Information on the Scarceness of Lionel GE Evolution Hybrid

The people who have them are probably keeping them for now.  I still think the price was too high, at least for me.

 

Joe

These diesels listed for what?  $850 MSRP or thereabouts?  At the time, it was shocking.  Now lots of folks would jump at that price for one -- simply because we've been told these are highly sought after.  Whether they're truly rare or scarce is debateable.  The last "reasonable" price I've seen for the GEVO was $1150 at a dealer in Ohio a couple of months ago.  Otherwise you're talking much higher price points.  I was super lucky and stumbled upon the CP hybrid when The Train Stop in San Dimas, CA was closing a few years ago, and everything was on sale!  

 

It's crazy.  But when you follow this hobby long enough, you realize there's always been "hot" items.  And as difficult as it may seem to believe now, there will be a day when you can't give one of these away.  Vision Line or not.  So for now, just enjoy knowing you have something that is highly sought after at this moment in time.  The technology treadmill will ensure that one day down the road, the next big thing will be taking its place.  And this item will be a distant memory.  Count on it.   

 

David 

I agree with David that they are probably not scarce.  They are for sale on this forum on a regular basis, in fact two are available right now on the buy/sale forum from two different sellers.

 

They are also on ebay on a regular basis. 

 

I ordered the plastic UP version, to be delivered soon.  I bet its just as nice as the diecast, but for less than $400.  You can always add weight if you need to.,

I had been thinking about picking up the new Pere Marquette Berk.  But, as usual Lionel has offered it four times but cataloged a caboose for it just once..

I went online only to find the last one available, sold for $260.00

Like the EVO, It's all about current availability.. nothing more, nothing less.

I passed on buying the Berk, Lionels loss, not mine simply because of Lionel's history of inconsistant marketing practices. 

Joe

Though I'm not a diesel guy, I've enjoyed watching the subjects of this thread.

 

I understand why you guys like them so much-they're very nice models. 

 

A quick story- as pure luck, I was browsing an auction site as one was posted at $750 "By it now" and it literally was sold in seconds! I even thought of buying it and don't own any diesels~!

 

Look forward to additional information you guys will post. 

 

 

 

 

lionel should take a que from mth and re-issue the GE Evolution.

When people suggest that Lionel re-issue the diecast  ES44's, I think they are missing the possiblity that originally these may not have been profitable for Lionel, due to low pre-orders.  While it may be great that a hobbiest pre-ordered one for $700 and sold it on ebay two years later for $1500, none of that $800 profit goes into Lionel's pocket!

 

I predict that Lionel will re-issue all of these in plastic, but they were probably disappointed with the die-cast sales, from their own point of view.

Why i do think they will remake the ge evo in plastic.. Theres no way it will ever be made in diecast again. After talking to several higher up lionel people they gave me a long list of reasons why .. These are one of those engine you have to actually own to understand what makes them better..My first diecast one was the up 7459 and i paid 650 bucks for it new and own it till this day.After i put it on my track its never left it..I have mth , lionel plastic , and 3 diecast lionel es44s  . Sorry its a different engine all together..

Last photographic evidence of the real GE Evo is from 13 September 2013.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...id=457081&nseq=0

 

EDIT: Odd, I had an email notification that Chris posted about the whereabouts of the real deal. 

These are not that rare. I would judge them as somewhat scarce. Only because of the initial release there was an issue with rusted trucks. Units had to be repaired and locomotives where returned for refurbishment.

I don't think Lionel scrapped these but may have sent them back or used them as part donors.

Because or the high demand people who own them do not sell them often, and with the big wow factor of flashing lights, die-cast heft, and fantastic detail they have become highly sought after.

The good news is I limit my trains to the 1940-50's era so I am safe from scalpers and sharks on this one.

Just remember there are lots of trains out there you just have to be patient on finding a good price.

Let's also keep it real here folks...  $849 is still a good chunk of change for a diesel locomotive -- although Lionel is trying desperately to narrow the gap by offering S-2 switchers (plastic) in their latest catalog with a $649 MSRP.  

 

As for the die-cast vs. ABS debate... Given my proclivity to run double-, triple- and even quad-headers at times, I'll take two powered ABS units over a single die-cast unit any day.  And I own the BNSF ES44 and CP Hybrid die casts.  They are nice, and I paid a slight premium for the BNSF unit 'cause I like that road-name and got such a super deal on the CP.  Sorta like dollar-cost-averaging!!!     

