# 2019 Lionel Catalog Preview



## batstang2000 (Oct 26, 2015)

Disclaimer: This is NOT me !
It is blurry, but you may still see something that interests you.
Skip to the 3:30 mark for catalog. I admit, I turned off the sound and just viewed. ENJOY 

Go to youtube and search for 
*Lionel Trains 2019 Catalog Walkthrough*

Mod Edit: You can actually post the video right here.


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

Batstang, I stuck with it long enough to understand why people pay a high price for catalogs they will never buy from. The photos inside the catalog are beautiful.


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## 86TA355SR (Feb 27, 2015)

I enjoyed the 'sneek preview' !


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## superwarp1 (Dec 13, 2016)

The kid flipped through to fast and I gave up after a minute. I’ll wait till Wednesday to actually thumb through it online


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2019)

Looks like somebody stole the strawberries. 

But, no big deal. The BIG L really needs a confidence builder as much if not more than a new catalog.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

I saw a pic of the famous Harry Heike. That means more weathering!

That should make PTC happy, he loves Harry!!


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2019)

*"That should make PTC happy, he loves Harry!!"*

Who wouldn't when you have a masterpiece on your layout like this. 

View attachment 481360


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## machinist (Dec 2, 2015)

That was brutal to listen to, but at least the kid has enthusiasm for the items that he was interested in. I got a chuckle when he blew through most of the front pages where all the expensive stuff is and he made the comment "you adults know what this stuff is"! Looks like BI-Polars(wonder if they're diecast like the first run and it'll be interesting to see what the msrp is), more ES44AC's(plastic or diecast), bunch of heavyweight pass cars, couldn't quite make out what the Legacy steamers were, scale bulkhead flats and the flats with the tanks. What I didn't see were any more Freedom Train items to go with the 13 cars that I already purchased.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I didn't see anything interesting before I got tired of the narration (lame). 

Some big steamers up front apparently, but I have all of those I need and want.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Guys, it's a new world out there for sure. And with each day, the online world gives us all a chance to view more out-of-focus pictures and blurry videos. I mean.... seriously.... if you're gonna publish low quality content -- whatever your age -- why even bother? Just to say you scooped everybody else? Young kids can usually run circles around us older folks when it comes to technology.  So you can't say being young is an excuse for posting a blurry video.

I did a little better than Gary, and lasted a "few" minutes before I just couldn't watch (or listen) anymore. While I'm sure Lionel isn't exactly happy that somebody spilled the beans from its latest catalog, it doesn't appear they have all THAT much to worry about, since this kid can't focus his camera AND he flew through the high-end stuff pretty quickly. By the time he actually got to the traditional stuff, I couldn't take it anymore. 

In any event, my wallet is pretty safe anyway, because I'm sticking to my resolution to not pre-order anything out of this catalog until Lionel addresses their quality issues big-time and rebuilds buyer confidence. And that, my friends, is likely gonna take more than one catalog/production cycle.

David


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> *"That should make PTC happy, he loves Harry!!"*
> 
> Who wouldn't when you have a masterpiece on your layout like this.


I don't know what your're talking about? What masterpiece? The layout, what...

I'm not a weathering fan of my pieces. If I remember correctly you weren't fond of someone mentioning weathering the new MTH SF's...


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2019)

The young narrator flew through the pages much too quickly at a poor angle for the viewer. 

He's a youngster with a lot of enthusiasm so I won't criticize his video.

I'll wait for Wednesday to see if there are any LC+ locos, or anything else, that I would want.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

machinist said:


> .... more ES44AC's(plastic or diecast), bunch of heavyweight pass cars, ....
> 
> What I didn't see were any more Freedom Train items to go with the 13 cars that I already purchased.


Nick,

It would be interesting from a price perspective to see what Lionel would charge for a die-cast ES44 these days... very likely MUCH MORE than the original $899 or so (if I recall correctly) from the initial run. My hunch though is these will be made with ABS shells, in which case I'm ES44'd out and spoiled with my die-cast BNSF ES44 and VisionLine Canadian Pacific EVO Hybrid.

Did somebody say more heavyweight passenger cars?  This latest production run (Polar Express, Pennsy, Reading & Northern, Great Northern Orient Express, etc...) was a disaster. So I'd stay away from these new ones like the plague, until you see what's actually delivered. And I sure hope Lionel does away with the mint green window tint. It's fine for an occasional livery, but it's completely inappropriate for the entire 18" ABS heavyweight line-up.

As for more AFT cars... Dave from Lionel mentioned to me last year that it might be 2 more catalog cycles before we see any additional AFT passenger cars to fill out the entire train. So for now, AFT enthusiasts get to run their train with no observation car... or keep it on display until Lionel finishes the train. Hmmm... 2 full catalog cycles sounds like a pretty risky time-frame with Lionel's current executive team running the show, if you ask me. So I guess we'll need to wait and see if we'll ever have a complete Lionel AFT train in a couple of years... or if we all have a partial Lionel AFT for posterity. 

David


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Jeff T said:


> I don't know what your're taliking about? What masterpiece? The layout, what...
> 
> I'm not a weathering fan of my pieces. If I remember correctly you weren't fond of someone mentioning weathering the new MTH SF's...


Jeff, Harry isn't just known for "weathering". I'm sure Brian is referring to the amazing make-over Harry did to his Lionel/TrainWorx Grand Central Terminal -- which, by the way, now has one heck of an interior!!! I saw it first-hand at York before Brian took delivery.

That's the masterpiece! 

David


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Interesting, I don't know much about Harry besides all the weathering posts PTC makes. From the photo posted it's hard to see any real detail. I'll trust the eyes that have seen it!


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Rocky Mountaineer said:


> It would be interesting from a price perspective to see what Lionel would charge for a die-cast ES44 these days... very likely MUCH MORE than the original $899 or so (if I recall correctly) from the initial run. My hunch though is these will be made with ABS shells, in which case I'm ES44'd out and spoiled with my die-cast BNSF ES44 and VisionLine Canadian Pacific EVO Hybrid.
> 
> David


I for one would just love to see another run of the die cast ES44's, and I'm almost tempted to say regardless of price. I would only hope they could do something to make the handrails a little less fragile!!


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## 86TA355SR (Feb 27, 2015)

I used the pause button a few times and was able to see interesting items.

For those interested, looks like 2 packs of the UP Excursion and Challenger cars will be available.

