Lionel: PLEASE ADD Whistle Steam to the Milwaukee Road S-3 !!! Sorry, boys and girls. Ain't happenin'

GreggM THANKS !!

Maybe you should also say "Please".

I didn't even stop at "PLEASE," I went completely bonkers and said "PRETTY PLEASE."

I could have added "With sugar on top" but I figured for $1799, that's plenty of sugar. 

Are you meaning the new 261 S3 Steamer in the new catalog? If so, Yes, I wish they would add the steam whistle smoke effect to that engine. That would be so cool, and that would make it really fun to run. I hope Lionel reads your thread....Please, Lionel, add that feature.

The S3 needs the whistle steam feature! I will be ordering one regardless but would really like to see it added....

Also,

Whats the story with the paint schemes for the S-3? Are all the MR ones "in service" '40s-'50s? I would like an "in service" look, not an excursion paint scheme. Some advice from a MR expert on which one to order would be appreciated.

I also agree with this! Lionel needs to add whistle steam to the s-3 to justify that VERY high price tag! I also think it would be nice to be able to do both whistle steam and cylinder steam. @Dave Olson 

Please do this lionel! 

It be interesting considering that they had 2 whistles and the Air horn. Wonder if it would be one hole or 2 for the whistle steam effect if they do it

BigJohn&theWork posted:

 

Whats the story with the paint schemes for the S-3? Are all the MR ones "in service" '40s-'50s? I would like an "in service" look, not an excursion paint scheme. Some advice from a MR expert on which one to order would be appreciated.

The Orange/Maroon/Gray Hiawatha paint scheme is pure fantasy.

The only difference between the "excursion" paint and "in service" paint is the white running board stripe.  In service the running boards didn't have the white stripe:

Rusty

Stick to your guns Scrappy!!!!!  " no whistle steam, no credit card steam!"  

Would you sacrifice the cylinder steam?

I'm actually glad the steam cylinder effect is back.  I thought that was a way cooler smoke effect.  I sure hope if they put whistle steam they don't rid of the steam cylinder.  I hope this is a sign of that feature going into more engines....

I'd sacrifice the cylinder steam in a second for whistle. 

The whistle steam has far more play value and the cylinder steam is not prototypically executed anyway, not to mention alll the problems folks had getting the cylinder steam to work because of clogs, or whatever.

I would take whistle steam over blow down steam. It would also make it different from the one already produced by them. The eternal omtimust in me say that it can happen. The eternal pessemist in me says that ship has already sailed. To much remodification of the loco for the assembly line to bring it to market in timely fashion we would want. Hope I am proven wrong.

OK Boys and Girls,

Lionel's answer is very clear. I do thank Dave for the quick response. I would vastly prefer whistle steam to cylinder steam. So . . . . . 

No whistle steam . . . . No credit card steam. It's a non starter for me. Too much money to pay for a loco with no whistle steam.

Scrappy . . . . I have spoken

A bit surprised they're doing these S-3s again, especially given that it hasn't been that long since they came out initially. Perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising, though, given that Lionel spent a bunch of dough developing the molds and doing all the other work necessary to produce it. They want to get max return on their investment, so they have to re-run it to do that. In this case, it's not like they can produce the same engine in other road names, at least not accurately, so here we are with round 2.                                                                

I suspect the value of the existing matching passenger cars just went up. The spring catalog may be loaded with passenger cars, given that there are virtually none shown in this catalog for all the F-3s, E-6s, etc. that are in it.

And just think, if you could go back in time you could buy 2 legacy s-3's for the price of one in the new catalog.

$1699, are you outta your mind?????? With that kind of money they could have kept MR and JZ on the payroll!

I really need to get a dcs system.

(

Breezinup, you can also say that for the PRR E6 Atlantic. Too soon! Maybe some blowouts in the future?

RICKO,

Do it!  Really like the RF&P Berkshire..out of my price range..hopefully I'll see one in the MTH catalog.

Sunrise

Are the pilots on the previous version as far off the rails as it shows in the new catalog?

Yep ... so close yet so far.... only good news is now that there will be more of them, maybe I can pick up a 265... maybe I can spruce it up to represent a NP class A-4... however at that price I am out. 

Well Scrap,

You can't say you didn't try.

And I agree with J that a new Northern Pacific Northern would've gotten my attention than a repeat S-3.

RickO posted:

And just think, if you could go back in time you could buy 2 legacy s-3's for the price of one in the new catalog.

$1699, are you outta your mind?????? With that kind of money they could have kept MR and JZ on the payroll!

I really need to get a dcs system.

(

Well, Sorry to say Rick-O I am still on the payroll.   But hey, tomorrows another day....any anything can change

What you could do is get the RCMC board from the GS4 or latest issue FEF and instead of having cylinder steam effect you use it for the whistle steam effect instead. Re plumb the smoke tubing inside to under the whistle....that's what I would do.

SantaFeFan posted:

Well, Sorry to say Rick-O I am still on the payroll.   But hey, tomorrows another day....any anything can change

My bad Jon. I noticed your credentials were no longer part of your signature and thought you might have gotten caught up in the turnover.

In sales, most buyers say no 7 times before reconsidering reasons to say Yes. I feel that with do respect, being that We are really Lionel's core base, the ones spending large sums of money for our Enjoyment, I feel that Lionel has the expertise (engineering experience) to offer this engine with not only the 2 horns, whistle/diesel, steam cylinder relief smoking effect, they could easily add steam whistle, and rear blow down. All Lionel has to do is get their product engineers together, get the cost and allow Us to order the engine as catalogued, or add $250 or $300  extra to get these extra features. They could give this numbering 6-????? Add on Details $1995.  So, there's a thought....I am sure Sante Fe fan  (Jon Z), can do some product changes that make Lionel more money, and At the same time please many of his Model railroader friends....It's sincerely about the features. We are the operators and yes, we expect new features...

