Ideas for New VisionLine Products (or Remakes)

Yes Lionel should update the 700e using ALL of the K Line tooling. Not just the drivers and perhaps a few other odds and ends.  Maybe fix the valve guides and add some builders plates.

Given the popularity of the Milk cars. Vision Line milk cars would be a good idea.

Considering how long it took to unload the first batch-plus, I highly doubt Lionel would go another round with the Centipedes, not even at gun-point.

I really like my Lionel Centipedes, but I think there are few layouts that can handle them.  Plus MTH's were cheaper.

With MTH gone, maybe they can now remake their scale PRR T1.  That would be a good vision engine.

I have one too and think it's an amazing model. Between the size and the price, they're definitely not for everyone.

@CAPPilot posted:

...
With MTH gone, maybe they can now remake their scale PRR T1.  That would be a good vision engine.

I’d be in for that... maybe they could partner with the T1 Trust and do a 5550.

I’m a hard pass on remakes.  The only thing that lifted my eyebrow so far was the GS-1 Brass Hybrid which I don’t have the funds for right now, but might consider in the future.

Other ideas...

Western Maryland 4-8-4 Potomac

American Flyer inspired PRR K5

N & W Class A

GN 2-8-8-0 N-1/2/3 Bull Moose (a PRR HC1 variant would be cool)

N & W 4-8-0 M2c

VisionLine BERKSHIRE!!!!!!!   Please

NYC Dreyfuss & N&W 1218

Would really like to see some 036 curve friendly steam in vision line. How about the USRA Pacifics. Pretty large and nice locomotive but still 036 compliant.  Smoke/whistle, swinging bell and dynamo or blow down would be a awesome.

could vision line reach into doing some cool operating accessories???!!!

B&A berkshires in green with whistle steam please

Orient Express, Flying Scotsman, Mallard.  The Flying Scotsman ran on American rails, that would be a great bridge to a world of engines that Lionel hasn't done before and that are rare in 3-rail O Gauge.

I'm very happy that whistle steam is becoming more common and I hope the other smoke effects start to percolate beyond Vision Line, like blowdown and cylinder steam.  I'll second the vote for O-36 compliant.

I second the proposal for a PRR T-1. This engine is long overdue for a re-release. Even though I am mostly a west coast modeler, I would really like to have a T-1, it is too iconic to not have.

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.  Making a Berkshire and calling it Vision Line is not what I "envisioned".  The Berks already made are pretty great.  Not sure what VL would bring to the table.

@MartyE posted:

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.  Making a Berkshire and calling it Vision Line is not what I "envisioned".  The Berks already made are pretty great.  Not sure what VL would bring to the table.

Agree wholeheartedly...

Therefore another mention of the Western Maryland 4-8-4 J1 Potomac is in order.

Here’s a link to some video of the handsome brute
https://youtu.be/LGOMZ6Jb8O8

With over 70,000 lbs of tractive effort it was in the top tier of Northern type locomotives.

A new feature to include with it might be a steam blow off that shoots a jet of steam out of the blow off valve.

I've been waiting for a rerun of the Zephers, this time with add-on cars available.  With the announcement of the restoration of the Mark Twain Zephyr, it would seem like a great time to reintroduce the set with all the command upgrades since 2014.

I like the accessory idea. Maybe a scale intermodal crane with Legacy control and sounds could be made. That would be awesome. I also want to add the SD70ACe-T4 in UP, EMD Prototype, CSX, and a few other liveries; including BNSF and NS, plus fictional ones.

@MartyE posted:

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.  Making a Berkshire and calling it Vision Line is not what I "envisioned".  The Berks already made are pretty great.  Not sure what VL would bring to the table.

I'm with Marty here. Sure a VL Berk would be great, but what about engines that haven't seen the light of day? Every now and then they run the Legacy bunch, we know them, Berks are usually among them somewhere. I would also add that the VL is supposed to be the best of the best(with honors), that includes quality. I'm sure that could open a can of worms, so let's just leave it there.

What great engines could they possibly do that have not been made yet? I think I've said a bunch in the past, and I know I'd like to see some others. Why not some VL Royal Hudson's along with some Dreyfuss Hudson? Not run at the same time, but one that year, the other that year? What about a VL Decapod which Strasburg #90 could be the centerpiece of. I know the last time I brought the Decapods, there were a few comments on other engines built because I had asked what others. I'll leave that there for the experts. Just my thoughts on a few.

@MartyE posted:

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.

I agree.  But an updated PRR T1 would be really nice, VL or not.

