Any More Info On LionChief Plus?

Any of the LionChief can be run in "transitional mode". Conventional. Turn power down at the transformer, turn the remote to full, operate the voltage from the transformer.

 

A new button with a coil coupler would be nice.

 

Someone will post the details.

check out the audio interview with J don at notch6.com He coves the new features pretty well.
Also I have the full audio from the seminars thanks to our friends at Lionel that will be posted early next week.

As I mentioned in my post, I listened to the Notch 6 podcast about LC+. Before I forget, thanks for all your hard work in conducting the interviews and posting them.

 

You are right, J. Don Reece does cover the new features. But, the info in the podcast doesn't really answer my questions. I'm wondering what is under the hood, so to speak, on the locomotives. It's not the best analogy, because I like some of the starter set engines, but are they putting lipstick on a pig? (Are they starter set quality locomotives with fancy features?)

 

There are occasional posts on the forum where hobbyists are looking for locomotives with more power and heft as they expand their fledgling railroad empires, but they don't want to make the jump up to Legacy locomotives. The "next step up" locomotives beyond starter set locomotives have been few and far between from Lionel offerings for several years. Lionel used to produce quite a few in both conventional and TMCC.

 

Giving it a little more thought since my first post, it would appear the LC+ steam locomotives are a "step up" since the Hudson, Mikado, and Pacific normally aren't included in basic starter sets. J. Don Reese mentioned in the podcast the engines would be more economical, so I'm guessing they are going to be versions of the Hudson Jr. and the Mikado Jr., and the smaller traditional size Pacific (only offered once since 2004).

 

There is more variability for the diesels. Lionel makes traditional RS-3 locomotives with either 1 can motor or 2 can motors. The traditional GP7 locomotives have mostly been powered by a single pullmor motor, or occasionally 1 can motor, while the Legacy GP7's have 2 can motors. Are the LC+ diesels going to have one or two can motors?

 

Hoping somebody can post with some info who attended the seminar at York, but I'll look forward to listening to the seminar when it is up on Notch 6.

 

 

Didnt get to see the Lionel presentation at York, but here is the info I recalled seeing:

 

4 RS-3s: CNW, NYC, PRR, Rio Grande

 

4 GP-7s: NP, UP, Burlington, Santa Fe

 

4 Mikados: ATSF, GN, PRR, Chessie System

 

4 Hudson Jrs: NYC, C & O, UP, CN

 

4 Pacifics: B&O, CP, SP, Alaska

 

regarding the samples on display:

 

Hudson Jr sample was undecorated.

GP sample was the engine from the Titantic Centenial Set.

Pacific sample was uncataloged steamer from late 1990s (Case Cutlery)

 

Will be a brochure available soon with these 20 engines.

 

Wish I could have seen the presentation.

 

 

 

What I read and heard at the Lionel booth is that the diesel locomotives will have one motor driving one truck with traction tires.

ed H and PGentieu, thanks for the additional info.

 

I look forward to reading the brochure when it is available. Hopefully Lionel is going to make it available on their web site.

 

The 1 motor diesels don't pique my interest, but I'd like to learn more about the steamers.

Hey Guys,

 

Just did a youtube video with J Don Reese At York TCA Show. Hopefully this answers many of your questions.  

 

www.youtube.com/trainworldtv

Thanks for that video.   Looking forward to these.

Thanks for the video.

 

I'm curious about the size of the different steam locomotives. I wish the info was in the brochures, but I imagine more details are coming in the 2014 catalog.

 

Glad to see Lionel making some more traditional size steam locomotives.

Here is a short video of a LionChief Plus Hudson from YouTube.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVXrWiZw0os

 

You can clearly see the replacement for the tether.   Perhaps it will be closer coupled on the production locos.   Great sounds, uncouples while moving, slow motion.   Nice loco.   -Ken 

I see that at least on LCPlus loco (Hudson) is on the shipping schedule for March of 2014, as earlier announced.   Coming up pretty soon now!

I surely hope Lionel is not intending to make Lionchief Plus an "interim step" between starter set locos and Legacy.  I think the conventional locos they have now are a good fill there, and hope they simply add that control feature to the RTRs and some of those.  I'll continue to buy Legacy, though: best overall value I see out there.  Still, I have ordered a plus loco just to see what it is all about.

 

 

A video review of one of the steam locomotives is available on another three rail O gauge website.  I'm not going to be more specific for obvious reasons .

 

6-81301	NYC LionChief Plus 4-6-4 Hudson	Mar, 14
6-81302	C&O LionChief Plus 4-6-4 Hudson	Mar, 14
6-81303	UP LionChief Plus 4-6-4 Hudson	Mar, 14
6-81307	B&O LionChief Plus 4-6-2 Pacific	Mar, 14
6-81308	CP LionChief Plus 4-6-2 Pacific	Mar, 14
6-81309	SP LionChief Plus 4-6-2 Pacific	Mar, 14

 

Shipping schedule only shows these six LionChief Plus locos.   Happily, one of my preorders is on the list.