I didn't see a President Bush Funeral train though...Possible Vision Line release later this year?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yawn. Nothing in the catalog will be available for months, and I'm with David, no more pre-orders for me in the foreseeable future! hwell:


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

Batstang, you definitely got a good thread going here.

Consider the various suggestions for improvement, and your next try will be even better.


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## machinist (Dec 2, 2015)

Rocky Mountaineer said:


> Nick,
> 
> It would be interesting from a price perspective to see what Lionel would charge for a die-cast ES44 these days... very likely MUCH MORE than the original $899 or so (if I recall correctly) from the initial run. My hunch though is these will be made with ABS shells, in which case I'm ES44'd out and spoiled with my die-cast BNSF ES44 and VisionLine Canadian Pacific EVO Hybrid.
> 
> ...


David,

I'm in the same boat as you with the ES44AC's-I've got the CP Vision hybrid, the BNSF, and the Kansas City Southern-all diecast, so I don't need any more, especially plastic.

Most of the remaining AFT cars(maybe with the exception of the observation car) will require new tooling or extensive modification of existing cars(the showcase cars with their displays, all the flatcars with their loads) so I'm not holding my breath waiting for Lionel. I recently made a deal with a fellow on Ebay for the 2 K-Line showcase cars and the K-Line observation car and they match up pretty well with the Lionel cars other than the K-Line ones being a bit more glossy.


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## batstang2000 (Oct 26, 2015)

Vincent said:


> Batstang, you definitely got a good thread going here.
> 
> Consider the various suggestions for improvement, and your next try will be even better.


Remember, I DID NOT DO THIS, just pointed others to it.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

batstang2000 said:


> Disclaimer: This is NOT me !
> It is blurry, but you may still see something that interests you.
> Skip to the 3:30 mark for catalog. I admit, I turned off the sound and just viewed. ENJOY
> 
> ...


Batstang2000,

Thanks for posting this. It always fun to get a sneak peak. Well done.

Emile


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

*"I don't know what your're taliking about? What masterpiece? The layout, what.."*

Jeff, I figured that most of our MTF members could easily figure out what I meant with the photo and the term "masterpiece". Apparently, you had great difficulty in getting my drift. I do see some humor in your comments as I have posted many photos of our GCT on the MTF before with many references as to who did the modifications and build. I guess over the past eight months you just missed them all. 

But in order to reach out to you, here is a photo of a closer look. Hope this helps in the future. 

View attachment 481440


Oh, buy the way, Harry does a lot more than weathering, Jeff. Perhaps you remember seeing this photo of the MTF Ice Cream Shop that Harry also built.

View attachment 481442


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

*"I'm not a weathering fan of my pieces. If I remember correctly you weren't fond of someone mentioning weathering the new MTH SF's..."*

Absolutely correct, Jeff. I am not a fan of weathering locomotives as we run nothing but passenger service and this equipment goes through the wash rack before each run. The flashier, the better for us.

But, there are many in our hobby that appreciate a well done weathering job and Harry is a master at that as evidenced by Lionel and MTH both using his services. 

I believe that most of our MTF members can see through this. They are pretty smart.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Apparently, you had great difficulty in getting my drift./QUOTE]
> 
> That's not nice or positive PTC.
> 
> And it appears you have great difficulty with me...


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Jeff T said:


> Passenger Train Collector said:
> 
> 
> > Apparently, you had great difficulty in getting my drift./QUOTE]
> ...


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## Yellowstone Special (Jun 23, 2015)

You'll have to forgive me, but I was off the forum for about 5 months and just recently returned to posting on it. Took an around-the-world trip, including a 2-week Mediterranean cruise, then spent some time in San Diego. (They say that travel broadens the mind, right?)

I've noticed a few new members, which is good. But for the most part, not much has changed. This thread is rather amusing in that it's difficult to remember all the time what everyone has stated and what they mean, and no it's not Jeff's fault. 

So, don't ever change guys. I still enjoy the length some of our seasoned members and master O scalers go to, in order to get everything "just right" for them, the frustrations those of you who still buy new Lionel experience, and the different perspectives offered on this forum about everything O scale. 

It's good fun.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Yellowstone Special said:


> This thread is rather amusing in that it's difficult to remember all the time what everyone has stated and what they mean, and no it's not Jeff's fault.
> 
> So, don't ever change guys. I still enjoy the length some of our seasoned members and master O scalers go to, in order to get everything "just right" for them, the frustrations those of you who still buy new Lionel experience, and the different perspectives offered on this forum about everything O scale.
> 
> It's good fun.


Welcome back! I think the English language needs additional punctuation. Sarcasm and Humor marks would be good additions. you and I would both get a lot of use of those marks.
Without them one can read too much into someone else's words. That's how you can have different but reasonable interpretations of the same comment.

I think it's obvious that there is nothing more than a misunderstanding. It's plain to me that Jeff wasn't aware of Harry Heike outside of Harry's weathering work. I know this because Jeff is not rude in my experience, and if he actually had known Harry's Building work then his comments would have been extremely rude. I don't think that was his intention. If you see things differently that's your prerogative but I just don't know Jeff or PTC to be deliberately rude. 

Glad you're back. You keep things interesting. I mean that in a positive way.

Emile


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

This thread has gone "off track". It is supposed to be about the *2019 Lionel catalog*, not what is a masterpiece or not, or the personal tastes among the members about weathering.

Hopefully, the discussion of the catalog can now commence again.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Hopefully, the discussion of the catalog can now commence again.


Agreed! The catalog is more interesting.

One of the new offerings that caught my eye appears to be a Polar Express spot light car. I have never seen one but Baldheaded told me that it had been produced once in the past in limited numbers. I've searched for at least a year and still haven't come across one. I don't think it will be anything different than the standard spot light car mold but I think it's going to be a big seller!


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## batstang2000 (Oct 26, 2015)

I purposefully waited a day to post this, but I am surprised no one has mentioned what I thought to be a Silver and Gold warbonnet paint scheme since the warbonnet seems to be so popular with a lot of folks. Personally, I will be interested in the Batman and Disney offerings for my toy train layout. |\_/|


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## Yellowstone Special (Jun 23, 2015)

Thanks Emile. :thumbsup:

I'm curious as to whether Lionel will get around to offering a new Union Paciifc Legacy F3 and if not this year, maybe next year? Guess I'll have to stay tuned.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> It's plain to me that Jeff wasn't aware of Harry Heike outside of Harry's weathering work.
> Emile


True, true and true. Folks seem to forget I'm not the layout guy with elaborate buildings and all that great stuff. I'm the guy who sits on my floor and gets to run my train around the tree for a month or so.

