The S-scale Polar Express set - anyone have it?

They're not out yet.

 

If they were, Lionel would be shouting it from the rooftops on their blog and Facebook page.(you'd think...)  Makes no sense to keep them under a bushel.

 

There hasn't even been a pilot model, rapid prototype or production sample of the locomotive shown anywhere.

 

MAYBE a sample will show up at York next week, then again, maybe not.

 

Rusty

I would venture that it is very safe to say that Lionel is going to miss "the Christmas surge/increasing the Polar Express interest" market yet again.  They'd better hope this Polar Express "thing" sustains for yet another year.

 

Having seen the movie, I really don't understand how it has sustained as long as it has.

The AF PE Set is on the Shipping Schedule for OCT 2014, of course shipping schedules in toy trains are very often missed..

They'd better hurry.

While I'm interested in the "nuts and bolts" of the locomotive, big honkin' pilot aside,  I'm much more interested in the NKP set that will be available sometime between 2015 and infinity.

 

Rusty

In 'S GAUGIAN' Magazine Matt Ashba of LIONEL Trains is asked about the PE and, what he seemed to say, is a much more detailed version of the Berkshire made with the same Tooling that they are planning on in the future.

The AMERICAN FLYER Facebook Page mentioned that they have Pre-Production Samples for Review and Testing of the PE and are looking to an end of December delivery..

LIONEL at the TCA Strasburg Museum Presentation had the Sample of the AF Polar Express Set that they were displaying. AMERICAN FLYER TRAINS on Facebook has a few pictures of the Engine. 

From AF facebook page

Looks promising.  That thar sure looks like an NKP style tender.

 

Rusty

I may have to snag one of these for around the tree. It seems to be at least as nice if not nicer than the AM Northern. If the sounds are weak it would be a good candidate to gut the electronics and install a DCC sound decoder with a good 1225 whistle.

That is a wonderful sign. Maybe they will make a Christmas delivery. I look forward to the videos being posted on the tca website.  

I've watched them on the TCA video's over the past few years, they seem to hold everything a little ham-handed, I don't think the venue really allows for good, clear views. 

 

Plus, they're not used to holding anything smaller than O.

 

Rusty

I think that is Matt Aahba holding the tender.  He is Director of Project Planning at Lionel.  He said he would send me the Polar Express he took to York so I could write a review of it for S Gaugian.  I hope to have it in my hands in about two weeks.  I will communicate with him to see.  

If I can I will post good pictures of it here when I get it.

Jonathan, thanks for posting a better broadside shot.

 

Given the price point for the PE set, it looks pretty good for a "train set" locomotive.  Looks far superior to the "Berkshire Jr." the O Gauge guys have.

 

Rusty

Looks extremely nice. I'm glad I ordered one. Lionchief and conventional operation possible, right? Trumps any traditional AF loco.  

Nope. 

 

Set Lionchief loco's are LC control only.  Unless the boys at the Ranch change their minds, the Flyerchief sets will be the same.

 

Only the separate sale LC+ loco's can also be controlled conventionally. 

 

Rusty

I thought I read somewhere there was a special switch. My bad.

Guess that makes it officially "maybe."

 

As the phrase goes: "Features can be verified on the side of the box."

 

Rusty

 

The Lionel catalogues should be taken with a full shaker of salt. The Y-3, the SD-70ACe, and the ES44AC are advertised in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 catalogues as having "AF Speed Control with On/Off switch [that] lets your locomotive operate smoothly and consistently over grades and through curves." That On/Off switch disappeared after the Challengers. Catalogues appear to be cut and paste jobs with a consistent level of inaccuracy that should make anyone wary of pre-ordering--something that Lionel is trying to foster.

 

That looks really nice.  It will be interesting to see what the o gauge guys think of it compared to the PE O Gauge set that has been out. 

 

Ben

Probably be jealous...  Especially if it gets the switch to operate conventionally.

 

Rusty

From what I can see the AM Northern is still the far better engine for detail.

