I enjoy the polar express movie, but have no interest in the line of items. The north pole central and other green and red Christmas items are much more appealing to me. If I have kids in the future, this could and likely will change.
BTW Paul, lets not forget some respectable "North Pole" offerings from MTH that fit right in the PE Line.
These are Railking "North Pole" cars, being shorter, they look better going around my o-60 radius. Theres a whole host of other cars, i.e. operating cars etc, as well as a station with Christmas lights.
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Good stuff, Paul. I hope you love it and I look forward to the video of it on your layout!
I have the LionChief O gauge Polar Express set with the add on cars (the announcements car is really cool_ as well as the FlyerChief S gauge set with add on cars. Both sets get run each Christmas and the grand kids love them.
Rolland
@Rider Sandman posted:Good stuff, Paul. I hope you love it and I look forward to the video of it on your layout!
Thanks, Rider! I will endeavor to make videos...and have been meaning to make one of the PE bipolars and other Christmas related trains.
While I find the PE Acela intriguing, and would probably buy one if money were no object, I'm happy to stick with steam and adding on to my consists. I bought the first Legacy PM 1225 and add-on PE tender, and then later the first Legacy PE 1225 with the "cow-catcher" pilot and whistle steam, and have been double-heading them at our Christmas displays at Kennywood until I got the snow-covered cars in 2019, and then I ran them as separate consists on the same line. The Polar Express is always a big hit with kids and parents alike. Here is a video from 2018 that I shot at Kennywood:
Andy
Great video and idea of double-heading PE Berks, Andy. I like the speeding run-by towards the end...that's the way to run 'em.
I resurrected this thread because I read on another post that Lionel canceled some of their planned fantasy Acela sets, but they're making the Polar Express (and Santa Fe)!
Although I still don't know how I am going to pay for it, I am glad that I pre-ordered the PE Acela. Apparently, others did as well, otherwise Lionel would've added it to the list of canceled Acela sets. That Milw. Rd. scheme was pretty sharp...the best looking of the lot IMO.
Pre-orders are important; a gamble they are, but this is niche hobby, and getting 'nicher' by the day.
I got a rare garage sale, like new, Lionel Freight set, 2-8-4 Lionel Berkshire 756, Nichol Plate Road, whistle tender, and bell 2002 year, w/406 smoke caboose, box car, flat car and tanker w/80 watt Lionel Trans, and Fastrack oval and 2 manual switches and crossing signal lights and sound for less than 1/2 as much as the Polar Express sets sell for on eBay completed auctions. I believe the 2-8-4 Lionel Berkshire engine and tender is the same as the Polar Express.
To me the Nichol Plate Road set is a more interesting train to watch roll on by, but that is me but I just like freight trains more than passenger trains.
Charlie
That’s Nickel Plate Road.
As a former film archivist, I love the animation and sentiment of the Polar Express. I was fortunate to get a LC set, and now run it on my portable layout at Christmas. Yes, at 74, I still like to watch the movie, and fortunately can still hear the bell. The train is a big hit with kids and adults on my layout. Acela? Nah!
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@Csxcellent posted:I enjoy the polar express movie, but have no interest in the line of items. The north pole central and other green and red Christmas items are much more appealing to me. If I have kids in the future, this could and likely will change.
I have the Polar Express set I like it very much but, this year I wanted something a little more Christmas-looking.
I really wish that Lionel releases a North Pole Central FT LionChief locomotive. I’m planning my first North Pole Central train for this Christmas. I’ve got the cars and an Animated Santa Caboose. I need to choose a locomotive. I thought about the NPC Berkshire but that a lot of train budget for a Christmas themed locomotive. The soon to be released 4-4-0 is okay but looks cheap in the photos. I guess it will be the GP38 NPC. My train is freight only so that’ll do until something better comes along.
I like the 2132050 Christmas LionChief General in v1 2021 catalog. Very colorful. But I really like the one Trainworld has in stock. The 1932090 Polar Express Berkshire LionChief Plus 2.0. Seems kiddies all like Polar Express stuff. The colored lights in the Fastrack is also a great Christmas affect.
I think the Polar Express movie is to the toy train hobby what the Urban Cowboy movie is to country music. Before that film you had to already like country music to find it and listen to it. After the movie came out people were going out to find country music and it is far bigger now than ever.
Living in Las Vegas for close to 50 years, I have been around many musically talented individuals that are basically very good lounge acts. However, outside of Las Vegas most people have never heard of them. It takes a national hit recording to move somebody out of the lounge into the main room. I think the Polar Express film was the national recording that got many people into or back into trains as a hobby.
Yes, Jon, there's no doubt about it. The animated 3-D movie was the proverbial "shot in the arm" or stimulus that both introduced and brought a LOT of people into the hobby via the basic starter set. Right now, I cannot find the source of the statistics, but it was stated a few years ago the PE starter was Lionel's all-time best selling train set, and that is saying something. The scale trains have become quite collectable.
I especially like how some very talented people, both seasoned and seasonal train folks built some very nice Christmas-Polar Express themed layouts. As long as there are children, I reckon people will be building them for many years to come,
I’m really surprised Lionel has not made the postwar style snowplow (53) or snowblower (58) switchers in the Polar Express paint scheme - or have they ???
Anyway I think they would be good sellers
Thanks
