Lionmaster line/brand ... Is it finished?

I have the Legacy Conrail SD80 Power/dummy units and think they're great.  I usually run them on my O-36 curves and compared to a scale diesel, they don't look quite as bad going around them.  I'd possibly be in for another Lionmaster locomotive or two.

I agree. The lionmaster diesel sets were the best value in the catalogs for years IMO. I have 3 and wish I bought the other two when they were out.

I'd like to see Lionmaster survive.  Hopefully it will make a return in 2013.

I too would like to see more Lionmasters.  I have a bunch and love them all.  I have only an O-31 layout and even though they hang way over they do run and thet are by far the best look looking engines that I can run.

I hope we will see more LionMasters soon.  They are very nice locomotives and they look great on my O-60 and O-72 loops, yet they can still go on my smaller curves.  On my roster is a Cab-Forward and Legacy T1.  The T1 has whistle steam effect...that's pretty cool.  I'd like to see the NYC Hudson reissued with Legacy and I'm kind of surprised they haven't reissued the Cab-Forward with Legacy.  An all new LionMaster steam would be nice.

I believe Kline by Lionel is the replacement for the Lionmaster line in their minds and all the engines etc will fill that void.

I have the very first Lionmaster engine, a UP Challenger.  I love it.  Does anyone know all of the Lionmaster locos and when they were issued?

 

Paul Edgar

I'm another Lionmaster fan with 3 steamers and 2 diesels.

 

I'd like to see a Legacy Hudson.

I agree I liked the Lionmaster Line. Although I never did order anything from it I was always intrigued by the engines they were able to fit into the line.

Need a lionmaster legacy cab forward and hudson. They have the tooling. Please do them lionel!!!!! And yes the other steam mentioned. If MTH can do there imperial line and be successfull. Why not lionel with lionmaster. Should be a no brainer!

See here http://www.lionel.com/Products/Finder/searchresults.cfm?doAction=search&expandBranch=0&Keywords=lionmaster&CategoryID=0&Gauge=&FeatureIconID=&RailLineID=&CatalogID=&CollectionID=&StartRow=1&SortMethod=default

I am getting grumpy and cheap in my old age...

After spending $700+ on several MTH Premier Engines and $300+ on my several MTH Rail Kings, I have decided that I will no longer spend that kind of money.

For after seeing my first two Williams locos I recieved this week that cost only $149-$174, I now refuse to pay several hundred dollars or more on "Toys Made In China".

Although, I love all the bells and whistles on my DCS loco's, I must draw the line.

If and when these toy manufacturers ever employ american's again by making them in the USA, even if it cost more, then and only then will I spend that kind of money.

I have nine Lionmaster Challengers, two Big boys and a T-1.  The Challlengers and Big Boys are nearly scale sized and well proportioned and detailed.  I just wish they would not put in a real coal load as I am concerned what will happen then the glue eventually dries out and dissolves.  Challenger 3983 is my favorite to operate and a tireless work horse on a 27 car freight train.  Make more Lionmaster!!  The large engines of Lionmaster look great on O 72 curves.

Union Pacific Challenger 3983 responding to Legacy control with a 27 car train:

 

 

 

Relative sizes of a JLC Challenger, Lionmaster Challenger, Rail King Santa Fe Northern and American Flyer Challenger:

 

 

Add my vote for bringing back the Lionmaster line. They are great, not quite scale but perfectly selectively compressed engines with lots of features and detail.

How about something that hasn't been done before like an I1 Decapod. Up until now all the Decapods that have been offered were either glorious scale versions or MTH's funny looking undersized Railking one. Or better yet a Rock Island TA or AB6 diesel or Santa Fe #1A and #1B.

jackson

 

For five years, a Lionmaster Big Boy was my very favorite loco.  I literally wore it out, running it every day, two hours or more.  It looked so good, and had so many wheels and all . . .  but it died about a year ago, just fatigued and worn out.  So for quite a long time - a year -  I wanted another, and hoped Lionel would offer another Lionmaster series Big Boy. 

   They haven't, but I'm doing great in spite.  Lionel has most recently offered a bunch of truly scale locos -- Northerns, Pacifics, Berks, etc. -- that are roughly the same size overall as the Lionmaster, and just as fun and impressive to run, and, well -- truly scale.  I can live without the semi-scale because Lionel is doing scale so well.  I see where they are going, into real models, and . . . It's okay with me.