 

For die-cast aficionados... Remember the UP Veranda?  Admittedly, it's not a Legacy loco, but you'd be hard-pressed to get more than $800 for that monster now... and it retailed for $1250 when it was delivered over 10 years ago.

 

There is no rhyme or reason to these dynamics.  Only hype and which select products gain traction based on the hype.  If the die-cast ES44's didn't already have the IR feature, they'd be a notch lower on the technology treadmill curve.  But they do, so they're safe -- for now.

 

David

I'm not sure it's really such a big deal anymore. The reality is that there are only a very small number of people in the world who are crazy enough to spend that kind of money for an engine, regardless of the pretty flashing lights (the main attraction) that caused wet pants for some. In any case, MTH has since made them by the boatload, including numerous remakes, both in Premier and RailKing versions, and most people who wanted one have gotten their fix by now.

       
       



I guess you missed the last pre order on the bigboy and its 2k price tag .  David why I understand what your saying lionel has never made a engine like the es44s with the cab interior and doors opening on the sides and I run single engines not lashed and they make short work of 30 cars even crawling while the plastic ones start to wobble . But yea 2k is a stupid price on a Evo and if I had one and someone wanted to pay 2k for it it be gone.

I never understood the thrill of flashing chase lights.

 

MTH had its EVO version on display at TrainFest last week that was being controlled by an iPad with their mock-up WiFi module, that may wind up looking like a miniature TIU.

my post did say plastic or diecast.

 

I really don't mind what they make as long as they make it again.

I opted for the MTH unit (with the test car) because I couldn't see the justification for $700 for a diesel despite being diecast. Add to this that a former member had one and experienced several problems with it (might have been shipping damage for all I know) Turned around and got the 2005 ES44AC GEVO unit, so while I spent about $200 more than the Lionel, I ended up with two locomotives and a test car. Yes, I know it's MU'd with itself -- I blame a temporal anomaly. By the way, both locomotives are virtually impossible to find.

 

I could multi-quote from a lot of comments above and respond to them individually but that would needlessly take up a lot of space.

 

if you don't have this Vision Line engine (or the CP model) don't talk about how any of the imitations from the other manufacturer are better value or just cheaper.

 

The original GE EVO Vision Line model is one of the best diesels Lionel ever made. Despite the fact that for some reason it got slightly rusted wheels in shipping it's a great engine with outstanding operating features. The fact that the other manufacturer capitalized on the idea by producing multiple imitations tells you a lot.

 

 

 

 

I owned the mth one for 24 hours . Theres  a reason why it was 350 bucks cheaper retail .

 

Now if you want to talk dash 9s mth has lionel whooped  

Give it a few years and it will probably go down in value.  Most modern MTH and Lionel items really do not hold their value.  Look at how cheap you can find early PS1 Premier and 90's era Lionel scale items now.

I sure like mine. Runs great on 2-rail, 3-rail, DCS, and DCC as do my MTH Dash 9's. Running scale wheels.

 

I was lucky enough to stumble upon two of the BNSF's and one UP BSA. 

 

For being diecast, it's amazing how fragile the side rails are!

 

For those keeping count I kept one of the BNSF's! 

This engine is the main reason I become so in love with this hobby.  This was my second engine I bought after ordering  the legacy system and a legacy set when I decided I wanted a train after taking my then 3 year old to a show.  I was instantly hooked.  I set up a ping pong table in garage and sat out there for hours watching it go round and round in the cold. After that first week of running this I instantly bought the CP version as well.  Of all my engines nothing compares to these.  Once you hold it in your hands and set it on your layout you get this magical feeling.  Non of my other engines do that. My other engines sound great, run great, and look great.  But nothing compared to these.  Heck even my diecast KCS one  is a real beauty, but not the same as those hybrids.

Haven't bought a new diesel with hi-rail wheels in five years. Have run 'em all at the club layout. Run 'em on 2-rail at home when no one is looking. Got "Outed" at a train show earlier this year.

Well, I do not know how many sold, but I really like my GE EVOLUTION LOCOMOTIVE. After getting this Diecast engine, I really started liking all the DieCast Engines. I was fortunate to get the CP HYBRID to. I think The Legacy System, the Charging Lights and Listen to that Horn, WOW!!!! It's what makes this Hobby, The Best!!