If it wasn't for PTC posting pics of his weathering work I would have no clue who he was or what he does!

Kinda like when you guys talk about Jon Z, Rudi, Scott, like we all know who the are. I'm sorry, but I don't...

OK, back to the annoying kid with the crappy video. (NO sarcasm here)


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

*"but I am surprised no one has mentioned what I thought to be a Silver and Gold warbonnet paint scheme since the warbonnet seems to be so popular with a lot of folks"*

Good observation on your part. I saw the PA's in a blurred video and thought they looked very interesting. But, with all of the quality issues that were prevalent in 2018, many of us warbonnet fans probably are very concerned as to what 2019 will bring. I sure don't want an engine with toilet paper inside. Surprised that Lionel has not addressed this problem once it was reported in photos by Lee.


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## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

I saw the Cat 2019 last night and I would purchase only one of the ES44ACs if it were diecast and is the Boy Scout livery. I own all of the other die cast version, EVO, BNSF, KCS, UP, and CP, except for this one. This is one engine on my list that has eluded me. 

As for HARRY HEIKE, if you were at YORK, you would definitly know theman just by the looks of his booth. It is always a treat to go and see what HARRY has come up with while n the ORANGE HALL at YORK. Besdies that he is always joining us in the MTF picture, that sometimes I make it there on time.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

Harry Hieke is one of the vendors that adds his full support of the MTF and all of our activities. He was our first Guest Speaker at the semi-annual MTF York Meet Dinner. 

There should be more Harry's out there.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

laz57 said:


> As for HARRY HEIKE, if you were at YORK, you would definitely know the man just by the looks of his booth.


I've been to York once, that's a long drive from Chicago. As one without a layout I would have walked past his booth and not noticed a thing. Apologies to those who would look at that as sacrilege.


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Jeff T said:


> I've been to York once, that's a long drive from Chicago. As one without a layout I would have walked past his booth and not noticed a thing. Apologies to those who would look at that as sacrilege.


Well Jeff, if it makes you feel better, I have to drive all day Wednesday from Chicago to be at York due to a client's big trade show at McCormick this year. Same amount of driving... different direction! :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

I do about 60k for work each year, plus all the club events in the Corvette. I do appreciate a little down time!!


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> *"but I am surprised no one has mentioned what I thought to be a Silver and Gold warbonnet paint scheme since the warbonnet seems to be so popular with a lot of folks"*
> 
> Good observation on your part. I saw the PA's in a blurred video and thought they looked very interesting. But, with all of the quality issues that were prevalent in 2018, many of us warbonnet fans probably are very concerned as to what 2019 will bring. I sure don't want an engine with toilet paper inside. Surprised that Lionel has not addressed this problem once it was reported in photos by Lee.


When I spend the big bucks on a loco I want it to be prototypical correct, not a fantasy paint scheme from some corp day dreamer.

Bill


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## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

Jeff T said:


> I've been to York once, that's a long drive from Chicago. As one without a layout I would have walked past his booth and not noticed a thing. Apologies to those who would look at that as sacrilege.


I guess it was a long drive.:laugh:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Jeff T said:


> I've been to York once, that's a long drive from Chicago. As one without a layout I would have walked past his booth and not noticed a thing. Apologies to those who would look at that as sacrilege.


An Apology isn't sufficient!  We need you to do penitence as well.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

According to this photo, a gold warbonnet was not a fantasy. 

View attachment 481496


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

I lived in the Chicago area for many years. Easy flight and lots of choices to either Harrisburg or BWI. So my many trips to the York Meet were really easy. If you reserved well in advance of your travel date, you can get really cheap flights.

Attending is all a matter of priorities. It is important to me.


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## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> According to this photo, a gold warbonnet was not a fantasy.
> 
> View attachment 481496


Wonder what the passenger cars will look like? And cost?:dunno::dunno:


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2019)

We will see next week, Laz. But with my experience with a set of the new 21" plastic passenger cars, they can keep them.


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## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Jeff, Scott is Scott Mann who owns and runs Golden Gate Depot and Sunset Models. He communicates with his customers often and it is not unusual to get product updates from him when he is in China. He is there a lot.

Relatively small company, high quality and detail, priced accordingly. He is usually at York in October and answers his e-mails. Extremely customer oriented and a nice guy. Based in California.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Sorry to disappoint Brian. You make me feel like I need to turn in my MTF membership card with your comments. I do have priorities, wife, children...

This is a hobby to me.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2019)

Jeff, Brian wasn't criticizing you for not going, just saying that it can be done if it's important to you. I last went to York in April of 2016. The son of very good friends is getting married on March 31 in New York. We are attending the wedding so it's a perfect chance for me to attend York this April. I would love to attend twice each year but, like you, other things are more important so I'll go once every few years if I can. 

Brian, you are fortunate that Elizabeth enjoys the hobby and attends York with you. My wife has minimal interest in trains but she doesn't object to me going to local train shows or joining a club. She will stay with our daughter while I'm at York. I could insist on going to York once or twice a year but that wouldn't make for domestic tranquility so I'll participate in local train activities and make York when the situation allows.


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Something really looks strange with that Gold PA. The couplers, air hoses, and even the wheels look like they were spray painted gold. Hard to believe that guy ever was in revenue service.

And it really looks blah, certainly not in the tradition of the Red, Yellow, or Blue Santa Fe diesels.

Bill

Bill


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2019)

The rare "GOLD WARBONNET" scheme was used by the Santa Fe on an early 1960s General Electric special promotion train called the "Trainload of Bargains".

View attachment 481536


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## SDIV Tim (Nov 19, 2015)

There was someone who got a paper copy of the catalog already. He quickly skimmed thru the catalog. Some repeats for a lot of stuff but if you missed out on some locos, you might be in luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Wow!!! It's pretty amazing to think only a couple of years ago, Lionel previewed a catalog to attendees at an LCCA convention (if I recall correctly)... and not ONE iota of even a hint was leaked to the masses. Yet here in 2019 there seems to be a total breakdown of discipline within the dealer network -- or at least that's the impression we're getting. Now that this kid picked up an early copy and published a hastily and poorly made Youtube video of him stumbling through it, other hobby shops are also announcing availability of Lionel's catalog to folks who "stop by the store". I suppose this could all be a ruse to generate excitement among LHS's, so local enthusiasts dash in amidst the buzz of a new catalog being released. Then again, we may never know.

