LionChief vs Traditional Docksider

Other than the addition of the Lionchief system with the sound system associated with it, I haven't noticed too much different between the two I have.  I think they're fairly identical inside apart from the electronics controlling the motor.

I have one of the cataloged Lionchief 2.0 dockside locomotives on order and am greatly looking forward to receiving it.  I believe that will blow both the conventional and Lionchief one's out of the water if they're done properly.

Doug W. posted:

Have been a big fan of these little traditional workhorses for quite some time. Been looking at the new LionChief versions and was wondering if the performance is similar to the earlier pre-LionChief versions. For their size the traditional model could pull quite a load w/o straining.

Did a quick search but didn't find anything on this topic.

The new LionChief 2 versions aren't out, so noone knows anything about their performance yet. (That's probably why you couldn't find anything in your search!) Most folks seem to think these new docksiders will be winners, though.

FWIW, seem to recall that the pre-order buzz on the new Lion Chief Plus 2.0 version of these was very high.

Looks like these are due approximately 6/2020.

Doug W. posted:

For their size the traditional model could pull quite a load w/o straining.

Do a search of the parts breakdown on the Lionel site. The motors in these things are tiny. I’m not saying they don’t or won’t pull a lot, but long term I always think about that tiny motor when I run mine. In my opinion, so far, it seems like Lionel made these more towards the starter set end of the spectrum.

I'm eager to see what Lionel ships for the new LC+ 2.0 Docside switchers.  For the MSRP, they're quite feature-filled. 

I have a ATSF conventional model. Rock solid little engines for sure. Mine even survived an unplanned trip to the floor with nothing more than a small chip on the paint. The engineer took a tumble but he was fine