I love the LionChief system works great; Why are the new LionChief engines in the 2020 catalog so much cheaper then previous years? Good news for cheaper prices but just wondering why the price is less?

I think you're confusing LionChief PLUS with regular LionChief. The engines on the catalog pages you referenced are regular LionChief, and I think this is the first year LionChief locomotives have been cataloged for separate sale. The LionChief locomotives have previously only been included in train sets, and don't have all the added features of the LionChief PLUS engines. Although they do now have Bluetooth.

The LionChief PLUS locomotives are much more expensive as they have greater digital functionality, larger vertical motors, more metal and die-cast components in their construction, in addition to being able to run in conventional mode via a transformer without the remote, or with the remote.

I think the LionChief system is terrific. It allows families or anyone who wants to try the hobby to buy a set for not much more than half the equivalent price of Lionel's competitors, or even less in some cases. 

It's actually more reliable as a communications protocol than Legacy/TMCC, and, in my experience, much less quirky than DCS and less complex than DCC. 

However, this relatively affordable price means that the detail isn't up to current scale standards and the components are not meant to survive long years of intense use (motors, drive trains in particular). That said, failing in the first few hours of operation is probably due to you having a lemon.  That's disappointing but not totally unexpected. 

I've bought a couple of LionChief locos as separate sale for under $200, which is comparable to a Scout engine back in the 1950s, but higher quality thankfully.  LionChief Plus and, presumably LionChief + 2.0 are entirely different animals, and higher quality and more detailed, as well as having the capability to operate in conventional mode.  So the typical price differential of at least $100-200 is largely due to the more expensive electronics (both command and sound), drive train and detailing as compared with LionChief, which is designed as the budget, beginner line.

This is a first for me, someone complaining about lower prices from Lionel!

I'll reserve judgment on how they did it until after I get my LC+ 0-6-0 Dockside Switchers I'm waiting for.  I was curious enough as to how they managed to price them that way that I'm buying a couple to take one apart.

@brianel_k-lineguy posted:

The LionChief PLUS locomotives are much more expensive as they have greater digital functionality, larger vertical motors, more metal and die-cast components in their construction, in addition to being able to run in conventional mode via a transformer without the remote, or with the remote.

AND, one of the most notable features of LionChief Plus -- they have cruise control.

I bought a dockside LC+ to run under my crane...it’s been awhile since I ordered.

I have two, a LC GP38 and a LC+ Mike. They work great however it seems that the Mike is much more apt to lose it's signal than the Geep. 

And LC 2.0 can do transformer conventional, LC clicker, BT, and TMCC.  With TMCC, it can work with either remotes of TMCC and Legacy.