My LC+  GP-7 is identical in size & shape to the postwar conventional GP-7 that I have.  LC+ locomotives are getting pretty cheap now that LC 2.0 is out.

Tom

The LC+ 2-8-4 Berkshires are re-creations of the postwar versions.  Even made one in the Lionel Lines livery like the original.

Add the LC NW2s, not to be confused with the newer Legacy NW2s.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Add the LC NW2s, not to be confused with the newer Legacy NW2s.

Pete

Great point. A forum member has (had recently?) a LC+ NW-2 up for sale on the For Sale forum. I was tempted myself, but need another switcher like a hole in the head.

Lionel lists the Lionel Lines LionChief set in their 2020 Big Book catalog, set #2023120.  Includes a 4-4-2 steam engine & tender with LionChief remote, and Bluetooth capable.  Smoke and RailSounds, operating coupler on tender (I suspect remote-controlled) and a few other features.  Set also includes an operating coal dump car, a reefer (although picture looks to show box car), a caboose, an oval of Fastrack, a wall-wart power supply, some billboards, and a girder bridge.  All for the MSRP of $299.99.

Although mostly molded plastic (engine included), probably not a bad buy for a retro-post war set considering the prices on everything else these days.  I've kinda' been tempted to order a set myself, but just can't seem to pull the trigger.  At least not yet.

Lionel also shows a baby Hudson and F3 in Lionchief. I suspect these are close if not identical to the post war versions.

Pete

@Norton posted:

Lionel also shows a baby Hudson and F3 in Lionchief. I suspect these are close if not identical to the post war versions.

Pete

I think it was the FT, not F3, in LC+

I think they did do an FT. Maybe this is for pre order.

https://mrmuffinstrains.com/products/l-2034100

Pete

Thanks to all for their wonderful suggestions.

Should I be concerned about which level of LCx I use? I'd be looking to buy one system to use with all(?) levels of LCx.

Dan

@geepboy posted:

Thanks to all for their wonderful suggestions.

Should I be concerned about which level of LCx I use? I'd be looking to buy one system to use with all(?) levels of LCx.

Dan

Yes, very much so. Not that one is right or wrong, but there are distinct differences. Lionchief is pretty basic. Lionchief Plus (1.0 and now 2.0) is more advanced and more expensive. Neither requires a computer or signaling device to connect to the track like Legacy, Lionel's older TMCC, or MTH's DCS.

Lionchief and Lionchief Plus 1.0 engines are pretty much standalone. Run them with a dedicated remote or a LC universal remote or, if equipped, with an app via Bluetooth.

Lionchief Plus 2.0 brings added features and the benefit of backward compatibility with TMCC.  Meaning, someone like me with an old TMCC Command Base (computer that connects to the track) and remote can control an LC+ 2.0 engine, but not LC or LC+ 1.0, with my TMCC remote.

Hope that helps.

you wrote:

Lionchief Plus 2.0 brings added features and the benefit of backward compatibility with TMCC.  Meaning, someone like me with an old TMCC Command Base (computer that connects to the track) and remote can control an LC+ 2.0 engine, but not LC or LC+ 1.0, with my TMCC remote.

I see post-war models in catalogs and stores with TMCC. Does this mean I can control the TMCC loco with my LC 2.0 remote or do I need a TMCC base system as well?

Also, is there a way to tell post-war from other models by the part number alone? I'm just not knowledgeable enough to tell the difference from a catalog picture.

Dan

Dan what R4D meant is you can control LC2 with a TMCC/Legacy handheld but you can't control a TMCC/Legacy engine with a LC2 handheld.

None of the Lionchief engines are referred to as Post War, they are just based on look of the Post War engines. Not many are even direct copies with the same paint.

In the past Lionel, Williams, and even MTH and K-Line have made Post War reproductions but none of them have Lionchief control.

Pete

@geepboy posted:

I see post-war models in catalogs and stores with TMCC. Does this mean I can control the TMCC loco with my LC 2.0 remote or do I need a TMCC base system as well?

