BTO & Preorders

The dealers will know when the deadline is.

Lionel will never disclose what the minimum amount of pre-orders for a particular product is are.  IMO, it's one of the reasons for the explosion of fantasy paint jobs, to ensure making the minimums.

Rusty

Gotcha. Thank you!

Good question, Bill!  I have never ordered BTO from Lionel, but from what I have seen over the years, Rusty has stated the situation in a nutshell perfectly.

I know I am showing my age, but every time I see Lionel's acronym, BTO, I always think of Bachman Turner Overdrive.  I guess it is fitting, Lionel is Taking Care of Business!!    BTO is the only rock concert I ever attended; Pittsburgh Civic Arena - Summer 1974.  A classmate and I drove down right before he left home for the Marines.

I also think of Bachman Turner Overdrive every time I see it. And the igloo was awesome! I saw the Pens play there. We had standing room only tickets and our standing room was right in front of a blower blowing cold air on us. We couldn't see past center ice because the next level of stands came down so low haha we ended up sneaking up near these platforms where the cameras were. It was a great view but the camera flash would go off every so often like eight feet from our heads. It was rough haha Ah well, those old arenas were rough but they sure had character!

I think Feb 28th is deadline

I did see the 27th called out as a deadline on a hobby shops website but I wasn't sure if that was their deadline or Lionels. We're going to take your word as gospel @tom21pa congratulations!

The end of February for the Lionel Built-To-Order items.  We continue to accept orders long after the deadline has passed based on product availability at Lionel and their distributors.

BTO is a good way to make sure that product comes your way, it usually takes 6 months to maybe a year to become reality. It protects the dealer and gives Lionel the assurance the product is sold. One other nice part of BTO, it allows you time to save up for those higher priced scale engines, or sets. It sort of locks in your choice items. Early order pricing is usually great, Good luck, it’s the best hobby in the world. Happy Railroading Everyone.

Thank you for the help @JR Junction Train & Hobby and the for the detail about accepting order. I preordered an 0-6-0T in December of 2020 from my local shop and thought for sure I was past the deadline but they must also have access to availability at Lionel and distributors.

@leapinlarry I actually don't mind the BTO thing. This is my first go around with it and I feel pretty good about it. I'm locked in assuming there are enough preorders and the wait is long enough that I'll forget about it! Anything that helps these companies stay in business is something I'm likely to support.

BTO = Bachman Turner Overdrive.  My first concert was Jimi Hendrix at the Virginia Beach Dome!!!  Plaster was falling from the ceiling they were so loud.  Maybe that's why my ears still ring.

I've pre-ordered 2 or 3 times, always disappointed in the length of time it takes to get something (years not months).  But if I hadn't pre-ordered I would never have gotten the items otherwise cause they're usually gone within weeks if not days.

@BillYo414 posted:

I also think of Bachman Turner Overdrive every time I see it. And the igloo was awesome! I saw the Pens play there. We had standing room only tickets and our standing room was right in front of a blower blowing cold air on us. We couldn't see past center ice because the next level of stands came down so low haha we ended up sneaking up near these platforms where the cameras were. It was a great view but the camera flash would go off every so often like eight feet from our heads. It was rough haha Ah well, those old arenas were rough but they sure had character!

Like the old MSG on 50th and Broadway. I remember tickets to Ranger's games stamped 'obstructed view' ...and those old musty smelling concrete corridors! 

The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh was a cool building.  I hated to see it go.  I remember going to hockey games with the original seating.  The overhanging seats weren't there, so it gave a better view.  I don't think there were any obstructed views unless you were standing in the runways.  My brother and I used to get tickets way up high near center ice.  Those tickets were inexpensive.  They never filled the place in the 70's and 80's so you could buy those tickets at the gates.  Years later, my late father-in-law would always get tickets for the Shriners' Circus and each of our daughters would take a friend.  Me and 5 girls at the circus!  It was always a riot when they wanted to ride the elephants.  I'm sure those extra seats weren't there when I went to se BTO in '74.  There was so much cigarette and other smoke, they should have opened the roof, but they didn't fix it until many years later.

