Vision Line Centipede price decline

Anyone see that VL grey hudson at $900 not sell about 20 mins ago on the big  e site? No bids.

Ro has the Demo for $1200.

Just looked at the videos of the demo if it was the up or penn I buy it .. The demo paint job is to plain for me. 

Ro also has the NdeM single unit for $749. I could be tempted by either the demo or the NdeM but I'm not buying any engines this month, and I'm not buying any diesels for a long long time to come. Still a lot of money, but a great deal compared to the initial offering price. 

Check out Lionel's Blogspot.  They have a pilot version (unpainted) of the AA Centipede.  You could even paint it in SP Daylight colors if you wanted to.  

 

I think it is uncatalogued.

 

http://lionelllc.wordpress.com...t-pilot-locomotives/

I have mine from the original release by MTH…Ya they actually were the ones pushing the envelope at onetime here in North America. How does a fairy tale start… One time in a land a long time ago somewhere in Maryland was a company that made many wonderful trains for hungry for scale folks there, but this monster from a land far far away came and gobbled up all the trains and took them all away. Maybe a white knight will come and get our trains back for us starving folks left to fend with repaints in RS 3.

Mine still runs like an old warhorse and still in my stable. 

To quote the Knights who say "KNEE- Knee"!    Run away...run away!   

Originally posted by Ansonnn:

Honestly, if Lionel didn't make this a die-cast and had the Vision line features, I would have never bought it let alone the poor plastic MTH version.

NOw what is that supposed to mean? What's so "poor" about the MTH plastic?

 

Well, metal is metal, right?  I think all of us just prefer it.  For example, when it comes to cars, I loved my '98 Z28 but that was in spite of the plastic front fenders and doors (someone backed into it and they split, broke and splintered like a big plastic model).  At one time I had two Veranda turbines, the diecast Lionel two-motor one and the plastic four-motor MTH one: both bought used and both worked.  But when the MTH had problems I just took it apart for parts (four good motors, lots of nice trucks to use!) while I have scrupulously kept the Lionel in tip-top shape, not because its Lionel necessarily, but because, in part, its metal.

I don't want to get into this about metal vs plastic again I own mth es44s in plastic and own Lionel's es44s in plastic to .I own 3 metal Lionel es44s and There way better them all the plastic ones . They pull way better at slow speeds look better the fans work the cap detail, even the little screens in the cab light up. There's a reason why everyone wants them . I truly believe it's about the money why everyone cries about it. Regardless I bet nothing would out pull these beasts 2 die cast engines over 24 pounds together .

Not sure why these threads even wander into this territory. 

 

Neither is "better" than the other.  Just be happy with the model you choose to buy.  Folks buy the die-cast metal version for one reason... and for one reason only... because they can.  Plain and simple.  Just like with exotic cars. 

 

The detail level on the ABS plastic locomotives is just as good as that on the die-cast versions, and when the trains are moving the casual observer probably wouldn't even know the difference. 

 

I'm just glad we have a choice.  I own two of the die-cast ES44's, yet I'm also very happy with my roster of several Lionel UP and Norfolk Southern Heritage diesels done up in ABS plastic.  Nobody here needs an entire fleet of die-cast diesels.  If you have them (or one), great.  If you don't, life goes on. 

 

Prices ALWAYS take care of themselves over time.  Those who believe the die-cast diesels will carry a stratospheric premium forever may be disappointed at some point down the road.  May not be tomorrow or even this year.  Might be 5 years from now.  But the only thing for certain is these are just moment-in-time price-points.  There's a huge lesson to learn if we just look at many examples over the past few decades.  Not one... not ONE item that was once "highly sought after" has stood the test of time for ongoing desirability.  We're quite a fickle group, generally speaking.  And of course, the technology treadmill doesn't help one bit. 

 

David

The "metal vs. plastic" debate has been going on in model railroading since the 1950's.

 

I have yet to see a winner declared.

 

Rusty

The A-A Centipedes are on my locomotive hit list, and I'd be happy to get some (prefer PRR), but I don't have the funds right now (saving for the BB).  Yes, they aren't the best looking out there, but they were unique, and I'm trying to collect a sample of all the unique locos from all the roads.

