the railroads hired Purdue students for menial weekend jobs including grade crossing guards where gates were lowered by hand. Lanterns hung beneath the gates when closed.

Boiler Up! Hammer Down! 

Big Jim posted:

tom21pa posted:

...he's got mth making same car 

Copy-catting has been prevalent through the years. It's sad but not surprising.

Yeah.  I guess it's called "competition" - and it's sometimes unseemly in such a limited market as toy trains.
That's one reason why I don't buy one manufacturer's products any longer.  

Just M.O.

cabinet Bob posted:

Just asking, there are two little screws on the bottom, are these the only ones you need to remove to get the body off? My weights are loose inside as well. You would think Lionel would know how to install these weights by now...

Here's how I did it (take that for what's it worth)...

Removed the two screws.  Opened the doors so I could stick my fingers inside the car.  GENTLY pry one side out so that the floor will pop out on one side.  Reach way in to one end to pry the side so that one corner will pop free.  Be VERY careful about the ladders on the ends - I worked on one of the corners without ladders.

Once the floor is removed, the location of the weights will be apparent.  When reassembling, the end-to-end fit is very tight - I used a tongue depressor between the end of the car and the floor to gently push the floor towards the other end, then popped it into place.  Pick the screws up off the floor and reinsert them.

Good luck!

I vote for letting Derek and pat work out whatever needs to be worked out. With all respect to our forum members, pat is an ethical business owner. We respect both of these folks. It is possible both have explored this independently.

Notch 6 posted:

Hey all, 

Those do appear to be car weights that may have gotten knocked loose during shipping. Obviously that is not what we want to see, but it is an easy fix. These were glued by the factory to the floor of the car inside. Please let me know if it creates an issue for the car. 

Thanks,

Derek

Derek,

Just in case you're keeping track, the weights were not affixed in my car, either.  Otherwise, looks sharp...

Moron on the West Coast!

I’ve given up on buying new stuff but couldn’t pass up joining the Moron club!

Thanks to everyone who is letting me know about the weight issue. We're aware and Lionel is aware. We'll take any steps we need to get issues corrected. 

Great to see photos of the car arriving. I'm very proud of this project and how fun it is. The cars look better in person than the concept art. Still have a hand full of cars left, but the pile is getting smaller every morning. If you'd like to get yours now please head on over to the website. 

PS. Would love to see some photos of this car in front of any other buildings, etc. that have jokes or puns on your layout. That's half the fun! 

Derek,

You should be proud! I love this car and the story behind it. Completely unique and hilarious too!

I look forward to more issues in this series!

THANK YOU!

I received my MORON Boxcar and was surprised to see that the coupler tabs are NOT Thumb Tacks, but rather nice hidden coupler trip plates. Sincerely, John Rowlen

I received my car today and it was my first LionScale piece.  The car is really unique and fun!  While others had their weights ajar my came perfectly intact.  The decoration is just really cool and it came with a letter of authenticity.  The car made its way to the carpet central and somehow got mixed in with a Union Pacific freight train!  I was pretty happy to support Derek on this first "XP" adventure and hope there are more to come!

Happy the car made it safely Marty! Thanks for the great photos and videos!

So a quick update. We have 11 cars left in stock this morning before we are sold out. This is my remaining stock on this car and I feel comfortable releasing the remaining cars now that we've had a few months to take care of any issues that have cropped up. Ironically these cars are doing very well on Ebay and two have already sold for $139. We're still selling them for $79.95. You do the math. 

Let's get my stock cleaned out so I can start working on the next project! 

Thanks,
Derek

Notch 6 posted:

So a quick update. We have 11 cars left in stock this morning before we are sold out. This is my remaining stock on this car and I feel comfortable releasing the remaining cars now that we've had a few months to take care of any issues that have cropped up. Ironically these cars are doing very well on Ebay and two have already sold for $139. We're still selling them for $79.95. You do the math. 

Let's get my stock cleaned out so I can start working on the next project! 

Thanks,
Derek

What is the next project that you have in mind?

Mallard4468 posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

Just asking, there are two little screws on the bottom, are these the only ones you need to remove to get the body off? My weights are loose inside as well. You would think Lionel would know how to install these weights by now...

Here's how I did it (take that for what's it worth)...

Removed the two screws.  Opened the doors so I could stick my fingers inside the car.  GENTLY pry one side out so that the floor will pop out on one side.  Reach way in to one end to pry the side so that one corner will pop free.  Be VERY careful about the ladders on the ends - I worked on one of the corners without ladders.

Once the floor is removed, the location of the weights will be apparent.  When reassembling, the end-to-end fit is very tight - I used a tongue depressor between the end of the car and the floor to gently push the floor towards the other end, then popped it into place.  Pick the screws up off the floor and reinsert them.

Good luck!

For something as simple as a boxcar, it shouldn't have to be that much work.

This Lionscale box car has a very smooth finish in the above photos.

Andrew

John Rowlen posted:

I received my MORON Boxcar and was surprised to see that the coupler tabs are NOT Thumb Tacks, but rather nice hidden coupler trip plates. Sincerely, John Rowlen

John:

Awesome. I didn't realize that the thumb tack couplers were disappearing on the LionScale line. Good to know.

Pat

Four boxcars left and then we are sold out. Thanks OGR!

Two cars....

I feel like a conductor calling out the car count over the radio. 

Notch 6 posted:

Two cars....

I feel like a conductor calling out the car count over the radio. 

Just ordered a  Moron boxcar...

Down to only one car conductor, you will soon be asking the engineer for three step protection. I am looking forward to your next project (how about a Lionel Ale inspired boxcar).

One car 

Three step! We are sold out. Thanks again for another very successful project to all our customers here on the OGR forum. We’ll be back in hopefully 2020 with a new project chances are this one will move under its own power.