If this was a completely unforeseen organic process, it could also be the result of the fact Lionel now sends not only physical catalogs to dealers, but also pre-sales kits containing graphics, price lists, and order forms in an effort to assist dealers update their website to go fully "online" with the new items the very day the catalog is OFFICIALLY supposed to "go live" on lionel.com. So that's a TON of information floating around out there to keep under covers until the official unveiling day.

By now, there are dozens of CLEAR IMAGES being posted by folks who have stopped by an LHS to pick up their copy. So what's in the new catalog of note? Well obviously, "of note" is the key phrase here, because that means different things to different folks. To the kid with annoying mannerisms who first posted the blurry video, his items of note were in the traditional section of the catalog. To many of us here on MTF, I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest our interests reside more in the premium section of the catalog. So that's where my comments will center.

On a general level, what came through big-time is that Lionel is STILL in the business of pumping VAST amounts of product into the marketplace. And because they've hyped the BTO program so much in recent years, I guess they can get away with doing that. So instead of announcing half a dozen premium locomotives, there are literally several dozen SKU's of what I'll call premium-priced locomotives. And many offerings themselves have multiple liveries with multiple road-numbers. Hence we're in SKU la-la-land again. Not exactly something we want to see from an importer that's been riddled with quality issues throughout 2018 product releases. Translate that all to mean I don't expect we'll see anything different in terms of product roll-out issues -- both cosmetic and under-the-covers. It's likely to be business as usual. 

Having said all of that, these are some of the products I would have pre-ordered had I not made the resolution to wait for deliveries and early reviews BEFORE making a purchase. So here we go:

*First up is the J3a Hudson.* Not only has this not been produced since the early 2000's, it's arguably Lionel's most detailed Hudson locomotive manufactured to date -- easily besting the company's VisionLine Hudson several years ago. That's the good news. The bad news is there appear to be a handful of SKU's in this product offering with different "appearance features"... for example, wheel details and such. And the last time this happened (i.e., the NYC ESE Hudsons), Lionel's factory delivered different driver details than what was illustrated. Yellow Alert: proceed with caution if you're ordering a specific J3A Hudson SOLELY based on the catalog illustration(s).

The other interesting item to note with the J3a is the availability of a PT tender on two of the SKU's that features the "water scoop" feature just recently delivered on 2018's VisionLine Niagara for an MSRP cost differential of $100.

Again... in years past, I'd have jumped on the J3a Hudson for a pre-order definite in a NY minute. But I'm inclined to wait this one out until we actually SEE how the Chinese factory "interprets" Lionel's illustrations and design specs.  Just too much room for the catalog saying one thing and the factory delivering another. 

*Second on my short list is the N&W J -- this time FINALLY with whistle-steam.* The last release of the "J" was produced in the year that Lionel back-peddled on the whistle-steam feature -- stating to buyers that the feature wasn't necessary. Wow... was THAT a mistake.  And one year later ALL the premium steamers had whistle-steam included.  So we knew the next "J" would have whistle-steam. I just didn't think we'd see it re-issued THIS soon. Expect to see the former versions dumped on eBay within days now -- if not already -- as folks parlay funds to purchase the latest "J" WITH whistle-steam when it's delivered. Once again, there are several SKU's, so check out which one fits your fancy the best.

*Third up are a bunch of 2-10-4 Texas steamers.* These are always popular, and it's been quite a few years since we've seen them. Similar to what Lionel did when re-issuing the S-3 last year, there doesn't appear to be any new tooling on these guys... so buyers will get the cylinder steam-chest effect, but no whistle-steam. I'm more than thrilled with my S-3's right now, so I'll likely pass on these offerings -- unless their delivery coincides with a dealer offering discount prices even better than their pre-order price. Yes, that's happen a few times in recent years... so that's another reason to not jump uncontrollably onto the pre-order bandwagon. 

*Fourth up are the ES44 offerings*, and I'll get to the chase here quickly. These are NOT die-cast ES44's, which I didn't expect them to be. I think those fall into Lionel's VisionLine Tanker with FreightSounds category: no matter how hard folks request them, they ain't happening. So their legendary status remains secure. These ES44's all come with ABS shells, which is fine... but they won't carry the heft -- nor the hefty pricetag -- of their die-cast brethren offered several years ago. In fact, these ES44's are carrying a $599 MSRP price-tag -- down from the $649 MSRP price-tag of premium diesels a couple of years ago. I'm ESS44'd out, so I'll pass on this year's offerings. But the nice thing about Lionel offering a bunch of ES44 SKU's this time is there are some esoteric roadnames that should please special-interest segments of the market -- like Lionel did with last year's H-10 steamer. Then again, if I were a betting man, I'd wager a few dollars that the BNSF livery in these ES44's will be very popular. If I recall reading the catalog page correctly, it seems Lionel is offering non-powered SKU's in this year's batch of ES44's. So that's always an inexpensive way to achieve the double- or triple-headed look with your locomotive configurations. I suppose if I HAD to pre-order something, I might pre-order a dummy BNSF ES44. I mean really.... that should be a safe bet, right??? How much can Lionel's Chinese factories screw up a dummy locomotive???  Oh wait... there's always a paint-scheme screw-up that's possible, so I'll just wait these out as well until delivery occurs. 

*Last up on my short-list of eye-catching 2019 premium offerings is the Tinplate-Inspired State Set with a Bipolar locomotive heading up a train of 4 "state cars" with an option for an additional 2-pack. * The show-stopper that gives me most cause for not pre-ordering a full complement of these is the passenger cars appear to be based on Lionel's recent heavyweight cars that were delivered with all kinds of issues, including wheel-journals popping off, trucks falling off the car frame, paint blotches, and couplers prone to poor performance or simply not working at all. I just returned 8 Reading Blue Mountain & Northern heavyweights to my dealer for a full refund -- opting to go the route of MTH and Atlas-O RBM&N passenger car offerings. So why set myself up for further frustrations with this Tinplate-Inspired State Set. With the shiny tinplate "appearance", the loco and cars will undoubtedly LOOK great. But I want something that performs great as well -- especially for the premium price of $1900 MSRP for the basic set and $530-ish MSRP for the 2-pack add-on. So this remains another item that will stay on my radar screen for close examination when it's delivered. But I have no plans to pre-order one.

