MSRP's continue to be completely meaningless with no grasp of reality.  Any dealer hoping to sell these items at MSRP is in serious trouble, and might as well just save themselves the headaches and close their doors now.    $65-$70 MSRP for traditional boxcars???  C'mon Lionel, get real.

 

Charlie Nassau seems to have his pricing online already, and pre-order pricing comes in at 25% off MSRP... which seems to at least keep "street pricing" on par with -- or in some cases better than -- prices I recall from last year.  In particular, the Polar RR Legacy K-4 #25 with whistle-steam effect (not a new item, by the way) has a street price of $675 down from a staggering $899 MSRP.  Not many dealers were selling at that price-point last year except for when across-the-board sales were in effect.  The normal selling price was typically in the low-to-mid $700's.

 

In any event, just imagine what the dealer cost on these items is as compared to the MSRP.  LOTS and LOTS of room to negotiate if anyone even tries to sell this stuff at MSRP.

 

David

2014 traditional boxcar looks nice, not too similar to any recent offerings, so that's a plus in my book.

 

While I probably won't go for the set, I like the add-on cars for the Frosty Set.  Probably will go for the boxcar and maybe one of the others.

 

The Lionel Table would be neat, but I'm not sure it's $400 worth of neat. (or even whatever street price ends up being)

 

Not Christmas related, but the graphics do look like they will be nice on the Batman M-7 set.  Shame they reduced the set to only 3 cars though for the price (but I guess it could have been too high for a 4 car starter set when you add the licensing cost).

 

Oh, and the Angela Trotta Billboard set and Ornament are most likely going to find their way to me, even if I may pass on the boxcar itself, just because I am trying to cut back on series I collect.

 

-Dave

I got the Gingerbread Junction set last year and it is very nice. Inexpensive yet looks good running around the tree, etc. They are showing it again in this new catalog. It is NOT a remote control set.

Neat idea from Lionel putting the two track plans for around the Christmas tree!

I think I might look good in a Lionel conductor hat.

 

Thomas Kindade train set.  Hmmm, kitschy immediately comes to mind...

The Christmas Zephyr is neat idea, and a nice looking train, too. I could see myself getting that, maybe: F-VTrains brought his over to run on my layout a couple weeks back and it was a serious cool train.  This one would look incredible orbiting under the Christmas tree: It not only would be a great and interesting toy train, but imagine how all the lights on the tree would sparkle off of its polished aluminum body as it moved!

Now don't go there, Alan Miller is a TK fan

I think that it is a very poor list of items! Nothing in it for me.

 

Rich in NH

I like all the LionChief sets and though I'm partial to passenger trains The Silver Bell Express seems like an excellent value. It's a difficult choice between Thomas Kinkade and St Nicholas. I wonder what "British Themed" Holiday music is. I'm kinda leaning towards the Kinkade set complimented by the Silver Bell Express; a good ole American Christmas for me (made in China of course)

 

De gustibus non est disputandum.

 

I'll probably get the following:

 

2014 Lionel Christmas boxcar

Frosty the Snowman boxcar

Angela Trotta Thomas billboard pack

 

A few comments:

 

The annual Christmas boxcar. It uses what appears to be the same locomotive image (not the whole train)as was used on the 2012 LRRC Christmas boxcar, but different colors and a different background image. I hope they don't keep reusing graphic images in the future, but I think over all (other than reusing the loco) Lionel did a really nice job on the graphics this year. I like the background image of the trees, very classy and Christmas themed. I wasn't sure about the white, blue, red color scheme on the sides (not counting the dark green top and front and back) at first glance, seemed a little patriotic, but after looking at it longer I like it. Understated and it's good to have a little bit of variety in the color schemes when you have a bunch of the Christmas boxcars. I also really like it when Lionel has Merry Christmas on the car. A really nice car.

 

Frosty the Snowman boxcar. I really like this. The Frosty the Snowman graphics look great and the light and dark blue color scheme is nice. It is a more unique scheme for Lionel for Christmas (as far as I can remember) and fits with Frosty.

 

Angela Trotta Thomas billboard set. I don't have any other items with her art, but there are some nice paintings. It doesn't mention it in the description , but I'm assuming you get 3 of the plastic billboard stands (red, green, gold) in the set, otherwise it is a no go. An inexpensive way to add some Christmas theme to the Christmas layout around the tree.

 

One thing I noticed, between the Holiday Memories Catalog and the Christmas Catalog, is the repeat of last year's Locomotive Collection Ornament Keepsake (the one with the Hudson image). The description in last year's catalog used the word "inaugural". Combined with the word "collection", I had the impression this was going to be a series depicting iconic Lionel locomotives. I guess it still could be, but it doesn't appear it is going to be an annual ornament. Maybe they'll have periodic new additions, or maybe it didn't sell very well, and it is just going to be a "collection" of one. They also had the Santa Fe F3 ornament as a LRRC offering last year. It is going to be interesting if they offer a different one this year.

I am with Lee! Book me a Pioneer Zephyr Set please. For the exact reasons that he's thinking of and it looks BOSS and COOL! Shinyness goes with Christmas like milk goes with cookies under the tree, if you ask me. Somebody's going to be happy this Christmas!!!

 

PLEASE SANTA?

 

Mike Maurice

The Pioneer Zephyr is a repeat from last year, but is still very tempting.  They did a nice job on them.

 

I know Polar Express is getting slapped on a lot of items lately, in hopes we will buy.  Well, I'm falling for it this time...the trolley will go great on my elevated trolley lines, bouncing back and forth above a scale 1225 and Polar RR freight.

Nothing says Christmas like John Deere farm implements.

