Exciting announcement coming from Lionel @ LCCA Chicago this afternoon

J Daddy posted:

Well I am glad Scott you are making some coin - its tough in this hobby sometimes...

But getting back to the announcement at hand I asked myself why Lionel picked the N&W K2a?  Could one just be have been made by using a 4-8-2 chassis and pop a 611 shell on top of it... so I did some sleuthing and with the help of Eric's video from Eric's trains educated myself on the what will be the potential differences.

 

If I were an avid N&W modeler / collector. I would be all over the Hybrid.

If you are comparing the 3rd rail version to the Lionel Hybrid - Don't!  - I own a few 3rd rail locomotives and let me say  the 3rd rail locomotives will have a more accurate scale model but will be very delicate on the drive rods and details, lots of oiling and inspection is essential in the initial break in, otherwise you could destroy a perfectly good locomotive. They are beautiful but be very careful.

   

J Daddy nice comparison.  I think you also forgot to mention that these units will come will Legacy / Bluetooth control as well as Legacy Railsounds.  While that may not be important to some, it is to many. As I said this ones not for me but I hope those who do purchase it are happy.

I'm not going to stand by while someone who doesn't own a 3rd Rail K2a, says it's too delicate to enjoy.

The 3rd Rail K2a is very sturdy. There isn't a lot of fine detail to get bent. It's a streamlined loco. The side rods and running gear are very strong and stiff. They will not bend while handling.

As far as oiling parts, if you don't oil metal to metal parts on any manufacturers model, you will get parts wearing against each other.

Don't be shy, we have them and they are outstanding scale models.

Opps, pilot wheel's off the track.

From our On-Line Brochure

J DADDY,
Yes, the K2/K2a and the J are hugely different! There is even a slight difference between the K2 and the K2a, although most people wouldn't notice. You are correct that you cannot put a J boiler on a 4-8-2 chassis and have an accurate K2/K2a model.

MartyE posted:

I hope those who do purchase it are happy.

Well, they still have a long way to go before I would be happy with this model! I certainly hope that they will make the necessary changes and show the folks at home exactly what they are signing up for before they commit their hard earned money!

sdmann posted:

I'm not going to stand by while someone who doesn't own a 3rd Rail K2a, says it's too delicate to enjoy.

The 3rd Rail K2a is very sturdy. There isn't a lot of fine detail to get bent. It's a streamlined loco. The side rods and running gear are very strong and stiff. They will not bend while handling.

As far as oiling parts, if you don't oil metal to metal parts on any manufacturers model, you will get parts wearing against each other.

Don't be shy, we have them and they are outstanding scale models.

I agree!

Big Jim posted:

MartyE posted:

I hope those who do purchase it are happy.

Well, they still have a long way to go before I would be happy with this model! I certainly hope that they will make the necessary changes and show the folks at home exactly what they are signing up for before they commit their hard earned money!

Jim

I also hope Lionel looks to folks like you for some insight.  That's why I did the @Conrail6358 to alert Ryan Kunkle.  I imagine you'd be happy to have a phone conversation with him if it would improve this product.

sdmann posted:

I'm not going to stand by while someone who doesn't own a 3rd Rail K2a, says it's too delicate to enjoy.

The 3rd Rail K2a is very sturdy. There isn't a lot of fine detail to get bent. It's a streamlined loco. The side rods and running gear are very strong and stiff. They will not bend while handling.

As far as oiling parts, if you don't oil metal to metal parts on any manufacturers model, you will get parts wearing against each other.

Don't be shy, we have them and they are outstanding scale models.

 

Opps, pilot wheel's off the track.

I wouldn't either... I have purchased your locomotives Scott. So I am speaking from first Hand experience.

I had to fabricate a new hanger bracket from scratch, but I did manage to get this magnificent beast back on the high rail!

MartyE posted:

Jim

I also hope Lionel looks to folks like you for some insight.  That's why I did the @Conrail6358 to alert Ryan Kunkle.  I imagine you'd be happy to have a phone conversation with him if it would improve this product.

Marty,
I would welcome the call.

The 3rd Rail K2a is not the same as your Z6. Different factory, different design, different hardware. The K2a is very sturdy compared to the Z6. Glad your enjoying your Z6.

Scott

This sounds interesting, must read more.

I have several 3rd Rail steam locos and while they are very well detailed I do not find them delicate. I repair them on a regular basis as well and rarely do I find issues with them being too delicate. Even my MTH diesels lose details form time to time and my Atlas passenger cars have had more parts fall off them then i care to count but I still enjoy them all.

I dont know how big of a demand there is for this loco but I am sure many will buy it because its in an orange box. I hope Lionel does a great job and they sell tons of them. 

Matt Makens posted:

I dont know how big of a demand there is for this loco but I am sure many will buy it because its in an orange box.

Probably true.

Interesting.

Of course some people will buy it because it’s a Lionel... same reason people only buy Atlas, MTH, 3rd Rail, K-line etc. Not sure why this seems to be a new revelation to anyone.

Companies spend much time and effort to gain customer loyalty, the list is endless. (Apple/Mac, Ford, GM, Honda, Coke, Pepsi).

However, there are also many people who shop for price, features, quality and availability; you can't discount those people either.

Regarding the K2/K2a from Sunset and now Lionel, its just business. Lionel had the 4-8-2 drive line ready to go and needed a body to put on it. They chose the K2. If you like it, buy it, if not, don't.

Charlie

CNJ #1601 posted:

Yawn.  As if there haven’t been enough N&W streamlined steam engines produced over the years.  They couldn’t come up with something else...ANYTHING else?

Cough cough Strasburg 90

 

Regarding the K2/K2a from Sunset and now Lionel, its just business. Lionel had the 4-8-2 drive line ready to go and needed a body to put on it. They chose the K2. If you like it, buy it, if not, don't.

It would have been really cool if instead they would do the "never been done before" unstreamlined version!

KD,

Pratt's Hollow combined with Steam Punk would suit me fine...

John

Sorry...  Fantasy brass hybrid steam locomotives...  Nope...  That's a chooch best left to the individual to build out of their material of choice.

Remember all the clamor about the ACE 3000 a while back?  Now there's a locomotive that had a very faint possibility of actually having a real one built back in the 1980's.  Lots of chatter happened about an O Gauge ACE 3000, but it seemed few wanted to reserve one and it was removed from 3rd Rail's website.

There's still plenty of real steam locomotive prototypes not yet made in 3-rail O Gauge without entering the fantasy realm.

Rusty

Not sure if anyone’s brought this up, but is the frame used from the same tooling as the 4-8-2 Mountain type Lionel last made in the early 2000’s, or is it derived from the recent M1A’s? 

If it’s the former, do you think we’re not far away from Legacy reruns of those engines? I’d be more interested in those than a K-2 personally.

The pricing sounds good, when will there be more details, I want to know all of the features, where the controls are for programming the engine. Will there be an odyssey switch, etc.  The early order price sounds fair....I was at the show, but did not have time to get all of the details. I am a player....Thank You Lionel.

Well, low and behold, I found all of the information on this neat Brass Hybrid N&W J K2 Locomotive that I needed on the Lionel website. Oh, I guess it was as easy as #123, so, I placed an order for the one, #123.....Wow... Happy Railroading.