Are we seeing a trend here??? Indeed we should. When all is said and done, I didn't see "anything" that really fell into the "must-have" category enough that I'd actually pre-order one of them. But if some of these items pan out as best as they could, I might be tempted to snag one or two later in the year when they're delivered. For example, I'm HOPING the same factory that manufactured Lionel's VisionLine Niagara will also be manufacturing the new J3a Hudson. That would be a win-win scenario for LOTS of enthusiasts -- myself included.  

David


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> The rare "GOLD WARBONNET" scheme was used by the Santa Fe on an early 1960s General Electric special promotion train called the "Trainload of Bargains".
> 
> View attachment 481536


interesting, so GE leased the PA to show off their new washers & dryers. The paint application looked liked an amateur did it on a Sat afternoon.

Bill


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

laz57 said:


> Wonder what the passenger cars will look like? And cost?:dunno::dunno:


The 4 pack is 700 bucks list. Two 2 packs at half that each. The ex Weaver RPO is $180! 

As for the NYC J3, if you don't already have one it may be worth considering. I expect detail will be the same as the TMCC engines which is pretty good plus the extra effects, 4 chuffs, Legacy, etc.
I will probably pass as mine have been upgraded and detailed only lacking the tender water pick up effect.

Pete


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2019)

I've gotten to see a few pictures and the New York Central LC+ 2.0 FT AA set caught my eye. There might be some other stuff I would be interested in but I'll have to wait to actually see the catalogue to know for sure.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm in wait-and-see mode, I'm not jumping on anything BTO again! The fact that the new LC+ 2.0 will be TMCC compatible is an interesting twist, that will please many folks. I'd still like to pick up a 2-10-4 Texas, but that's another wait-and-see deal, I'll wait for the user reports this time.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2019)

*"I'd still like to pick up a 2-10-4 Texas, but that's another wait-and-see deal, I'll wait for the user reports this time."*

You will have lots of company, John.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Nothing in that catalog excites me alot. 

The NYC Hudson J3a is interesting, but I never considered the loco that special, and I have the Vision Hudson, and a Dreyfus Hudson, so that's enough. Same with the N&W J, the 20-10-4s, and the ES44s. The gold or silver Warbonnet locos don't interest me at all. I've got normal and Black Bonnet and that will be enough for me.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Lee Willis said:


> .... The gold or silver Warbonnet locos don't interest me at all. I've got normal and Black Bonnet and that will be enough for me.


Likewise for me too, Lee. I have the Lionel Legacy Black Bonnet Alco PA's on order from Pat's Trains, which was my last Lionel pre-order. So I'm content with that... and just keeping my fingers crossed that they turn out as good as my recent MTH Santa Fe F3 ABBA's with steel plated finish.

David


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Rocky Mountaineer said:


> I have the Lionel Legacy Black Bonnet Alco PA's on order from Pat's Trains, which was my last Lionel pre-order. So I'm content with that... and just keeping my fingers crossed that they turn out as good as my recent MTH Santa Fe F3 ABBA's with steel plated finish.
> 
> David


Me too. I worry about them, but I felt I had to take the chance given what they were. 

Which brings up a point. Even as wary as I am about Lionel quality, I will buy - even pre-order if the product is appealing enough. Lionel just hasn't had much that rises above that (admittedly very high) bar recently. I hope they have enough for other folks though. I would hate to see them go under. I hope they can last until more balanced management takes over.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm starting to have some doubts about Lionel's long term prospects. They seem to be on a downward spiral with no end in sight. Product after product seems to be coming out with serious quality and even design issues. Where is it going to end?


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I’ll wait until the catalog is on line at Lionel.com. Then I’ll page thru and once again I’ll be amazed at the price difference between Lionel and MTH for similar products.


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## kstrains (Sep 19, 2015)

Rocky Mountaineer said:


> *Second on my short list is the N&W J -- this time FINALLY with whistle-steam.* The last release of the "J" was produced in the year that Lionel back-peddled on the whistle-steam feature -- stating to buyers that the feature wasn't necessary. Wow... was THAT a mistake.  And one year later ALL the premium steamers had whistle-steam included.  So we knew the next "J" would have whistle-steam. I just didn't think we'd see it re-issued THIS soon. Expect to see the former versions dumped on eBay within days now -- if not already -- as folks parlay funds to purchase the latest "J" WITH whistle-steam when it's delivered. Once again, there are several SKU's, so check out which one fits your fancy the best.
> 
> David




I was sort of surprised to see the J in the catalog since they were trying to promote Brass N&WK2 from the last catalog. Seemed like Lionel was trying to push for orders for K2 at the end of last year with Eric S. doing a preproduction review of it. In his review he did not sound so positive if it would go to production because of the lack of orders so he was trying to promote it. I wonder if it is still going to be produced. 

I know at least one guy who sold his J set from the last production run at a premium because he saw that Lionel would offer the J with whistle steam at some point. He was smart because the value of those sets now took a plunge with the release of this catalog. 

Whistle steam is not a great enough incentive for me to even consider buying another J especially with all the quality issues with Lionel. I purchased a MTH J 611 a couple years ago since I did not get the Lionel N&W 611 set. I very pleased with MTH Premier J 611 so I really have no want for another J. 

It may have been nice if Lionel offered aux N&W water tender with sound for these J's. That might have been more of incentive for people to buy one of these engines or nice added addition for those that already have a Legacy J. Missed opportunity for Lionel! 

I was lucky I had no problems with the new Crescent Limited 4-6-2 I bought after this past Thanksgiving. I did not preorder that engine because of all quality issues. I waited to see on that one and it turned out to be a good engine. However, I have an Mountain on preorder order from the 2018 vol 2 catalog so I have my fingers crossed with that engine when it suppose to arrive later this year. I hope there is no toilet paper in it! 

For this catalog, like most of you, there is nothing that I have seen that really interests me unless I missed seeing something. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

I just noticed a new twist to consider with new Lionel, lack of replacement parts even for new engines. Siderods and bushings for the new Legacy Mogul and Vision Niagara are not available. These and many other somewhat critical parts.
I had to make some bushings for a friends Legacy Atlantic (early release) but even with the latest release you can't get those parts.