 

Well, it's green, anyway. If they could get the rights to Case/International Harvester, they could do the red, too. 

I'm in for the PE trolley,Frosty figures and maybe a couple of the Frosty cars to add to my Christmas consist.   

The Polar Express 50-ton hopper and the trolley will be making their way to my house for sure. 

 

Interesting... they're not using the PRR logo w/mistletoe for "Polar Railroad" anymore.  It's back to Pennsylvania, as seen in the gondola and the crane.  Too bad, I always thought that was pretty clever.  These two would have been a buy if they were in the Polar RR blue/black/burgundy.

 

Wonder what happened to the Polar Express transformer set that's on the shipping schedule?  It's not in the catalog.

Sure looks like mistletoe around the PRR logo to me.

Well Ron being non religious I could care less about a Merry Christmas car. But the Happy Holidays works for me quite well and it probably OK for the Jewish community as well... Different strokes though. If it works for you enjoy it.

Right, but in all prior locomotives and stock, the PRR logo w/mistletoe = "Polar Railroad".

 

Now the PRR logo w/mistletoe = "Christmas-themed Pennsylvania Railroad".

 

I enjoyed seeing the modified PRR logo used for the Polar Railroad... it would seem that's going away, based on this catalog.

Seems like the Polar Railroad continues to suffer it's ongoing identity crisis.  First we watched a color scheme change over the past year or two from its "heritage" blue/burgundy/gold ala the Polar Express to a couple of offerings in the red/green/silver color scheme.  And for 2014 we have a whopping ZERO new Polar Railroad offerings, period.  Zip, zilch, nada.    Yet, we did get a wonderfully detailed black scale hopper with a PE logo?    What's that about, Lionel? 

 

When you sit back and really review the catalog, there are lots of nice offerings -- just no rhyme or reason in the offerings.  More like half a dozen different people put the catalog together in as many locations without talking to each other.  And then the graphics design folks had to tie it all together.  

 

David

 

Was hoping for 1 or 2 of the lionchief+ locomotives to appear in a Christmas shceme. next year maybe

I was hoping for a trainmaster in Christmas Deco or a Tie ejector dispensing red and white candy cane sticks. Maybe in the Fall Catalog.

So this year will be my first year with a train under the tree. I've already ordered a pre-packaged Fastrack tree layout.

 

Now for the hard part...deciding on a train.

 

I can't decide between the LionChief Polar Express or if I should go with a LionChief + loco (I like the Alaska) and add cars to it a la carte. The Union Pacific Anniversary set looks really neat, but that would mean forking over more $$$ for a transformer. I'm really leaning towards LC because I have a 2.5 year old daughter at home, and I think it would be easier for her to operate the train.

 

The more I learn about this hobby, the more I want, the more indecisive I become.

 

Someone please help.

Is anyone getting the gold Berkshire? I don't like the price tag!!!

Great ideas.

While I did not see anything that I wanted from this catalog, I REALLY liked the art work for the sets!

I thought the gold Polar express engine was BTO and the ordering period ended and now I see a gold PE in this catalog ?  Is it different?

To help you decide, I can offer you a new in box Polar Express with Lion Chief remote.  $245.00 plus $20.00 for insured shipping.  E mail in profile.

Ya Ron because Jewish people don't car at all about coloful holiday trains.

Not like a Jewish guy basically created the entire association of trains and the Holiday season.

 

I think the thread title is misleading! I did not see anything that was UP, Union Pacific, in this catalog. What a waste of my time. The title should be corrected with the word "UP" in lower case. This is just completely unacceptable!

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding. I just wanted to mid-year Grinch a little bit here......

Overall, I think it's a great catalog.  When you compare this to Christmas catalogs just a few years ago, there is so much more variety and options.  With all of the licensing agreements, they have trains for just about everyone.

 

While I am a big trolley fan, I'm not yet sure on the Polar Express one.  For the same reason I am hesitant getting the Streamliner set.  Since they aren't in the movie, they don't seem right for some reason.  But I bet I'll end up getting it anyway.  I do wish they would continue offering more Polar Railroad in the blue, maroon, and gold colors.  I've never understood the appeal of the Polar Railroad with the black steam engine.  I guess it's kind of a generic Christmas-like steam locomotive for people to put in front of their random Christmas cars.  While I prefer steam to diesel, on this livery, I much prefer the GP7 from a few years ago.  The colors are just so striking.

 

I also like the Victorian Christmas set.  There is something about those European locomotives that I've always liked.

Agreed!  For whatever reason--and there may have been a valid one--the ball got dropped on what was a very promising livery with a lot of potential beyond the earlier offerings.

Up to this point, the difference between "Polar Railroad" and "Polar Express freight" has been pretty ambiguous. I'd agree with the "identity crisis" problem that someone else mentioned, especially when you take into account the occasional green/red livery showing up in the mix.

I didn't care for the movie and have little interest in passenger cars, but the Polar Express freight starter set hooked me and from there I've added the streamliner, the GP7, the 1225 from the regular starter set, and every piece of stock, both scale and traditional. As others have stated, it's a beautiful livery--I'd hate to see Polar Railroad go away or get turned into the garish green/red.

Polar Railroad fans, I am with you on wanting Lionel to continue with the original blue, maroon and gold livery.  I'm only interested in the scale offerings though.  The GP7 is a favorite of mine and I wish Lionel would offer another road number for us to MU.

 

For those that are passing on the Polar Railroad green and red offerings, I wanted to make you aware that the PS-2 hopper, from last year, is in fact blue.  

 

<edit> Catalog images and many vendors show it green....it's blue.  Lionel has never corrected the image on their website.