 

Perhaps when they update the tooling for post PE production it may be as good.

Jonathan,

Thanks for posting this.  The tender looks a lot nicer than what was in the catalog.

Do you know which passenger car that is below the loco - one that comes with the set or the one you order separately?  In the catalog, the roof treatment looked different for the set.

 

Thanks, Mike A.

Guys, remember the PE is not designed to compete with other recent Flyonel or the AM Northern in detail.  This is a train set for beginners of a young age. One of their "Ready to Run" sets.

 

I did ask Matt Ashba about its power operation via email.  Here is his answer:

 

 

If you go to the American flyer facebook page you can see all the passenger cars.  There are also some pictures of the turnouts and scale detailed watertower.

Thanks, NotInWI.

 

The car under the loco must be one of the add-on cars.  In the overall picture that shows everything, it looks like the snow on the roof detail might be the same on all the cars, but it's kind of hard to see for sure since the cars are pretty small.

 

Mike A.

I saw this set in the Orange Hall at York today!  The locomotive has detail typical to old Flyer locomotives with the details cast onto the boiler.  It is a fine looking locomotive and the front pilot wheel is well detailed. I am waiting for the non Polar Express locomotive to come out.  IMHO it will be a fine addition to a roster of AF locomotives.  The tender is quite long!

I saw it at York today also.  Very nice.  Not too sure about the painted-on snow on the passenger car roofs though.   Looks kinda weird in person.  If there is snow on the car roofs, why then is there none on some parts of the loco & atop the tender?

 

Steam locomotives are hot.  Snow doesn't like hot.  Tender decks would be kept clean by the crew for safety reasons.

 

Rusty

Hope to have it by Christmas. Only thing I pre-ordered and did it from my LHS.  Will use it around the tree with my O set as well.

Wondering what cab number they'll give the non PE version and if they'll add a mars light (hope so!).

I would expect the set NKP version to be 765.  (It would be a bit of irony if they numbered it 736...)

 

I wouldn't hold your breath for a Mars light on a FlyerChief version.  The only change will likely be the pilot.

 

Rusty

Further back up on 12th October, Gardner indicates that Matt Ashba mentions that the engine will have more detail in the future.  I guess this is post PE production as I would have thought that once the tooling is changed to make any improvements then the PE is a bit dead, unless they produce an enhanced version of it at a higher price. 

 

They could I suppose run a lot of blank PE castings now for amother couple of season runs and slowly feed them out each year before making any changes. Then perhaps the changes may not be to the body castings, except pilot, but to improved motion work and wheels.

 

Again, a very speculative issue that only time will tell

The AM Northern is an all molded detail engine with no cab interior. They are exactly the same as far as I can tell. In fact the berk probably has a detailed cab interior.

Matt Ashba in the S-Gaugian said the Cowcatcher for the PE version is larger and the other models will have a smaller version. He also mentioned, it was a little unclear to me though, that a higher Detail version is being considered using the same base tooling and possibly including the Legacy System. 

To make it more clear what I read, the Scale Detailed Version would not be a PE but a Model of a Prototype Engine and Road-names.

The AM northern has free-standing wire handrails, full valve gear and several other free-standing details.

 

Now, from what I can tell the FlyerChief set Berkshires will have cast on handrails and partial valve gear and few, if any free-standing details.  All this helps to meet the price point and provides less opportunity for the little nippers to poke their eyes out.

 

 

Now, the Lionel FlyerChief Berks will be fine for the for the starter set market and quite possibly even for the "runners" crowd.  I'm looking forward to the NKP Berk myself.

 

The quality of the cast-on details appears to be equal for both locomotives.

 

But, overall detailwise, I think the AM Northern's visible free-standing details trumps a mostly hidden, possible cab interior, cast on handrails, etc. on the FlyerChief Berk.

 

I would expect a full-blown "upscale" Legacy version of the Berkshire to be right up there with the Y3.

 

Rusty