Lionel Hogwarts Express Variations?

Was the original HWE one of the few items with a Dash Seven number?

And the cars CAN do O31 curves:  the stramet CANNOT!

@Scottmaster1121 posted:

I know for the many variations of the Polar Express, Lionel made changes/upgrades to the cosmetics of the cars and locomotive and tender. Does anyone know if they did the same for the Hogwarts Express sets?

Thanks,
Scott

The later PE was not an improvement IMO. The conventional engine looks much better with the separate handrail than the LC does with the cast on rails. If I could switch the shells I would, I may try that. I do have the flickering flame for the conventional one. Haven't put it in yet but the new rooms are up and I'm just sorting through things now. Then I get to work on my engines again.

Frank

@ftauss posted:

The later PE was not an improvement IMO. The conventional engine looks much better with the separate handrail than the LC does with the cast on rails.

I agree, Frank. The separate handrails make a big difference and should not have been deleted. At least Lionel added them back on for the new LCP 2.0 PE Berk Jr (1932090).

The 10th anniversary PE set (6-81101) is a LionChief set that also has the separate handrails.

I'm not sure if the conventional PE shells will swap with the LionChief PE shells. I imagine they would, but I've never done it myself so I can't say for sure. I know the conventional PE shells will swap with the older TMCC/conventional RS Berk Jrs.

-Scott

@Dominic Mazoch posted:

Was the original HWE one of the few items with a Dash Seven number?

I thought that was odd too, Dominic.

http://www.lionel.com/products...v-loco-5972-7-11020/

-Scott

They dropped the separate handrails on the PE berks because children played with them and the fragile plastic stanchions were/are constantly breaking off as children picked them up. And there are several length's and are hard to replace. That's why the cast in handrails.

@Chuck Sartor posted:

They dropped the separate handrails on the PE berks because children played with them and the fragile plastic stanchions were/are constantly breaking off as children picked them up. And there are several length's and are hard to replace. That's why the cast in handrails.

Chuck, are you sure they're plastic? I think they might be metal.

At any rate, it's not just children. I've broken those stanchions, and I don't handle my in any abusive or rough manner. Now those older style wire stanchions were much easier to replace. This newer type means you have to remove the entire handrail - hopefully without breaking any other stanchions - and get the broken end from out of the locomotive, which I have found usually means drilling it out. To me, these look like metal and not plastic. Either way, they still break fairly easily.

After trying to fix one, I now replace the newer style stanchions with the older bent wire type, whenever I break one as long as I have to pull the engine apart.

So personally I see the cast in handrails as an improvement. It's easy enough for me to paint the cast in type over dealing with the hassle of repairing the broken stanchions. Unless Lionel were to revert back to the older bent wire type of stanchion, but that's more labor intensive and the folded over part of the stanchion on the inside of the shell might interfere with all the added wires from all the electronics.

Lionel dropped the handrails on the Berk because they BELIEVE they would not stay on the PE boiler.

After the Bell the Stanchions are the detail item I see broke on the Baby Berks when they come in for repair.

Jim

Scott,

To answer your original Hogwarts question: not that I've seen. I have compared the passenger cars from both the original set and the Lion chief. They are appeared to be the same.

Definitely the locomotives are different as are the power packs / transformers.

@Sean007 posted:

Scott,

To answer your original Hogwarts question: not that I've seen. I have compared the passenger cars from both the original set and the Lion chief. They are appeared to be the same.

Definitely the locomotives are different as are the power packs / transformers.

Sean,

Thanks for the reply to my original question. That's good to know that the cars are the same. Do you mean the locomotives are different in appearance? If so, what are the differences? Obviously the electronics are different between the conventional and the LC, but on the outside do they look the same?

-Scott

@Scottmaster1121 posted:

Sean,

Thanks for the reply to my original question. That's good to know that the cars are the same. Do you mean the locomotives are different in appearance? If so, what are the differences? Obviously the electronics are different between the conventional and the LC, but on the outside do they look the same?

-Scott

Scott - as far as I could tell, the locomotives looked identical.

I just meant that the electronics were different. I didn't see any difference in appearance but I only got to play with the Lion chief set once.

Now, if they made any changes to the Bluetooth set, I wouldn't know, I never got to check that set out.

Thanks for the helpful information Sean! And thanks to everyone else for the replies.

Scott - we missed one set: the Lionel website shows another set.

Hogwarts Express LionChief Set w/ Dementors Coach # 2923170.

Looks to be the same as the Bluetooth Set plus the add-on Dementors Coach.