Not that I swim in the VL waters, but I think it would be nice if they did a VL accessory or two.  Have they ever done a VL accessory?

I second a VL intermodal crane. or VL turntable?

Does anyone have a list of all of the VL locomotives and rolling stock made to date?

I agree with @Sparty1225. I love me a good giant of the rails but some smaller VisionLine trains would be cool. I feel like a great many small locomotive and locomotive oddities (Buffalos and ingot trains, for example) have been missed by Lionel.

I also think that the opportunity for bringing tech to the accessories is immeasurable and could really set Lionel apart. This is especially true if they went open source and let a development community grow around the accessories.

I think the first vision line accessory could be a fastrack turntable. However they take a lot of space so limits the potential volume of sales.  But I’m pondering what cool accessories could be made with a vision line budget/mission. Smoke and lights neon lights and motors/movement. Bluetooth operation included maybe.  Interior details   Exterior landscape details  

What ideas for accessories would you consider worthy of vision line and what features would you include in that accessory?  I’m Interested in what this forum can dream up!  

there have been a lot of cool accessories made. Love the clamshell crane.  Log loader,  barrel loader and sawmill are favorites as well.  Also love mth operating dump cars and operating reefers with smoke and unloading feature!  Lionel should do a few runs of  cars like this once in a while that mth did.  

I don’t mind re runs because it gives people that weren’t in the hobby or had the budget at the time to buy one on a re release.  Say every 9-10 years. Also Bluetooth is in them now which wasn’t in them on originally release so far.  However I would expect at least one additional feature to be added on a re release. Say an extra smoke feature or swinging bell feature.  Or replace a feature that people found so so with a different one.

@MartyE posted:

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.  Making a Berkshire and calling it Vision Line is not what I "envisioned".  The Berks already made are pretty great.  Not sure what VL would bring to the table.

I completely agree!

I’d personally love to see some scale Legacy Norfolk & Western A Class locomotives done as Vision Line products! They could do a few different types: the early version with boiler tube pilot and smaller tender, the common in-service version, and a glossy museum version of the 1218! A set containing an early version A with N&W ps-1 boxcar, three or four flatcars w/Sherman tanks, and an N&W caboose would be an awesome 1940’s era themed set! Just an idea 😁

However unlikely, I wouldn't mind seeing a VisionLine VIA Rail blue/yellow F3 unit (AB) with matching cars?  I swear there's something like it in every scale but O-scale (unless custom painted of course)....

A Lionel VisionLine take on the CN U1F class would be pretty sweet too

How about a VL bascule bridge with double track and extended length? I guess that would be a large box?!!

Carl J

B6SB switcher with cylinder steam, ringing bell, whistle steam, smoke and detailed piping.

Mike Parks (Charter Member 20)

A Texas & New Orleans P-14 Streamlined 4-6-2 used on the Sunbeam

A Texas & New Orleans MK-5 Harriman 2-8-2

@MartyE posted:

How about Lionel gets back to the original VL mission statement which was to produce the best of engines never before produced.  Unique engines that lead themselves to detail and technology.  Making a Berkshire and calling it Vision Line is not what I "envisioned".  The Berks already made are pretty great.  Not sure what VL would bring to the table.

Agree with you Marty!

@Sparty1225 posted:

"I don’t mind re runs because it gives people that weren’t in the hobby or had the budget at the time to buy one on a re release.  Say every 9-10 years. Also Bluetooth is in them now which wasn’t in them on originally release so far.  However I would expect at least one additional feature to be added on a re release. Say an extra smoke feature or swinging bell feature.  Or replace a feature that people found so so with a different one."

Gosh, how many times has Lionel re-run a Daylight steam engine? Seems like so often you expect to see it in every catalog now.

Bluetooth requires me to use two remotes to run trains since most don't have it. Would have preferred Lionel put sound in ALL powered B units rather than Bluetooth. 

@Texas Eagle 77 posted:

A Texas & New Orleans P-14 Streamlined 4-6-2 used on the Sunbeam

A Texas & New Orleans MK-5 Harriman 2-8-2

How about the streamlined Southern Railway Ps-4 #1380? (Too bad Lionel no longer makes those beautiful gleaming 18" aluminum passenger cars to pull behind it.)

Or how about a streamlined New Haven I-5?

I've see a few posts including Norfolk and Western, I would love to see a class a or Y6B (or at least another run of the legacy Y6B). The PRR T1 would be another great candidate.

I also like the idea of a VL accessory like the intermodal crane, that could have some potential there.

