LionChief Plus Berkshire Locomotives, Any news ?

They are on the boat. I'd estimate a month.

Thanks Dave for the good and bad news. Should be able find my wallet by then.

Our Christmas display will be ready the day after Thanksgiving, wondering if there's any update on the LionChief Plus Berkshires?

The Berkshires will be in stock at Patrick’s Trains on Monday.

Just got a email from FedEx my 726 LC+ Berk shipped by Charles Ro on 11/22 will be delivered Friday 11/24. Looking forward.

Pat

Galy posted:

Just got a email from FedEx my 726 LC+ Berk shipped by Charles Ro on 11/22 will be delivered Friday 11/24. Looking forward.

Pat

Pat,

Glad to here that the LC+ Berkshires are now available and being shipped. I ordered one last January, the LC+ app is on both my iPhone and iPad, so I have been waiting with great anticipation!!! Looks like Christmas will be a little early this year??? 

Be sure to add an update with your first impressions and photos or a short video would even be better! 

 It arrived,  Nice job Lionel                                                                                            Before you ask, The green jewel markers are there but very small almost invisible. No jewel side markers.                                                                                                                              

Pat                                                      

Hey...that's a nice looking engine.  Please let us know how it runs.  BigRail

BigRail posted:

Hey...that's a nice looking engine.  Please let us know how it runs.  BigRail

Engine runs as good as it looks. Great clear sound & good smoker.

Pat

Just out of curiosity - is there any original 726/736 tooling in use here or is it all "new" tooling? 

Nice looking engine! Would be a nice match to my 1952 726RR......

Great Pictures Pat! Just the one I was looking for.

SJC posted:

Just out of curiosity - is there any original 726/736 tooling in use here or is it all "new" tooling? 

Nice looking engine! Would be a nice match to my 1952 726RR......

Dave at Lionel answered a lot of the Berkshire tooling questions in a previous thread and kindly shared some of the CAD drawings. He does a great job with things like that.  Short answer is: The majority of the tooling is from the conventional classics 726 Berk, with the update to the LC+ features.    Here is the link: https://ogrforum.com/...lc-berkshires?page=1

Galy posted:

 It arrived,  Nice job Lionel                                                                                            Before you ask, The green jewel markers are there but very small almost invisible. No jewel side markers.                                                                                                                              

Pat                                                      

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Pat.  It really looks nice!  I didn't notice the gray firebox in the catalog, I had to go back and look, and sure enough it's there.  I'd be tempted to paint it black on the Lionel Lines version.    

Any chance we can get a video with some sound and smoke?  Thanks!!!

JD

Just opened my Pere Marquette #1223. Disappointed. Contrary to the Lionel description, there are no engineer or firemen figures! There is a nicely detailed cab interior with LED firebox which takes up all the space in the cab. Not even any room to add some figures. I'm sorry, but I don't want to run latest generation Lion Chief plus engines without cab figures. Why have all the cab and firebox detail if you are not going to have any figures in there?

JD2035RR posted:

SJC posted:

Just out of curiosity - is there any original 726/736 tooling in use here or is it all "new" tooling? 

Nice looking engine! Would be a nice match to my 1952 726RR......

Dave at Lionel answered a lot of the Berkshire tooling questions in a previous thread and kindly shared some of the CAD drawings. He does a great job with things like that.  Short answer is: The majority of the tooling is from the conventional classics 726 Berk, with the update to the LC+ features.    Here is the link: https://ogrforum.com/...lc-berkshires?page=1 

The original Postwar tooling for the Berk has been gone a long time. I recall there was information (years ago now) that the MPC era No. 8615 L&N Big Emma was the last Berk built with the original tooling (this was back in 1986), and the tooling broke during the run, which resulted in fewer engines made than planned. That used to be a high dollar engine, at least partly because of the reported shortage (plus the engine is very attractive). There may have been other stories about the demise of the orginal Berk tooling as well. In any case, it was a long time (quite a few years) after the Big Emma before the next Berk was produced by Lionel, because they had to make a completely new tool for the engine, which took a lot of time (and a lot of money back then).