Next requirement for your repair shop will have to be a 3D printer that can print metal.

Pete


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Well, if Lionel hasn't botched up enough product-related things in recent months, now the company has asked that all photos of their new 2019 catalog be deleted from online venues -- specifically OGR, but Alan Miller indicated they've made the same request to "other" venues and moderators as well. Has MTF been contacted? Perhaps not, since we're a pretty classy group here and we discussed the catalog WITHOUT posting photos of it!!!  But I wonder if Lionel is gonna request that the YouTube police delete the poor kid's blurry video as well? 

I took screen-captures of the stuff that interested me, because I suspected OGR's mods would do the deleting since that's so their style anyway. But I never really expected Lionel to embarrass themselves even more than they already have by making this silly request.

Gosh... I tell ya.... just when I want to give some of these folks at Lionel the benefit of the doubt and give them a reprieve from further harsh criticisms, they go and do something stupid like this yet again. I swear, I could NEVER work for the clowns calling the shots nowadays... if for no other reason than I have a very low toleration for incompetence.

//BEGIN RANT TO LIONEL EXECS//

To the guys at Lionel... look.... the proverbial cat is out of the bag. So you can't un-ring the bell NOW. You do realize that, right? But if that's where your priorities reside, then you've got more troubles lurking than any of us ever thought. Please get your heads on straight and focus on producing quality products; produce polished professional videos instead of acting like jokesters; and manage your overseas suppliers like you're in charge for gosh sake. THAT's who you should be calling and sending special requests, and THAT's where you should be spending time and resources to get quality products out the door.

If you can't do that, then will you please sell the company to a party who knows what they're doing????  It just gets more and more painful by the day to watch blunder after blunder. I can understand sending a quick correspondence to dealers to tell them to hold off on handing out catalogs until Jan 23rd. But trying to cleanse the online world of these images now when the 23rd is just 4 days away? Really??? 

Enough said. You guys at Lionel are hopeless!!! :dunno:​
//END RANT TO LIONEL EXECS//


David


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2019)

David, I just saw that a few minutes ago on OGR. It's a childish request by Lionel. They should be happy that so many hobbyists are interested in their product and busy discussing it.

You are right that they should be more concerned about their many quality issues rather than that a few train guys got to see the catalogue a few days before the big reveal.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

And now the "catalog thread" over there has been locked too. So I guess nobody is supposed to talk about those newly catalog'd Lionel products either. 

Oh wait.... what products? Catalog? What catalog? Did somebody say there was a new Lionel catalog? Gosh no. It must have been a dream. But I can swear we saw SOMETHING... didn't we??? Nope! I guess not. At least not until this Wednesday.  And then all our memories will be crystal clear again. Until then, we're all supposed to look like this...










Amazing!!! 


David


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

And you will STAY out of the Lionel catalog, Maggots!


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Did anyone happen to notice the 1939 Pacemaker Set? I assume this will be a 4 car passenger set with the J3a Hudson as it lists for $2k!! If so are the cars TT Gray Heavyweights? 
K-Line has done two sets of these cars, one with silohuettes and one with interiors and figures. MTH has done at least one set which can still be found.

Pete


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Pete, yes... I still have my screen-shot of The Pacemaker and just checked for you... loco + 4 heavyweight passenger cars = $2K MSRP. A 2-pack add-on is another $400 MSRP, and a StationSounds Diner is $330 MSRP.

I'm not touching another set of Lionel heavyweights unless I SEE them at a local dealer first, and I'll purchase the exact ones I examine at the LHS. In this case, I already have a nice set of MTH TT Grey NYC's, so the most I'd be interested in here is a potential StationSounds diner -- provided the electronics circuitry is NOT in clear view like what happened with my American Freedom Train StationSounds Diner.  One of these days, I'll need to take care of that. But I'm done buying Lionel stuff sight unseen. You just can't assume they'll do anything right anymore. 

David


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Since I'm firmly in the "when it's delivered and I can touch and test it" camp, I don't have any special urgency to see the catalog. I'll pick on up at the store next time I'm in there. I could have gotten one on Friday, but there's really no huge hurry.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Just wet my appetite for Wednesday! Today it's fake news, Wednesday it's the real deal!!


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## empire builder (Apr 12, 2014)

a thought on the 2K price of loco and 4 passenger cars seems a big cost for so little orrrrrr are they recouping loss on 2018 product quality repair issues? makes one wonder if I knew how I would get an actual cost to make these including the rdc at lionels end if like iPhone a few years back really opened my eyes as to price gouging.

I haven't bought anything from anyone since 2014 does that tell you anything about what I think.


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

I was mostly curious about the type of cars offered in the set. I don't think the Pacemaker got streamline cars until the '40s.
I have zero interest in the new Lionel cars due to both price and questionable quality. As long as there are alternatives out there on the secondary market thats where I'll be.

Pete


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2019)

David, based on the information you posted last evening, somebody just received a special delivery of one of these (and it is not the dog). 

View attachment 481724


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## Craignor (Jan 9, 2016)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> David, based on the information you posted last evening, somebody just received a special delivery of one of these (and it is not the dog).
> 
> View attachment 481724


Do tell.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

empire builder said:


> a thought on the 2K price of loco and 4 passenger cars seems a big cost for so little orrrrrr are they recouping loss on 2018 product quality repair issues? ....


EB,

Lionel's philosophy on set pricing has never been a "good deal" for the hobby enthusiast. Lionel tells them it is, but it seldom really is a good deal (for the buyer). MTH, on the other hand, makes it a no-brainer to purchase a set if you're even slightly interested in the locomotive. For $100 more than the locomotive itself, you often get 5 or 6 pieces of premium rolling stock with the locomotive. Now THAT's an incentive to purchase the set... hands down.

Whereas Lionel makes you pay through the nose for every piece of rolling stock they include in the set. Crazy... but people do it anyway. 

David


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Agreed David. The MTH sets were priced so fairly, many broke up the sets and sold the individual pieces.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Norton said:


> ....
> I have zero interest in the new Lionel cars due to both price and questionable quality. ....


Pete, Lionel's MSRP pricing for passenger cars -- especially the latest 18" heavyweights is obscene. And there's gotta be tremendous dealer mark-up in those MSRP's.