Lionel, buy the MTH tooling for the Triplex, Class A, European models. Produce the Triplex as a Vision locomotive with cylinder steam and whistle steam.

How about a SP P-8 4-6-2 Pacific,I think that it would generate a Lot of sales.

Mikey

@Al Nevada posted:

Lionel, buy the MTH tooling for the Triplex, Class A, European models. Produce the Triplex as a Vision locomotive with cylinder steam and whistle steam.

Now you're talking!

@mikey posted:

How about a SP P-8 4-6-2 Pacific,I think that it would generate a Lot of sales.

Mikey

I would love to see Lionel do a run of P-8 and P-10 pacifics. I know 3rd Rail did them but it would be cool have some with Legacy Railsounds. I’d buy 2 or 3 if Lionel did them

Vision Line ATSF 3751 or UP 844 with the matching water tenders (reissue)

The purpose of Vision Line which was to bring O scale models that have not been "done before" Such as the GS-1. CC2, Santa Fe 3000. Adding extra smoke/steam features is nothing special....speaker in the engine is about to be standard option.

@Al Nevada posted:

Lionel, buy the MTH tooling for the Triplex, Class A, European models. Produce the Triplex as a Vision locomotive with cylinder steam and whistle steam.

Interesting thought.  I personally think Lionel should only buy the tooling for engines it does not already produce, like the Triplex or PRR Decapod (not sure what other steamers fall in this category).  Didn't Lionel already do a Class A?  However, I do not think they should be VL.

To me, Lionel should go back to its original VL concept and there are a lot of good candidates listed above.  I do think the engine type chosen should represent one purchased by more than one road (with road specific mods) to insure Lionel gets back its investment and make a reasonable profit.  (I know, some of you think Lionel should sell at a loss to satisfy our desires, but they are a business that I think plans to stay around a while)

@CAPPilot posted:

Interesting thought.  I personally think Lionel should only buy the tooling for engines it does not already produce, like the Triplex or PRR Decapod (not sure what other steamers fall in this category).  Didn't Lionel already do a Class A?  However, I do not think they should be VL.

To me, Lionel should go back to its original VL concept and there are a lot of good candidates listed above.  I do think the engine type chosen should represent one purchased by more than one road (with road specific mods) to insure Lionel gets back its investment and make a reasonable profit.  (I know, some of you think Lionel should sell at a loss to satisfy our desires, but they are a business that I think plans to stay around a while)

The problem with doing a more generic engine, even with road specific mods, is that they’ve pretty much all been done by multiple manufacturers. How many USRA mikados, pacifics, consolidations, 2-8-8-2’s, Van Sweringen berks, etc. do we really need. The 3 rail companies have heavily built common steam engines that were owned by multiple railroads and they’ve even done a number of less common ones. I have no desire to spend $1500-2000 for VL steam that is generic or not modeled closely enough to the prototype railroad. I want to see road specific locomotives with all the correct details. If that means they need to be brass hybrids and are a higher price then so be it.

Even though the latest run of GS engines included a number of models that have been done many times (Daylight GS-2’s and 4’s, black GS-6), it included several models that have never been done (GS-1, 3, and 5) along with many prototypical paint schemes that have never been offered before and with era unique details that haven’t been offered either. It was really quite an ambitious project for Lionel.

The popular engines and more “generic” models have been done to death and really don’t excite me much any more. The difficult part is finding road specific models that have enough interest to justify the development cost. I suppose Lionel could just continue to take the path of developing a road specific engine, paint it in a variety of prototypical paint schemes and road numbers, and then offer some logical fantasy paint schemes to appeal to other operators who aren’t so picky or happen to enjoy what-if models.

If you are going to produce rolling stock for O scale what is needed right now is a version of the American Car & Foundry 4600 cubic foot capacity, ACF CENTER FLOW,  3-compartment/3-bay covered hopper.

1965 version

1972 version

It has to have opening roof hatches.

It has to have actual sliding discharge gates

It needs to actually have 3 compartments inside

Accurate, metal, sprung trucks

They need to be made while they are still in service.

Andrew

Falcon Service

For the Vison Line they could produce a 1:48th scale operating Pressure-Differential covered hopper with operating loading and unloading pumps.

For the Modern operator they have to produce 1:48th scale models of the Greenbrier 5188 cu. ft. capy. 3-bay covered hoppers with opening hatches and sliding discharge gates.

Then produce the 5188 3-bay covered hopper for 1:64th scale and as a Traditional O gauge model.

Andrew