I am also a big fan of the Lionmaster line with CP SD-90, NYC SD-80, and PRR T1.  I do hope that Lionel keeps this product line alive by offering a new or reissue once every 12 to 18 months.  In the meantime, I will look to MTH's Imperial line for detailed selectively compressed semi-scale product.

Since they were announced, LionMaster engines have been the only engines that I have purchased with the exception of a "Baby" Mikado.  And that engine has had details and cruise added to make it an honorary LionMaster! 

 

Bring on more!  A LionMaster "J"... a LionMaster "K-4s"!

 

Jon 

Jon,

Although not Lionmaster, I purchased this past spring, the Lionel K-4 in the Polar RR road name.  It is scale but runs on my 036 Fastrack and looks even better on 048.  This engine is one of my favorited next to the LM Big Boy from 2008. 

 

I am glad to see the support for the LM line .....

 

 

Yeah - for a while i combed the internet looking for it.  Google and Bing turned up lots of hits for retailers who listed it, but all were old listings and no one had a NIB one in stock.  I finally decided that if and when Lionel ever offered it again I'd buy/.

 

But for now, I'm content with scale locos.  What I did like about the LM was all the wheels turning and rods moving, etc. and yet at 28.5 inches it was big, but not too big (a scale Big Boy, at 32.5, is just a bit too big to look good on my layout).  But frankly a scale 3759 Northern or a big Legacy Texas has all the "gravitas" of the LM Big Boy if not quite as much wheel-rod movement going on. 

 

So - Lionel will sell me a LM Big boy if they ever offer it in a future catalog, but for now they'll also get all my loco money by offering scale Legacy steamers, which they seem to have no end of locos to offer. 

 

Thanks . . .

Like MTH with their Rail King Imperial line, Lionel Lionmaster applies the principal of continuos improvement with each new generation of the model.  While I question that adding real coal loads is an improvement to semi scale steam, I note as an example that the first generation Lionmaster Challengers did not have separately applied tender marker lights while the latest generation has separately applied tender marker lamps.  The latest Big Boy, 4011, also had detail improvements over prior versions like the addition of the red valve handles along the side of the firebox.

Frankly, on thinking it over, the only reason I liked my Lionmaster Big Boy was that it did not have a prototypical pivot point for the front set of drivers, but instead had had that moved forward to reduce "boiler stick out" and also had a few other tricks applied to limit that also, so it did not look ridculous going around curves.   

 

I'd actually prefer that, rather than produce another LM Big Boy Lionel produce a scale Legacy or Vision Big Boy, using the tooling from their JLC Big Boy but modifying it with these same "anti-boiler-stick-out" tricks.  I have the JLC Big Boy but its boiler stick out is nearly three inches on 72" curves, way too much for me. I paid about $2,200 for the JLC NIB about five years ago and I'd pay a bit more for a new Vision one with this feature (and a swing bell, maybe?).  I would not buy another without that feature.

A friend has the Clinchfield LM Challenger. They are not "near scale", but are very,

very sweet. I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I "needed" it.

 

I was hoping for a LM 4-12-2 or PRR Q1/Q2. My RK Imperial Triplex - same philosophy - is

one of my favorite locos.

If the new J's that were introduced made in Lionmaster, I think it would break my wallet!!!

I have the WM 1206 and as far as scale goes, if you couple a scale boxcar to the tender, they match up perfectly at the top. Very close to scale. I'd like to see more of these offerings.

I have never heard an answer as to whether Lionel has that tooling for sure or not.  It would be a perfect fit to the LionMaster line.  I have the K-Line TMCC Allegheny, but would trade up to a Legacy version.  Here is a video showing the K-Line Allegheny on my old carpet layout...

 

 

For those interested, here is a video of my Legacy T1 and TMCC RS5 Cab-Forward on my old layout.  The Cab-Forward was re-lettered to Lionel Lines...

 

I just posted a CP  SD-90 on the for sale.  forum  LOCOMOTION

Keith,

Love that Cab Forward!  

I just realized that when I posted the Lionmaster list in an earlier post I left out about half the items.  Here's what I think is the complete list.  There are 36 engines and sets in the list.