Did Lionel consider a new generation of Super O? Yes.

Prrhorseshoecurve.

There is no slot in the roadbed for a third rail.   YOU take another look please.

Gosh, my point is that if the third rail does not sit down into the roadbed, then the ties must project above the roadbed to hold the 3rd rail.  

I started in O back in 2001. had a layout for a few months and life kicked me in the pants and it all went into storage. but I had fastrack I can't remember the price. but I did buy some track pieces to go with my starter set and being in the situation I was in it wasn't cheap. over the years my situation changed and out came the train stuff and a layout was started all over again. the only issue I have with fastrack is the price still a 1 3/8 piece something like $4.99 a 10 inch piece $4.99 see the problem no matter what piece of track your buying it is atleast $5.00 then get to uncouplers $30.00 switches are now about $100 the hobby was a kids hobby in the day kids playing trains with dad or mom. now its dad doing the trains and could possibly go broke doing so I probably have a good $2000.00 in fastrack if not more I spent $500.00 just last month. point is size of track should be reflected in price. for instance the 084 curve it works out to be 32 pieces At $6.89 MSRP, thats $220 for just a circle. I went a few days ago to legacy station and the prices on fastrack keep climbing now it's $17.00 for a 30 inch instead of $15.00 last year. I like it and am very invested in it so switching is out but if it was intended as a starter set track starter sets are directed to kids make it so the kids could afford it easier..

I don't know of any kid that is going to spend 100 for a switch or now 50 for a manual switch. when I got back into this a few years ago I looked at the snap track in my opinion a very real looking track but then supply seemed hard to find and very limited so I stuck with the fastrack. super O was never in my thoughts but that new one that started this thread might have been an option.

Ok, Please tell me the cause of the wear in the center of my rollers and slide shoes that didn't appear on the non-SO locos of my youth after 20 years of use.

I have engines that have run on Super O since the late 1950's....and no unusual wear.  You might as well condemn Scaletrax, as it has a thin center rail.  Also, I HAVE seen rollers that were only run on tubular track that were extremely worn.

I stick by my guns John, though maybe not common, it happened. I ran mine hard for twenty years before they really got much of a break.  When the grove in a copper shoe gets to the curve, and doesn't ride up, it binds, and the drivers just spin away.

 Tubular does wear a rounder groove, and after thinking a bit, tubular running may have thinned that shoe enough the S.O. didn't have to work hard to break through, but the slots were there. The rollers weren't affected as badly except two cracked at the score, tender and caboose  I think. I always had enough of each track for about a 70 foot of bedroom to front door carpet dog bone.   

.....And I went to the living room just now, and it looks like my MARX CV has proved me right by developing a distinct new line in the shoe, too skinny to be the normal third rails wear, and you can see the tubular third rail wear too. This used train has ran on this newer Super-O, semi regularly for about 5 years. I give it a year or two to make an actual hole. The front shoe is worse.

It's still my favorite track.   

Oh yeah, I wasn't saying you were wrong.  There were a period that they used a soft metal for the rollers, and those would wear quickly.  Easily changed out for the harder ones though.  My only experience with slide shoes was with Marklin and their stud rail track - and those showed wear pretty quickly.

Overall though, the problem of Super O wearing out rollers has been greatly exaggerated by some.  

Funny thing, toy trains developed by an adult for small children, not to prototype. 115 years later, the cost of the former high end children's toy is high, the level of detail has soared, as the prices are going back to being as expensive to income as 115 years ago.

Back to the topic at hand. As for the prototype , I am glad Lionel went back to developing a new system. I like the look of super o, the prototype here looks great. Fas-track while not as high end is easy to set up. Super O given it sounds to me has pined down track would be gastly expensive to make today, Fas-track looks good, not scale, but good.

As for the groang roller wear, I would think electronegativity and local humidity may play a factor, given copper eats iron alloy parts. The rounded edges of tubular may reduce wear slightly. At least that is a guess as to why.