I thought about picking up the new LC+ Berk but will pass. I’m a fan of the LC+ locos but I have the 726 Conventional Classics version that was released a number of years back. Great looking loco and what a sound on that whistle! I pull the three Tuscan Madison cars with it. Makes a great set.

Hope all who bought the LC+ version are happy with it.

johnstrains posted:

I thought about picking up the new LC+ Berk but will pass. I’m a fan of the LC+ locos but I have the Conventional Classics version that was released a number of years back. Great looking loco and what a sound on that whistle!

I hope someone can comment about the whistle on this new LC+ Berk. I have a LC+ Mikado, and the whistle is nothing special at all. The whistle on my LC+ GP38 is also pretty flat, as is my LC+ RS-3. I wish Lionel would have put even the older TMCC RailSounds into these Plus engines; those sounds are far superior.

Ran one this morning.   Whistle is just great.  Bell clear and loud.   Great smoker and very smooth at slow speed.   Saw it and bought one.

I hope Santa brings me one! 

Any videos to share? More pictures? 

Does this loco have a can motor or a postwar style pullmore motor?

RoyBoy posted:

Does this loco have a can motor or a postwar style pullmore motor?

Can motor. 

Excellent!

PLEASE! SOMEONE POST A VIDEO!!!!!

breezinup posted:

johnstrains posted:

I thought about picking up the new LC+ Berk but will pass. I’m a fan of the LC+ locos but I have the Conventional Classics version that was released a number of years back. Great looking loco and what a sound on that whistle!

I hope someone can comment about the whistle on this new LC+ Berk. I have a LC+ Mikado, and the whistle is nothing special at all. The whistle on my LC+ GP38 is also pretty flat, as is my LC+ RS-3. I wish Lionel would have put even the older TMCC RailSounds into these Plus engines; those sounds are far superior.

The conventional classic 726 has a far superior whistle with random effects programmed into the RSM card by Lionel. Lionchief Plus PCBs all produce flat whistle and horn effects as a limitation of their hardware.

Received mine today. Lots of fun!

Fantastic! A definite step up over previous LC Plus steamers. Whistle sounds like the real thing!

Oh yeah...no question. That's way better sound than many -- most -- of the previously issued LC+ steamers.

Good job Lionel.

Saw some of these at Imperial Train Company.  I was impressed.  Very heavy compared to other LC+ locos I've handled.  Sounds, smoke, and finish were very good.  While they operated, everyone took notice.

JD2035RR posted:

Galy posted:

 It arrived,  Nice job Lionel                                                                                            Before you ask, The green jewel markers are there but very small almost invisible. No jewel side markers.                                                                                                                              

Pat                                                      

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Pat.  It really looks nice!  I didn't notice the gray firebox in the catalog, I had to go back and look, and sure enough it's there.  I'd be tempted to paint it black on the Lionel Lines version.    

Any chance we can get a video with some sound and smoke?  Thanks!!!

JD

I'm bringing this thread back because I want to see if anyone has actually painted the silver/gray firebox on these LC+ BERKS to black for a Postwar/traditional  look.  I bought the Lionel lines and I'm thinking about this enhancement after warranty is up.  I'd like onions, pics, advice, thoughts from others.  If you have or considered it any idea on paint source and color and finish?

Thanks cheers

I bought mine last October at York and have really been running the heck out of it . I too will be eventually painting the firebox to complete the postwar look. Best $345.00 I ever spent . Bought from Gryboskis.

I have the Nickel plate version and may I say it is one nice engine. Sound is great, it runs smooth and it looks great even though it looks nothing like the real 767.

The best thing is how easy it is to set up and run with just the remote and the app which btw is free.

Dave