I have one and, though it runs acceptable well, the fan noise is totally annoying. Unless I run it with hi revs and train brake on, the fan noise is clearly audible. It is not a nice sound. Sounds a bit like a bathroom exhaust fan that has not been lubricated. Jon Z tells me the fan cannot be turned off. You can turn the fan into a eunich by clipping the wires. I think I will do that. I have no need to check and see iIf the fans are spinning. It is simply a frill I can do without. The fan noise is really something to do without.

 

Curmudgeonly Scher

I have the VL green 5-stripe version and love it, and I don't see too many of those out there for sale.  Only issue with it is having to run it with the sound set high to drown out the fan noise from one engine.  The other engine's fan is quiet.

 

Before the Centipedes, I've had only one problem with a new Lionel engine and Lionel fix it without question.  I talked to Mike at York about the fan noise and he basically said its normal and to lube it (I lubed it the way he said to do it, take the fans off, but no change).  I brought up taking the shell off the engine and cutting/disconnecting a wire to the fan but Mike stated that would void the warranty.  I do not understand why Lionel refuses to acknowledge this issue with this high end product.

 

Anyway, like Scrapiron Scher I plan to disconnect the fan but I'm going to wait until the warranty period is over.  This is probably my last high end Lionel.  My next engine should be arriving shortly; a 3rd Rail PRR L1.

 

Ron

So why not lube it, or grease the gears?  From Eric's video above, what fan nose I could hear, it sounded a bit like gear chatter which grease can fix.  I think it's a neat feature, and the horn sounds awesome.  When I go to get a Centipede set, it'll be the Legacy ones I start looking for.

Just wait until those inflatable coal loads on the bigboys start bursting in a year.

at NJ Hirailers----

 

There was a pair of PRR Centipedes running at the Train stock 2014/OGR meet.

Not sure who owned/ran them---but they were a big show stopper.

Always a group of railfans around them.

All four smoke stacks going full bore. Looks like the owner was having a

a blast.

Someone help me out with a pic/details. I think a photo was posted of them in a 2014 train stock thread.

 

Floyd

There was a pair of PRR Centipedes running at the Train stock 2014/OGR meet.

 

Those were MTH ps1 vintage centipedes.

Not too bad considering it is the "poor plastic MTH version"...to quote an above post.

 

Bob

I made that quote.  Looks can be deceiving.  Not too impressive if you touch it :

Actually, I've owned a set of the original MTH Centipedes since they were first released. The units have proven to be very reliable and, having handled them often, "touching them", as you put it, hasn't been a problem.

 

Bob    

Not too impressive if you touch it

 

LOL, like I said before, PT Barnum nailed it.

Well, I did not read PT's memo.  But then again, I'm not in that minute crowd!

I don't know guys, but if you look real close I think I can see a Vision Line Centipede STILL for sale in that shop window over there....

 

 

And in this building too...

 

 

 

I have a proto 1 MTH Centipede that has been a great locomotive. I put in EOB and TMCC before Protosound 2 boards came avaiable. Love the engine; I see, no reason to buy a upgraded version from either company.

Scott Smith

We dohn need no steenkin' Pedes !      

Man, is that a rendition of brand new plastic MTH buildings over time?

I think I've come to realize that discussing manufacturers pricing or product failures (i.e. blowouts) is an entire hobby unto itself for some of us.  Seems there are more and more of these topics.

 

What happened to enjoying the hobby (building layouts, running or collecting trains) instead of jumping up on the soapbox to profess marketing and product strategy...  what a snoozer.

Well ended up getting one yesterday on the 6 th.  Went to charles ro but the baldwin was at 1649.  Wasnt really intetested in that one anyway. I got the pennsy single stripe for 1499. Im satified with that price and after watching a video suggested by a poster it convinced me even more. It was by ericstrains and i learned a lot bout that engine that lionel didnt. The way the 2 diesels tie the sound together for the echoing effect is awesome.  Anyway thanks for all the posts.  Now for what to haul.  From what i found the ppr had it pulling passenger in the applaching mountains but later pulled and pushed freight.  This diesel just looks so sleek think it will look better pulling passenger.  Now bring on the BIG BOY