Case in point: The most recent batch of heavyweight 2-packs are $400 MSRP, or $200 each for a plastic heavyweight (which is ridiculous). Most dealers hype their "sale" price at around $340. Yet Charlie Ro has 'em for $288 NOW.  They might have even been a few bucks cheaper back at pre-order time. Not 100% sure on that last bit of info though, since I didn't pre-order my Reading & Northern's before Charlie's "early buy" deadline. 

Just sayin'....

David


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> David, based on the information you posted last evening, somebody just received a special delivery of one of these (and it is not the dog).
> 
> View attachment 481724


Aw shucks, Brian.... that dog looks pretty comfy in that dog-house. I hope you didn't over-stress about it, 'cause Lionel could have sent that dog house straight to me. After all, somebody at Lionel reportedly complained pretty loudly to the other place's management when I gave their 21" passenger cars a thumb's down about a year ago. So they know me by now. 

Lionel loves to throw their weight around, it seems. But they do it with the wrong people. They should talk with their factories with such hubris. Instead, they apply pressure where they know they'll get little push-back. Seems they also contacted Harry Henning about his Facebook O Gauge Trains group, and Harry needed to take a pretty hard line with his 10K members when too many turned the discussion into a Lionel vs. MTH thing. So Harry deleted all the comments in the thread, and threatened expulsion of members if they did any further "bashing" of Lionel/MTH or posting photos of catalog pages. He didn't need to do that. And I disagree with Harry's approach in that regard, because he ended up giving Lionel the upper hand. And quite frankly, I have no problem calling things as I see them and holding Lionel exec's feet to the fire these days. They get away with too much crap as it is, and their gross incompetence is ruining a brand that has strong nostalgic meaning for many of us.

I understand the "bashing" thing that Harry was talking about. But quite frankly, Lionel should NEVER have put Harry in that position to begin with. The poor guy is fighting a serious health condition, and Lionel goes and puts Harry unnecessarily in the middle of THEIR problem just because they wanna throw their corporate weight around. The Hennings Family has a relationship with Lionel, as does our favorite moderators over at the other online forum. And Lionel seems to take advantage of those relationships to the hilt.

I just wish SOMEBODY "in the business" would have the kahunas to tell Lionel's management to go take a well-deserved permanent hike.  2018 was quite likely an abysmal year for Lionel in terms of product issues, and their management should be focusing on THAT rather than displaying the audacity to shut down the excitement a few enthusiasts were showing toward some new product announcements. Not smart if you ask me.

Look... if Lionel's management is THAT concerned about catalog leaks, there's this thing called Fed Ex overnite delivery. They can ship the catalogs to dealers on Monday or Tuesday for arrival in stores on Wednesday. And the LHS's will have physical catalogs when the Lionel website goes live. It doesn't get any easier than that. No need to ship catalogs to dealers 10 days before. But Lionel's executive team is clueless to that approach. I get it that they want to send digital pre-sales kits to the dealers, so dealers can make their price-lists and prep websites for "catalog day". And they can/should still do that, because generally speaking the leaks come more from the temptation to hand out physical catalogs rather than from having the digital pre-sales kit sitting on the dealer's computer.

Good gosh.... do these guys running Lionel need to be told how to do EVERYTHING right? 

David


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2019)

*"I hope you didn't over-stress about it, 'cause Lionel could have sent that dog house straight to me."*

I was thinking it was sent by another party.


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

Rocky Mountaineer writes "Lionel could have sent that dog house straight to me."

If they did, it would probably be defective.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)




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## biglionelguy (Nov 11, 2015)

It’s nice over here where people are relatively free to speak their peace about all the nonsense. Doesn’t get deleted or closed.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

There are now at least 3 different YouTube videos by 3 different people flipping the pages of the 2019 Catalog.


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> There are now at least 3 different YouTube videos by 3 different people flipping the pages of the 2019 Catalog.


I was contacted by Lionel and asked to post this.

*FAKE NEWS*


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## bigdodgetrain (Jun 12, 2015)

Jeff T said:


> I was contacted by Lionel and asked to post this.
> 
> *FAKE NEWS*




:appl::appl::appl::appl:


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

I am horrified at this breach of security


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## Craignor (Jan 9, 2016)




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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Hmm... $200 for an 18" plastic car? I don't think so!


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

You been peepin' at them illegal Lionel catalogs? You in a heap a trouble, Boy!


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

Went to You Tube today to watch one of the better videos of the Lionel 2019 Catalog. What struck me the most is the pricing for almost everything being offered. Combine this with all of the issues that Lionel faced last year with quality, hard to believe that this catalog will result in record sales. 

There is a thin line between a strategy of pricing up to what the market will bear verses what the market will reject as unacceptable pricing. It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out.

Popcorn time yet again.


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## empire builder (Apr 12, 2014)

PTC I will get popcorn to see what the dedicated folks to lionel say what they plan on ordering.
I watched a youtube video and they offer a sante fe passenger set without a domed car?
and the prices they want yes I know its msrp but secondary market would be a better bang for the buck.
I wish anyone buying from lionel 2019 catalog good luck.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2019)

View attachment 481802


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## empire builder (Apr 12, 2014)

$700 but then your post above might have been a pun !


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)




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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

Captain Binghamton just placed a big order from the new Lionel catalog!


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## 86TA355SR (Feb 27, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Hmm... $200 for an 18" plastic car? I don't think so!


Exactly!

I’ll buy Golden Gate Depot, good quality, great service & cost less, plus they’re accurate.


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

For those of you who can't -- or don't want to -- wait until the official reveal on Wednesday, a fellow has posted 3 Youtube videos of excellent quality. If you have 90 minutes to spare, these 3 videos are essentially a cover-to-cover review at a comfortable pace -- unlike the first Youtube video posted several days ago where the kid rushed through the interesting stuff and the entire video quality was pretty much unwatchable.

*Bottom line... there's a boatload of stuff Lionel is offering in 2019 -- looked to be 250+ pages worth -- which I find pretty ambitious for a company that delivered SO MANY products with serious quality issues last year.* Even as we wrapped up 2018, the last deliveries of 18" heavyweight passenger cars were atrocious... yet that's all I see in Lionel's 2019 catalog... page after page of heavyweight cars in lots of different offerings. So unless Lionel has a few "coming to Jesus" meetings with their overseas supplier of those heavyweight cars, there's gonna be TONS of unhappy buyers.

