With Lionel's new features in the upcoming UP Big Boy, I again started thinking what features would entice and be interesting to add to trains. While Lionel is going for the big bucks for the Big Boy, there is the possibility that features can trickle down to lower cost items. For me, moving figures in passenger cars and engine cabs rank up high on the "neat" list, even moving figures in buildings would add some life to an otherwise static scene. Even if it was just passenger and engineer heads turning, or hands waving, moving, etc., that would be awesome. I once saw a video of John Armstrong's layout where a cab figure's head turned around 90 or more degrees when the engine was set to reverse - it was pretty neat. Clearly, there's a price point on incorporating features into electric trains, and whether it can be done without maintenance costs, like the whistle steam feature. I am still waiting for command controlled O-scale cars and trucks that don't need rails/slots, kind of like the system the Minature Wonderland in Hamburg utilizes.
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