>> I may have missed something at some point but is it a case that the cylindrical hoppers will come in the box with the new profile wheels as standard?
It has been known for some time now that the cylindrical hopper will come with "scale" wheels. What is not known at this time is exactly what that means. What, exactly, "scale" means in this specific instance in the Lionel/AF dictionary is not known. Nor do we know if it will become a new standard for Lionel/AF. I have not heard anything about "new profile" wheels and so cannot comment on that.
>> I would have thought that if they can't negotiate Flyer turnouts then it is a no-go.
Will Holt reports they run fine through AF turnouts. I don't think there is cause for concern about that. Lionel certainly knows that AF trackage is the dominant type in S.
>> I also haven't seen any mention of Gargraves track
Will Holt has not tested the new cylindrical hopper on Gargraves track. So it is an unknown at this time.
>> I would have to say that the new wheel sets are peobably not compatible with a tubular type track.
I would think that conclusion is speculation at this point in time. We just don't have enough information to reach that kind of conclusion. After all, they ran fine with ACGilbert switches according to Will Holt.
>> Also I can't see Lionel shipping this hopper with the new wheel sets as standard which are probably not going to work for the 85% normal hi-rail market
Since Will Holt says he tested them on AF switches without a problem, I suspect they will work with most of the various hi-rail track brands. But that is also speculation at this point. I would think Lionel/AF is smart enough to figure that one out.
>> I would say that there will be an option like the locomotives where the 15% semi scale market lies to buy them as a conversion
When the dust settles, that might well be the case. But at this point in time, we have no information about some other new different option. And, to belabor a point about definitions, I am not sure what "semi scale" means anyway. That is right up there with "train hobby". I believe the 15% figure pertains to the scale market which, by my definition anyway, means NMRA/NASG compliant wheels and track. The scale guys might have to get creative to find wheels if necessary, but they are used to that.
Perhaps Lionel/AF can be persuaded to make sets of scale wheels if they are necessary. Time will tell.
Cheers.......Ed L.