Back to Lionel BTO.  I went through the catalog again.  They have some very nice items, but none of them remotely pique my interest. If we had grandchildren, I could pick out a LionChief set.  I am going to sorely miss MTH.

I just assume the worst for the timeline. I don't waiting a year because I'll probably forget about it. A three week wait would be an eternity compared to life taking over when something isn't likely to arrive until December 2021.

I can't believe you saw Jimi @Bob Delbridge. He turned his amp up loud enough to get that special distortion. I have a couple little 5 and 10 watt amps that do it but my ceiling plaster is intact My bigger amps gave me hearing damage on the left side after playing a few sessions for hours at a time. I didn't realize it was bad until years later. But I sleep with my left ear to the ceiling when the neighbors are loud and I'm trying to get to sleep!

That's awesome @Henryjint haha I remember the old Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh giving me vertigo because of how steep the stands were. I was just a kid and had no fear of heights but I almost fell into the row ahead of us when I jumped out of my seat for a homerun. Those were times haha it stinks that a lot of the hockey arenas are cookie cutter arenas now. But I guess I'm really there to enjoy the game!

Ah, the old nosebleed seats!    Yes, they made me feel like I was going to topple over, but the seats were affordable.  Now we just go to the Butler Blue Sox games.  Those college kids that play for them during the summer make as good a team as what the Pirates are fielding now.

Yeah I hated to see the Igloo go too @Mark Boyce. It was such a cool building. We used our student IDs to get the discounted standing room only tickets. But yes! Back on topic!

There are no items that caught my eye that pertain to the prototype of my layout. But I got a thing for big articulated engines and teeeeeeeeechnically that one did haul some coal. It's a stretch but that's fine by me. I am going to miss MTH as well. I really like their rolling stock and their tendency to make different road names and engines.

Edit: That's why we had them! My parents could afford them and my brother and I liked going to games. PNC is a beautiful park though. I go to the Youngstown Phantoms hockey games because they're affordable and nearby. The hockey is great! Maybe not NHL but still great for the price point and how close it is to home.

I like big articulated engines too, but I don't have room to run them.

My nephew played for the Phantoms at one time.  We went to one game there and one game in the arena near the Pittsburgh airport.  He played one year of minor league hockey after college hockey.  He realized he was getting too old to move up much farther and got a job in medical equipment sales.

You're always welcome to run them on my layout!

That's cool! I wonder if I saw him play. It's a little bit alarming when I realize the guys playing on the Phantoms are up to 10 years younger than me.

He finished high school in 2005, 4 years older than our oldest.  He played jr and Sr year of high school, then 2 years after before getting a college scholarship because on year he broke his jaw and another he broke a lot of ribs.  So he was there 2003 to 2007, if not it’s close.  Trent Bonnett, defenseman.

BTO. (One of my fave bands too. We must all be the same age!) Randy Bachman and Fred Turner. Both Canadians, born in Winnipeg. Famous, not only for BTO, but also for its importance as a major hub in Canada's coast to coast railway system. Both CP and CN converge in Winnipeg and then go their separate routes, both east and west, as well as into the US, to reach their destinations.

Bob

Oops. Got carried away with the BTO thing and derailed the thread. I forgot to add that I have had 100% success with BTO Legacy diesels from 2 of the last 3 catalogues. Perfect right out of the box. So now I have to look carefully at the 2021 offerings.

Bob

I didn't get into hockey much until about 2007 @Mark Boyce. I probably didn't see him. The name doesn't ring a bell either.

@Bob "O" I'm 29 haha I didn't know they were Canadians though! From Winnipeg no less! I always thought Canadian railroading has to be tough with the snow.

Bob, I’m glad you had good success with your BTO engines.

Yes I knew they were from Winnipeg since way back.

I can't help but feel like the Lionel BTO and quality issues exist but the crowd having problems is the most vocal about it. I'm basing this off my experience with...well everything in life. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The grease is the spotlight in this case. But we'll see in a year if I'm all angry and whatnot because I got a pile of parts instead of a locomotive.