Skip to main content

I am a long time member of the TCA (28 years), and I do not intend any disrespect to the organization. That having been said, the 400E Limited Edition "Orient Express" with the Blue Comet car consist is quite illogical and silly, and a little beyond my fantasy tolerance level! I own and love European models, especially LGB, so there is absolutely no prejudice towards such models. Even LGB  got the Orient Express set wrong on two occasions, but at least they were European models! A 400E set painted up as a European model is frankly absurd, but I recognize there will be those that disagree, and that is fine! But, I just had to get this off my chest! THANK YOU for reading my thread, and Feliz Navidad and Frohliche Weinhnachten to all!

Last edited by Tinplate Art
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I saw the picture. As most of you know, I’m not much of a purist, I enjoy the odd stuff. I think it would have been a much more intelligent offering with a 392 tender. The oil tender is just ...........pick your own word. Removing the US type pilot and adding buffers would be a simple project.

Steve

D50AFE2C-45E2-401C-9348-CB2BB4134AFD3069CECE-B208-423D-8B8B-53A405C606DA

Attachments

Images (2)
  • D50AFE2C-45E2-401C-9348-CB2BB4134AFD
  • 3069CECE-B208-423D-8B8B-53A405C606DA
Last edited by Steve "Papa" Eastman
Tinplate Art posted:

That having been said, the 400E Limited Edition "Orient Express" with the Blue Comet car consist is a quite illogical and silly, and a little beyond my fantasy tolerance level! THANK YOU for reading my thread, and Feliz Navidad and Froliche Weinhnachten to all!

Tinplate Art

Merry Christmas to you and I agree completely with you; that Orient Express is a horror!

Regards

Fred

I like the idea of changing out the pilot (and the tender). The 400E doesn't really look like anything real anyway. Lionel must have paid that NYC engineer a lot of dough when he told the kid on the catalog cover 'just like mine' (engineer on a J1 NYC Hudson).  Frankly, I'm not sure why MTH didn't offer a 400E with a straight coal tender (ever seen the prototype set at John DeSantis collection?). But I'm nowhere near buying something like this.

Jim

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I saw the picture. As most of you know, I’m not much of a purist, I enjoy the odd stuff. I think it would have been a much more intelligent offering with a 392 tender. The oil tender is just ...........pick your own word. Removing the US type pilot and adding buffers would be a simple project.

Steve

D50AFE2C-45E2-401C-9348-CB2BB4134AFD

The text on the tender is  not very legible, but I think it says K.BAY.STS.B. 

The resemblance is striking 

Regards

Fred

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0

Based on what I've read in other posts on the forum, MTH has a fair number of unpainted 400E engines laying around.  After painting them in so many different schemes and flooding the market, why not do the Orient Express?  At least it's something different, and perhaps TCA can raise a few dollars with it.

Virtually every item in standard gauge is a fantasy piece, so I see no reason to be concerned about the finer points of prototypical design or color.  If a person likes it and has $2500 to spare, let them enjoy it.

Don't look for me to be among the 8 who are selected in the drawing, though.  (It would be interesting to know how many people enter the drawing.)  And woe to the person who buys one thinking that it will become a valuable collector item in a few years.   

A "justification" for such a set is that there was an American Orient Express. The color scheme is appealing within the context of typical fantasy Standard gauge tinplate. The Lionel Blue Comet hardly looked like the real CNJ train of the same name. The fatal negatives for me are: (1) it is not conventional/traditional (IMO modern electronics in any tinplate is an aesthetic anathema and soon to be repairable only with difficulty), and (2) like many of you, I already own and run an extended consist modern reissue Blue Comet with both a 400E and a 390E to pull it. I've grown to prefer my blue 390E for this duty.

Don't see anything here to get all worked up about. Not my cup of Earl Gray, but to those who like it, have fun!

Bob

Last edited by Bob Bubeck

Before everyone totally trashes this train take into account that MTH will no longer being offering tinplate trains after these are complete. 