Thanks for asking, so Please, Please, please, please, please, please. Please, Lionel make it for your core group....Thank You...

This is a great catalog...

Vote in your dollars. No way I spend that kind of money without whistle steam. It's not complicated. I'm out.

Very well-stated, Larry.

Knowing the insides of that engine like I do, Dave did a very complete job pointing out why nothing else could be added.  I have the original I purchased new from Charlie Ro and would not give it up for anything.  The cylinder steam  is a very cool feature.  I always wondered why Lionel sold that engine for the price they sold it for.

Scrapiron Scher posted:

Just sent a letter to Dave, Dean and Ryan.

Basically I said, "PRETTY PLEASE, ADD whistle steam in the S-3."

Just received an e-mail from Dave Olson who explained why Lionel (won't) (can't) (ain't) add(ing) whistle steam to the S-3

The S-3 is priced based on cost. Same pricing structure as every single other Legacy engine.

The first release of the S-3 predates myself, Dean, and Ryan. We are not sure where that low price came from, but it certainly did not make the company any money.

 Next… adding whistle steam to the engine would make the loco have 3 smoke units. The RCMC can only run 2, so the smoke unit generator board (which was made for the Big Boy) would have to be added, making it a Vision Line level engine. Not to mention it would increase the price further. By the way, compare this price to the other Northerns we’ve done recently (I.E. GS-4, FEF)

 We’re also not interested in doing a separate version without it. That would basically make it a different product due to construction and code work and would change the MOQ requirements.

Dave

 

While not really pleased with the end result - thank you for providing the explanation.

Shoot, add the more expensive board and make the bell swing. I'd pay for a Vision 261, and thats from someone who already owns a 261. 

I think the one thing many are trying to get across to Lionel is we WILL cough up the dough for more features/improvements. 

RickO posted:

I really need to get a dcs system.

FORGET DCS get DCC. Way better sounds and light features and customization. I'm tired of the O scale sound market and not being able to change features and specific sounds. I'm starting my conversions on older TMCC items. I can add all the smoke features I want with one DCC decoder. All of the steam sounds available have quill-able whistle sounds too.

Surefire posted: 

I think the one thing many are trying to get across to Lionel is we WILL cough up the dough for more features/improvements. 

Yet, from listening to all the complaints about pricing, apparently there are many who won't.

like last time, these wont sell and they will be reduced for fast sale as before

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

Knowing the insides of that engine like I do, Dave did a very complete job pointing out why nothing else could be added.  I have the original I purchased new from Charlie Ro and would not give it up for anything.  The cylinder steam  is a very cool feature.  I always wondered why Lionel sold that engine for the price they sold it for.

Well Marty if they don't believe Lionel and Dave Olson maybe they'll believe you.  Yes they were originally under priced but that doesn't matter to a few here.  Also the street price looks to be almost $300 less for this issue.  Elliot made a very good case but with re-tooling this locomotive it probably was / is cost prohibitive.  I agree with others that you could lose the cylinder effect for  the steam whistle but I imagine the tooling changes weren't in the cards.  I have a Texas with the steam cylinder effect and love it.  I never had an issue with it. 

I agree 100% with those voting with their wallet.  No sense in purchasing something you don't feel is what you want. I feel Elliot's and others pain.  He certainly has a legitimate request.  Perhaps down the road they'll reconsider. 

It's very easy to tell a company how to run their business when you don't have facts and no one to answer to. Perhaps the arm chair CFOs can put in applications and see how that goes.

  Definetly well out of my range, but good whistle steam (and a moving bell) would even beat out any "state of the art" sound board interest here. Moving trains make enough racket for me already. (I do have a soft spot for idling valve noise in a quiet room, but would trade it off very easily).  

  Adding steam to a whistle combines "the two greatest accessories of all time" . It is like reinventing the wheel, or.discovering pie a la mode...only sweeter.

  There are cheap G and $5 bat. op  Chinese toys, smaller than ho, that can produce an 1:48 sized puff of whistle smoke for five years on a half inch of nichrome, without ever adding more fluid (refill called for a drop or two of veggie oil and water and new smelled of soybean oil in particular (lower burn temp).

Combine that with remote micro motors like cameras use, and some of the new, non kinking/non crushable tubing,/and I think it could be done to some degree most anywhere. Those toy air resivoirs couldn't have been much more than ½"sq,. +nipples, which were nearly as long as the resivor combined and came to life pretty quick too.

  I don't mean to knock present builds so much as I'd just like to see more. I just think the play value would be great applied anywhere.  Even a bean wheel chuffer, idling dummy, or static accessory would be fun with a steaming whistle at its heart; Maybe a factory's whistle? An idling loco...one thats "too small" for powering in 1:48? A caboose signal whistle?....or a PRR wrecking crane? Lol.   

I.e., I don't blame you for the foot stomp over what imo is a very desirable feature.

I must of fell off the truck you can buy this engine for 1350 preorder ..  Yea i like it cheeper but its not bad...

@jojofry where can you pre order the s-3 for 1350?

Now, knowing there is "No room in the Inn" so to speak for adding the smoking whistle effect, I completely understand.  I admit, the features Offerred are fantastic and this Locomotive is an awesome addition to any pike.  I think Lionel see's what we, the operators of these hi tech toys, want...Yes, we like swinging Bells, Steam blow down, whistle steam effects, great whistles, realistic horns, and cylinder blow down effect, and all the other sounds in operation. Our expectations sometimes are a bit overwhelming. Our wants sometimes stretch our wallets to unreacheable limits...Simply said, thank you for a job well done...Lionel has a really nice Signature catalog with something for Everyone.