I have been reading with great interest in what people are saying about the new Lionel 21" Empire State Express passenger cars. The thread about painting the interiors was great and I look forward to doing similar with my K-Line set, but what about the exteriors of the new Lionel cars? My store has the new Lionel locomotive and car sets in stock, so I hope after I make a few observations it still sells!
First, the diaphragms:
I have never seen photographic evidence the full width diaphragms are black from day one. Seems like every image I see the train set looks silver from point to point. Were they in fact black or where they silver to match the rest of the car?
Second, the Observation car:
To be quite blunt, the rear end of the Lionel observation car is wrong and in several different ways.
A) There should be no door.
B) The antenna is incorrect.C) Lack of serious detail around the coupler such as the cut levers etc..
Here is a photograph of the prototype as featured in our clubs publication "Railroads In The Streets Of Syracuse". When I have the opportunity to rummage through our clubs extensive original photograph collection, I hope to find more images as they were taken on the Erie Boulevard Station on the day the train was inaugurated.
I really wished there was a way to enlarge the MTH HO scale set they produced a few years back. That set was stunning in every way including the color detailed interiors, the undercarriage, the brass details and the correct details like the antenna and the detail inside the diaphragms. If you have not seen this set in person, I highly recommend you take a look at them and compare the Lionel to them.
How many will Lionel ultimately produce? Will they ever do more than the already announced 7 cars? My K-Line set is 11 cars long and I am thinking of making it a perfect 15 car set. Not sure my locomotive can pull that many though. All passenger trains, especially the big name on the New York Central, Pennsylvania etc. seem to always pull 15 or more cars!
Last but not least: The Lionel Kinetic couplers are great, but I cannot get over how high these cars sit on the trucks. Has anyone devised a way to lower the car body yet? The Lionel cars are sitting way too high!
All in all, Lionel did a pretty good job on this set, but not perfect. Neither was the Golden Gate Depot cars OR the K-Line cars. Although I have sold all three in the store, I believe I am sticking with my K-Line set. Boy do I miss K-Line!