Also, is there a way to tell post-war from other models by the part number alone? I'm just not knowledgeable enough to tell the difference from a catalog picture.

Dan

No, you won't be able to control older TMCC locos with the LC 2.0 remote. Only the other way around. If you go with TMCC Command Base and remote, you can control both TMCC engines plus LC+ 2.0 engines.

Someone else more knowledgeable than me should ring in about the part numbers but, near as I can tell, all modern Lionel part numbers begin with 6-.  But, if your question goes to identifying modern replicas of old poster engines, then I don't think there's a formula for that.

Good news is that finding a modern equivalent won't be that hard. I happen to own a copy of

Greenberg's Guide To Lionel Trains 1945-1969 Vol.1: Motive Power & Rolling Stock

This book shows all the locomotives made in the postwar era. There are others. Look for engines you like and then search for that on the Lionel website to see if there's a modern version in TMCC, Lionchief, LC+, or LC+2.0.

One thing I've noticed is that we have many more real road names available today. Postwar leaned more heavily toward generic Lionel Lines.

Just about everything has been remade at one point or another if not with the same tooling a pretty close replica. The classic 1946 2-8-4 Berk has been re-done many times most recently in LC+. The Berk done even more recently in LC+ 2.0 is NOT a postwar replica. The postwar 2046/2056 Hudson has also been redone many times, TMCC and LC+. In steam, I think those are your best starting points.

For diesels, the GP7/GP9 and NW-2 from the postwar era were also made with LC+.

Lionel made some postwar replicas appropriately called the Postwar Celebration Series. These came with TMCC.

One last thing to consider.  The LC+ and LC+ 2.0 engines come with better speed control than original TMCC engines. Remember, TMCC is an older technology. To me, that's a gamechanger. If starting from scratch today, I would not buy TMCC unless it was one of the more expensive ones equipped with what Lionel called Odyssey or K-Line called Cruise.

Hope that helps rather than confuse the matter.

It helped a great deal - but I still have a few questions.

1) In buying a LIon Chief system, I should probably get the 2.0 for the most versatility. Is that correct?

2) Just because a loco is advertized as having LCx, that does NOT mean it's post-war. Is that correct?

3) It seems to me that my best bet to identify post-war sized product is to simply ask on these forums as I have no experience telling the product sizes apart. Is that correct?

4) I see product clearly advertized as post-war but having TMCC. Control of that product is only possible with a TMCC system. Is that correct?

5) Does any other manufacturer make Lion Chief compatible trains? If so, I haven't found them yet.

Thanks again for all your time and help - you've been very helpful.

Dan

1) I know I won't be buying anything but LC+ 2.0 if I want that control system.

2) I'm not entirely sure what you mean by LCx.  If you mean LionChief, many are semi-scale, but they do have some scale sized locomotives, mostly smaller engines like the Camelback or A5.  None of them are considered "post-war" which refers to products produced by Lionel in the 1945-1969 timeframe, long before LionChief.

3) Asking here is not a bad idea.

4) TMCC locomotives run in conventional mode with just a transformer.

5) The only manufacturer that makes LC/LC+/LC+ 2.0 trains is Lionel, no other maker is licensed to use that technology.

@geepboy posted:

3) It seems to me that my best bet to identify post-war sized product is to simply ask on these forums as I have no experience telling the product sizes apart. Is that correct?

Post-war sizes were all over the place.  Most post war diesels were 1/48 scale renditions, except for the obvious Alco FA's - these were O27-sized.  Steamers and rolling stock for the most part were either traditional-sized (approx. 1/55 scale) or O27-sized (approx. 1/64 scale).

There are exceptions to the above, of course.  One notable, the 4-4-0 General locomotive is actually larger than 1/48 scale, although not sure what scale it really is, or least based upon.

It's a rather steep learning curve trying to figure out what's what when it comes to the scale.  Even modern day production Lionel trains haven't changed - they are still all over the place in scale sizes.  So yeah, either ask, or start doing a lot of googling and searching.