Lionel ES44 Heritage Units

November 2013 so expect them in December.

I wonder if there will be any on display at York?  I will not be attending York, but would like to know.   If Lionel does not have demo units at York I would doubt they will be delivered in November.   I would not be surprised if we don't see them until 2014 with all the delays that Lionel has had with shipping items this year.  

I am looking forward for this unit also.  But am concerned that it will NOT be correct, i.e. that it will be as graphically depicted in the catalog.

So am hopeful they will have a sample at York and someone will verify if correct or not.

Thanks for the replies.

Woody

Actually to Lionel's credit, the only thing they HAVE been shipping this year (with very few exceptions thus far) are locomotives, locomotives, and more locomotives.   

It'll be nice to see some new scale rolling stock, and it looks like they're counting on Santa to make those deliveries.    I expect those ES44's will be on his sleigh too.

David

Complete samples of the conrail and nkp were in the Lionel booth. There was also an NS shell. The underframe definitely is the vision one from a few years ago, with the independent pilot that looks fixed.
The shell is plastic, the major failure to me was the molded in front door. The details look right though,  headlight notch, the shorter step in the roof, the handrails all look right. IMO, its a winner overall.

Edited for iphone auto-correct correction.

 Maybe I could share a pic with you for now....

Boilermaker1, did you notice if the cab graphics are correct on the NKP ES44?????  Or is it as pictured in the catalog?

The Es44ac's I thought looked great although I can't say if the NKP was correct but it looked great IMO. 

There was also an NS shell. 

So there could be a NS ES44AC in Lionel's next catalog? I'd be in for a pair!!

Bill

If Lionel do produce an NS ES44AC, I'll certainly be ordering at least one.

>>>Complete samples of the contrail and nkp were in the Lionel booth. There was also an NS shell. The underframe definitely is the vision one from a few years ago, with the independent pilot that looks fixed.<<

Interesting they utilized the underframe.  Probably won't see more diecast shells in the future.. It had a formidable body but delicate details that broke off easily because of its sheer weight.

I too will be in for NS whenever it becomes available. Wonder if they dropped the powered roof fan feature?

Joe 

No one has an empirically answer to the simple question, are the cab graphic correct on the NKP ES44?

I would think that it all depends upon your particular definition of correct. From the photographs shown in other posts, it would appear that these minor details changed several times in a short period of time. So they may be correct for the time that the graphics for the model were finalized, but different to those on a different date.

"Correct" would be to how NS had 8100's graphics Quickly changed to after realizing how it did not conform to established NKP standards.  Correct is how it appears now, how it appeared here at the NS/Heritage Event, and how it appeared being towed behind 765 over the Curve.

The red one, not standard black ones. I figured it was clear from the context of the thread.

Regarding the NKP cab lettering, I guess I didnt look at it close enough to know. Maybe someone else took a better look.

Thanks again for the updates.

Woody

Did Lionel happen to mention, or does anyone know if the Lehigh Valley's will be painted with the stripes on the front of the cab, or will it be how it was originally?

Bill

Did anyone notice the Conrail version on display at York. To me the finish was way too shiny. Any other opinions?

tr18,

    I have seen about 6 of the NS Heritage units, I have not seen the Conrail engine but all that I have seen are very shinny. To their credit NS keeps them very clean.

JohnB

NS Heritage units photos.

Lionel versions are glossy in an attempt to replicate how NS deliverd them into service.  MTH versions have the more common flat/satin finish.

Depending upon the paint scheme, you may prefer one over the other.  I think the glossy paint finish serves the Virginian, Reading, Lackawanna, Illinois Terminal and Penn Central very well.  But I didn't like the glossy paint on Lionel's Jersey Central -- but then again, Lionel got the orange paint color wrong on that.  So I opted to go with the MTH Jersey Central with its matching caboose -- both done up nicely in the flat finish.

Since Conrail will be an ES44, expect Lionel to deliver those to dealers late November or early December if they stay on schedule.  MTH already delivered their Conrail unit, so you may want to check out the flat/satin "look" there.

Always nice to have options.  

David

I saw the conrail at York and to me it looked great, it looks much better then the MTH unit IMO. Plus when you add legacy, well it will be great. 

A curious fact about the linked NS-Heritage site.  The 8100 NKP is picture as it shopped out of Juniata late March.  NS corrected the paint at Chattanooga mid-May.  WHEREAS they picture here the LV as after corrected mid-June in Altoona.

When they appeared here for the July 4/5 Event they were all correct.

And checking the Lionel catalog see that the LV is depicted as shopped out of Altoona in April Not as corrected in June.