The number 8 came from the amount of parts MTH had at the factory to offer the complete train. 

I won't be one of the 8 that will be interested, but why make fun of those who will enjoy this set? 

For the record, I would like a traditional 400E someday to pull my small collection of 200 and 500 series cars.  Have to put those old Lionel Z's to work somewhere.

GG1 4877 posted:

...MTH will no longer being offering tinplate trains after these are complete...

Do you have that from a source at MTH?

Although the licensing agreement will be ending, AFAIK MTH can still produce tinplate trains (without the Lionel badge) if it believes there is a market.  Considering that Mike Wolf seems to have a soft spot in his heart for tinplate, I think he'll make them if he can sell them.

Great looking cars...this is tinplate, so..scale details don't matter.

It would not take much to add a few "european" details to the engine or cars....

I don't think we Americans would be too upset about proportions or exact detail...we just love tinplate for what it is.

Always liked green engines with red wheels and lots of nickel trim!....

 

How about it MIKE!

Maybe some more cream bodied, red or green roofed passenger cars with dark green or red trucks?

Last edited by justakid
sncf231e posted:
Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I saw the picture. As most of you know, I’m not much of a purist, I enjoy the odd stuff. I think it would have been a much more intelligent offering with a 392 tender. The oil tender is just ...........pick your own word. Removing the US type pilot and adding buffers would be a simple project.

Steve

D50AFE2C-45E2-401C-9348-CB2BB4134AFD

The text on the tender is  not very legible, but I think it says K.BAY.STS.B. 

The resemblance is striking 

Regards

Fred

A K.BAY STS.B.

In green with red wheels would a big hit in any gauge or medium.

In tinplate...a super star!

sncf231e posted:
Tinplate Art posted:

That having been said, the 400E Limited Edition "Orient Express" with the Blue Comet car consist is a quite illogical and silly, and a little beyond my fantasy tolerance level! THANK YOU for reading my thread, and Feliz Navidad and Froliche Weinhnachten to all!

Tinplate Art

Merry Christmas to you and I agree completely with you; that Orient Express is a horror!

Regards

Fred

Tinplate Art posted:

SORRY, gentlemen, under any consideration, still a s-t-r-e-t-c-h!

I must've missed the memo... 

When did tinplate become a rivet counting branch of model railroading?

Isn't this the same forum where the "Black bonnet" (a set that has NO basis in reality...) 400E set was scarfed up?

Rusty

Last edited by Rusty Traque
Rusty Traque posted:
sncf231e posted:
Tinplate Art posted:

That having been said, the 400E Limited Edition "Orient Express" with the Blue Comet car consist is a quite illogical and silly, and a little beyond my fantasy tolerance level! THANK YOU for reading my thread, and Feliz Navidad and Froliche Weinhnachten to all!

Tinplate Art

Merry Christmas to you and I agree completely with you; that Orient Express is a horror!

Regards

Fred

Tinplate Art posted:

SORRY, gentlemen, under any consideration, still a s-t-r-e-t-c-h!

I must've missed the memo... 

When did tinplate become a rivet counting branch of model railroading?

Isn't this the same forum where the "Black bonnet" (a set that has NO basis in reality...) 400E set was scarfed up?

Rusty

Rusty, this is what is called in some circles a "tempest in a tea pot" thread. 

Bob

As my collection has a Flying Scotsman that looks like this ....

Flying Scotsman

Its pretty obvious I have no place in this thread nor will ever be a rivet counter ....

 

Now that being said I think for ANYONE releasing a "serious" model train and charging many $1,000's , Even I would expect it to be somewhat "Similar" to what it is purporting to be LOL!

I think here in Australia we would describe it as " Taking the p.i.s.s. "

But each to their own , its a fine looking combo in its own right , and probably would have been better served marketing it as "The End of the Line Special "

But regardless, if you love it you would buy it, if you dont, you wont   Either way, as long as you are enjoying what you do , what's the harm ?

 

 

Last edited by Fatman

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×