Agreed!

Frankly I would like to see the Lionchief Scout set again as well. I missed those when released and now they seem hard to come by (except that person trying to sell the set piece by piece $$$$ on bay). 

With that in mind, I am surprised they don't do some Lionel Lines lionechief sets, sort of a modern/nostalgic fusion, "The Lionel Flyer" along side the PA flyer, SF flyer type sets, with the 0-8-0, or some Lionel set with the 2-4-2, or berk locomotive. 

In addition to kids, maybe there are other hobbyists like me who like the scale size protypical stuff and are not interested in prototypically marked starter sets, but like the more toy like starter sets.  I have the scooby and hogwarts and love them and would like to add a Lionel marked set or 2 or more as well.

I find these starter sets to be fun to have running when I am working on the layout.  I don't worry as much about them and I don't feel like I need to not miss any turn of the driver's like I feel with my high end stuff. 

I also wonder if Lionel has an agreement with WB not to use that locomotive for anything other than the Hogwarts Express.

Maybe Lionel should pitch a green painted Hogwarts Express to WB with the story being that it was painted at some point when a Slytherin was headmaster (and a blue for a Ravenclaw, yellow (idk about that one) for a hufflepuff headmastered era versions) 

(Pardon my typecasting)

Husband pays $860 plus for a Lionel "Shakespeare Express" on Ebay.

Wife using a quote from Shakespeare's Richard III, "off with his head."

I agree, make it LC+ or LC+2 with a Shakespeare quote sound package, Lionel would definitely sell a few.

pennsy484 posted:

I also wonder if Lionel has an agreement with WB not to use that locomotive for anything other than the Hogwarts Express.

 

As I recall, Lionel also did a Christmas version of the locomotive.

I don't see how WB could put the kibosh on the locomotive designed in England during the 1920's by Charles Collett for the Great Western Railway. 

That would be like saying Lionel couldn't make the NKP/PM Berkshire because of the Polar Express license.

Rusty

Hi Rusty.  Was the Christmas version before or after the hogwarts express? Hopefully after, which would suggest that WB and Lionel did not agree to limit Lionel’s use of the locomotive to hogwarts express.

I am not predicting or guessing that such a limitation is in place, just wondering. WB could put the kibash on other use by simply requiring such an agreement in order to allow Lionel to make a Hogwarts Express train.  I hope that is not the case  but even if it is, Lionel couldn't pass up the opportunity to make the hogwarts express and I think it would be a no brainer to need to agree to that from a business perspective.

I recently first saw a picture of the set that Chris (OP) posted here and it is so nice it made me wonder why that locomotive isn't offered in other liveries. The absence of any other versions since the hogwarts express naturally leads one to at least wonder if there is an exclusivity agreement. 

I would be happy to learn that there were non hogwarts versions released after the hogwarts express was first introduced.

WB, and the Harry Potter universe are humongous compared to Lionel and could ask for and receive quite a lot in a contract.  Mike would probably make new tooling to be able to produce the hogwarts express.

Also, even if there isn't an agreement, I imagine that the Hogwarts Express franchise is so important for Lionel that even if they considered making that locomotive in another set, they would want to tread carefully and should talk to their licensing contacts at WB.  At least that would be my advice.

pennsy484 posted:

Hi Rusty.  Was the Christmas version before or after the hogwarts express? Hopefully after, which would suggest that WB and Lionel did not agree to limit Lionel’s use of the locomotive to hogwarts express.

The Christmas version came out after Hogwarts. 

There would be absolutely no reason for Lionel to tool up for a British locomotive specifically for the Christmas market.

As a matter of fact, there were two versions, one in a set, the other separate sale:

Rusty

I have the green Christmas engine. Gee, I wonder what I could get for it.

Charlie

I got the Albert Hall loco and tender from a sale at Lionel.  Finding the passenger cars by themselves took forever and I got lucky one day on the eBay.  These engines DO run on O 36 or larger radius, NOT O 31 as stated in the catalog.  I am still hoping for a Flying Scotsman from Lionel.

Lionel also made a Hallow’s Eve version of this engine for Halloween. The conventional engine and two passenger 2-packs were sold separately.