The Lionel 2019 Volume 1 catalog certainly has something for everybody. The bigger question will be, has sufficient number of folks changed their buying habits to make a negative impact on pre-order sales? I'm still a big supporter of having Lionel succeed in this market, since multiple suppliers are always good for the market. But I don't have a "good feeling" about Lionel being able to deliver EVERYTHING in this catalog with improved quality over 2018. I seriously fear that Lionel's modus operandi will be "business as usual" for 2019. So for that reason, I'm gonna watch this all unfold from the sidelines and just watch and observe BEFORE buying anything.

David


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## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Will the catalog have instructions on how to properly bend over and grab your ankles.

Bill


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

seayakbill said:


> Will the catalog have instructions on how to properly bend over and grab your ankles.
> 
> Bill


Only if you pay extra.


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

Skipper, Look! They've got the 2019 Lionel catalogs for sale!
Run, Chuck, Run!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Try to remember that just because it's in the catalog, that doesn't mean it will be produced.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2019)

Right on point, John. I would predict we will indeed see the big "X", as some of the offerings I look at as pie in the sky.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2019)

I've had good luck with the LionChief Plus locos I've bought over the last 4+ years so I'm looking forward to the NYC FT AA set. I won't pre-order it. I'll wait until it's produced but I'm very optimistic about the LC+ line. Of course, since they are introducing the LC+ 2.0 line it gives them a chance to screw up a very successful and reliable product.


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## Patapsco Valley RR (Feb 23, 2016)

Good point John. Also, the product shown on the catalog may not look like the product when it is delivered.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Patapsco Valley RR said:


> Good point John. Also, the product shown on the catalog may not look like the product when it is delivered.


No problem because it probably won't operate like the ad copy says either!


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## 86TA355SR (Feb 27, 2015)

Where's the George Bush Funeral train?

Is _that_ a possible Vision Line offering this year...?


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2019)

Probably the catalog was produced before the passing of President Bush. If that was the case, you would think they would have inserted a flyer advertising it. 

No doubt, it will be in their next catalog.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Country Joe said:


> I've had good luck with the LionChief Plus locos I've bought over the last 4+ years so I'm looking forward to the NYC FT AA set. I won't pre-order it. I'll wait until it's produced but I'm very optimistic about the LC+ line. Of course, since they are introducing the LC+ 2.0 line it gives them a chance to screw up a very successful and reliable product.


Well good luck with them. I think maybe Lionel fixed the problems with those. Ultimately I bought five powered LC+ FT units. Two still work fine.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2019)

Lee Willis said:


> Well good luck with them. I think maybe Lionel fixed the problems with those. Ultimately I bought five powered LC+ FT units. Two still work fine.


I have been reluctant to buy LC+ diesels because of your experience. I'm hoping the problem is solved. I bought an LC+ GP38 in December and I've been running it a lot. If there is a problem with it I hope it occurs before the 1 year warranty expires.


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## dlkeys (Apr 23, 2018)

Lionel has an online consumer survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3JM8KMM (the link can also be found on lionel.com) Strangely enough, there are no questions about consumer support. I believe a good first step for them would be to open the communication channels and do some listening to their consumer base.


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Lee Willis said:


> Well good luck with them. I think maybe Lionel fixed the problems with those. Ultimately I bought five powered LC+ FT units. Two still work fine.


I haven't had any problems with my LC+ FT diesels that I used to make my PE streamliner. Even the powered B unit has been trouble free.


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## 86TA355SR (Feb 27, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Probably the catalog was produced before the passing of President Bush. If that was the case, you would think they would have inserted a flyer advertising it.
> 
> No doubt, it will be in their next catalog.


Great point, I'd think Lionel would want to capitalize on the current 'frenzy' but who knows what is going on in NC...


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

dlkeys said:


> Lionel has an online consumer survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3JM8KMM (the link can also be found on lionel.com) Strangely enough, there are no questions about consumer support. I believe a good first step for them would be to open the communication channels and do some listening to their consumer base.


Does the "monkey" in that url address mean anything?


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Probably the catalog was produced before the passing of President Bush. If that was the case, you would think they would have inserted a flyer advertising it.
> 
> No doubt, it will be in their next catalog.


Amidst all the buzz of MTH's GHWB product offerings, Lionel's Ryan Kunkel mentioned in one of his videos that the 2019 Volume 1 catalog was too far along to include their GHWB offerings. And shortly thereafter, Lionel announced their plan for UP 4141 and related offerings.

However, Lionel dropped the ball by not producing a "special announcement" flyer like the company had done in the 1990's and early 2000's with the Special Introductions -- 4 or 5 times per year for a few years. The GHWB offerings don't need more than a 4-page pamphlet, and that could have been produced in no-time-flat as an addendum to the catalog or just a simple special announcement flyer.

Again... yet another bungled marketing opportunity by Lionel. OTOH, Lionel is playing to their fanboy audience, so they're likely thinking they can take all the time in the world. However, even Lionel's staunchest fanboys like to plan their expenses for the year as early as possible. With MTH, folks know their GHWB options NOW. I guess it was asking too much of Lionel to talk specifics with SKU's, pricing, and product packaging. Instead, Lionel was trying to cleanse the Internet world of catalog leaks!  Another example of misplaced priorities. 

David


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## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

biglionelguy said:


> It’s nice over here where people are relatively free to speak their peace about all the nonsense. Doesn’t get deleted or closed.


And you don't need to "ask" whether something a topic like the new Lionel catalog that's been on Youtube for several days now is off-limits or not until Wendesday morning. 

David


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## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Uh, it is Wednesday AM. I don’t see anything about the catalog... period.

Website at least is a zero. Has anyone seen anything elsewhere? We are not Facebookies.

Sure does look like a lost opportunity to build interest before today. Heck, take lessons from Menards. Or pay a kid to put some difficult to read catalog pages on Facebook early to build suspense. Use your customer list to send teasers. Make Catalog Day special.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2019)

Bill and David, it appears that a savvy marketing and sales team have taken their career paths someplace other than Lionel.


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## Craignor (Jan 9, 2016)

it’s up now.


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## Vincent (Jan 28, 2018)

"There it is, Skipper! The new Lionel catalog!"
"Fire torpedo 1!"


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## Craignor (Jan 9, 2016)

Vincent said:


> "There it is, Skipper! The new Lionel catalog!"
> "Fire torpedo 1!"


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


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