CYLINDRICAL HOPPERS--HIGH-RAIL FIX???

Well, other than a revised coupler bracket, nothing's in the parts locator, screen cature taken today (8/8/14.)  Guess the news hasn't filtered down to Customer Service yet.

Rusty

A poster on the Yahoo forum got this message from Mike Reagan at Lionel:

From: Mike Reagan <MReagan@...>

To: XXXX

Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 5:13 PM

Subject: RE: Parts to operate 'S' cylindrical hoppers on hi-rail track

Randall,

Yes, the following statement is true; "...if you purchased the cylindrical hoppers, call customer service in August and they will provide the parts you need to operate them on hi-rail track at no cost."  

Please contact Customer Service at 586-949-4100 ext 2 8a-5p EDT. 

The parts we are providing is 6408639100. It is a replacement coupler and bracket that mounts to your existing trucks (and subsequently replaces the coupler it was delivered with, that creates the derailing issue). 

Thank you,

Mike Reagan

LIONEL L.L.C

So it appears that not only has Lionel made an engineering and marketing mistake in the design of the hoppers originally, their "fix" is also incorrect. The derailing issue is due to flanges on the wheels that are too small and to an incorrect spread of the wheels on the axle. How will a new coupler fix that?

I don't think anyone here can answer that until you or someone else gets a look at the fix from Lionel and actually tries it out to see if it will help.  Have you ordered the "fix" yet? 

Mike A.

I think I'd stick with AM Hirail trucks and SHS couplers:

Rusty

Does Mike honestly think changing couplers will enable these cars to stay on the track better?  Is he even aware of the real problem?  Has anyone spoken to AF about this issue to educate them about what is at fault here? Just curious.....Ed L.

Ed, The quick answer is I really don't think about it one way or another.

But the poster put the question out there and my point was that Mike Reagen seems to think the fix he is providing will solve the problem.  No one really knows until they see and try his fix.  If it fails, then interested parties would be better off getting back to Lionel directly to let them know as well as reporting back here after they actually see the fix.  In the meantime, if there is a concern, the poster's question would be best answered by Lionel directly.

I'm actually more concerned about the car riding too high on the provided trucks and I did let Lionel know about my concerns directly and they did acknowledge receipt so I know they got my comments.

Mike A.

I wrote a letter directly to Mike Reagan. No response.

That's another thing using AM trucks take care of:

The two photos aren't exactly the same size in reference to each other, but the difference on the right is very noticeable.  It's really a shame that Lionel screwed the truck up, it is pretty a nice one otherwise.

For further clarity, the BN car before modification vs. a scalified Pennsy hopper. 

Trucks are the same, the spacer on the Pennsy car was cut from an SHS Flyer compatible coupler, so space between the truck and body are the same.  The ONLY other difference are the hirail wheelsets on the BN car.

I guess we're going to have to wait and see if anything else changes on the next production run, but I suspect the truck bolster height issue will still be an open wound.

Rusty

The fact that Mike Reagan responded and the parts are being made available shows that Lionel is at least making an attempt to fix it.  Unfortunately, from what is being said, at this point it appears that they may be providing the wrong fix.  TOKELLY, I'm glad you contacted them about your concerns.  I hope the right people get the message.  Obviously, if they want the newly cataloged ones to sell, they need to address this.

Rusty, thank you for taking a "hands on" approach to come up with alternative solutions.  I've read your previous posts with great interest and I may eventually end up with some new trucks for my cars.  Since I don't have my layout built yet, I'm still holding out in the hopes that someone will come up with a fix that modifies the bolster of the original Lionel trucks to lower the car.

I was looking at ordering some of the new cylindrical hoppers and maybe the 57 foot reefers, but right now I'm on the fence because of this whole truck issue.

Mike A.

In his August 2014 email blast, Doug from Portlines also reported on Mike Reagan's email.  About the fix, this is what Doug had to say: "NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A SET OF HIGHRAIL WHEELSETS ! THIS IS A COUPLER-FIX THAT WILL ALLOW THE COUPLERS A WIDER SWING."

Well, I figured I might as well go ahead and try contacting Lionel myself.  You are supposed to send proof of purchase, but I did not have an electronic receipt for one of the cars.  It didn't matter though since they promptly sent an email back saying they would be sending the parts for all of them.

Mike A.