I hadn't seen that one before.

@Sean007 posted:

Scott - we missed one set: the Lionel website shows another set.

Hogwarts Express LionChief Set w/ Dementors Coach # 2923170.

Looks to be the same as the Bluetooth Set plus the add-on Dementors Coach.

I hadn't seen that one before.

Good eye, Sean! That one didn't come up in my previous searches either (probably because it's a new release and under the new catalog number).

I think you meant to type 2023170. I'm not seeing one under 2923170.

While we're at it, I also found that there are 2 versions of the Dementors Coach that were made; 6-35229 and 6-84767. I'm not certain what the differences between the 2 are right now, I haven't had the chance to really check them out yet, but I would think that one is for the older conventional set and the other is for the newer LC sets (just like the PE Conductor Announcement cars).

I also found 7-11142, the add-on combination car and coach car pack.

I never realized Lionel made additional cars for the set other than the Dementors car. Makes me wonder if they made any others, like a baggage car or diner car maybe? I've read in other threads on here that the motors used in the HWE locomotives aren't that great. Has anyone had trouble running these with a larger consist with all the additional cars?

-Scott

The older Dementor car if I recall just flickered the lights, no sound.   The sounds really do add to the effect.

Jim

I have an old non-Lion Chief Hogwarts  set at least 10 years old where the engine easily pulls half a dozen cars. I did notice a variation of the passenger cars when I ordered additional ones about 5 years ago used that turned out to have black tops. There was also a variation in car numbering (found on each side of car) - 99718 with a gray top, 99719 and 99720 with black tops and 99720 with a gray top. Other than the tops all the cars appear to be identical. I did purchase the dementors coach with sound which had the  number 99723. I agree that the sound does add to the effect.

When I get a chance I will provide pictures.

John

Thanks for the information Jim and John! I'm sure the sounds make a big difference. Anyone know if the Dementors Coach with sounds 6-84767 can be run conventional, or is it only for LC?  Also, thanks for pointing out the color difference of the roofs of some of the cars, John. It would be nice to see pictures of the difference.

Scott

The Dementor car with sound is controlled by a on/off switch on the bottom of the car.  It only works conventional.  Doesn't work with the remote.

As for the lion chef engine (no bluetooth), I have a problem pulling extra cars.  I have the addon cars, two Dementor cars.  It doesn't work well.  I am really hoping they will upgrade and make a Lionchef +2 like they did with the polar express. 

@LittleC17 posted:

The Dementor car with sound is controlled by a on/off switch on the bottom of the car.  It only works conventional.  Doesn't work with the remote.

As for the lion chef engine (no bluetooth), I have a problem pulling extra cars.  I have the addon cars, two Dementor cars.  It doesn't work well.  I am really hoping they will upgrade and make a Lionchef +2 like they did with the polar express.

LittleC17 - someone on the forum (Gunrunner John?) mentioned a while back that the original Hogwarts motor was terribly undersized. Hopefully that was corrected on the newer set.

@Scottmaster1121 posted:

Good eye, Sean! That one didn't come up in my previous searches either (probably because it's a new release and under the new catalog number).

I think you meant to type 2023170. I'm not seeing one under 2923170.

-Scott

Thanks Scott - correct, it is 20-23170.

Thanks Sean, I will have to check it out.  Maybe I need to purchase the newest version.  I really keep hoping for a better made one with Lionchef plus 2.0

@LittleC17 posted:

Thanks Sean, I will have to check it out.  Maybe I need to purchase the newest version.  I really keep hoping for a better made one with Lionchef plus 2.0

They're waiting for you to buy the current one before they come out with the better one!

Brendan

@Dominic Mazoch posted:

Was the original HWE one of the few items with a Dash Seven number?

Looking at the Lionel website, it looks like the 7-xxxxx series was mostly the large scale plastic ready to play sets.

Not sure how or why the original HWE was given a 7-11020 number.

Here is a picture of 2 Hogwarts passenger cars, one with a black top and one with the gray. The gray tops came with the original set while the black topped cars were purchased used separately. The cars otherwise appear identical.

John

In the actual movie what color were the roofs? does anyone know?

Just looked at the first movie where Harry takes the Hogwarts Express for the first time (Chapter is called 8 and 3/4's) and the passenger cars definitely have gray tops. The cars in the movie are red sided like the Lionel cars but the movie cars are a metallic red.

John

7-11080 was the G gauge version.

7-11960 is the current production that is actually #2 gauge.

Steve