Lionel Romanian Cars, 18" Plastic Pass. Cars, Other York News

Re: plastic cars.  Lionel fessed up to having difficulties producing extruded aluminum bodies of quality some time ago.  I believe that announcement came at the same time as them introducing plastic 21 inchers.  Seems the recently delivered 18" and 15" aluminums will be their last.

Bruce

Interesting info Breeze. I know a lot of plastic models are made in Romania. I have a few kits made there. eBay is full of them.

Pete

Yes. That was another thing stated in the presentation. In response to a question about any more aluminum cars, the presenter flatly stated that Lionel will be making no more aluminum passenger cars in the foreseeable future, only plastic ones.

He went into some detail about the lead time being too long with aluminum and the difficulties/expense in making them, and doing road-specific details, etc., whereas it was much quicker and less expensive to produce the plastic versions, easier to make changes and variations, etc. The problem does not appear to have anything to do with getting aluminum material.

In response to another question, there was also mention of road-specific variations in interiors, that this would take place in some of the plastic cars.

"He went into some detail about the lead time being too long with aluminum and the difficulties/expense in making them, and doing road-specific details, etc.,"

Why is it, then, that GGD keeps churning out aluminum passenger cars in a variety of configuration?

Speaking of GGD, why is no one speaking of GGD or 3rd Rail? Weren't they at York, too?

Purely, IMO, but Lionel's problems with the 18" aluminum cars seems to have matched up pretty closely to the factory change years ago when Bachmann bought the factory lots of other companies were using.  The newer factory is not as capable of putting out a consistent quality product, again IMO.  I don't think 3rd Rail/GGD uses the same factory.

They were in the Orange hall.  They did not speak at the TCA museum (I don't recall if they have in the past), but may have been at the OGR meeting on Friday (I did not attend or read the summary yet).

-Dave

Because GGD charges 2-3 times as much as Lionel for their passenger cars. That super expensive passenger car market is not Lionel's market.

Another significant item Lionel disclosed at this meeting (it's been speculated about) was that all future starter sets and all traditional engines will be LionChief or LC+. They said that this is the future for Lionel, and that Lionel will be making no more transformer-controlled engines.

It certainly officially marks the end of a very long era.

Looking back, there was a LOT of significant information discussed at this meeting. Hard to believe none of the many Forum members who attended York bothered to mention any of these things.  

I always watch the TCA youtube channel for York presentations. They usually put them up pretty quickly after the York meets. Great source of information right from the manufacturers themselves. I watched them all this afternoon.

I had noticed there were not many transformer sets in the last few catalogs. I thought the dealer only sets were all that was left, but my LHS recently told me those are the train sets only, no track or transformers. So I guess they have actually been gone from the last couple of catalogs? At least they finally announced officially it anyway.

Maybe 12,000 attend York. Much less than 150 attend the TCA museum presentations. We are not all information junkies or can wait a day or two before these announcements trickle down to the masses.

Pete

Some of Lionel's Chinese rolling stock arrives perfect. Others not so much.  While the Texas Special Neil Young set was great and a keeper...the cars on mine did has some minor finish issues.  One scratch was even brushed over...ala American Flyer in the 60's.  

Yet other product from china suffer...like the product with Bar End trucks.  The trucks are often bent or falling apart.  These issues from China did not exist when Sanda Kan was making the product.  

All the more reason why I acquired the K Line CZ 21" alum cars, 10, including the 18" baggage.  Same with the K Line 18" Golden State set.  These both make for great looking/running passenger consists, pulled by S.P., DRGW, WP, CBQ, Rock Island motive power.  And, although not actually ever produced in the real "prototypical" world, add in occasional Golden Rocket 18" cars to the GS.

Purely, IMO, but Lionel's problems with the 18" aluminum cars seems to have matched up pretty closely to the factory change years ago when Bachmann bought the factory lots of other companies were using.  The newer factory is not as capable of putting out a consistent quality product, again IMO.  I don't think 3rd Rail/GGD uses the same factory.

Bachmann doesn't own anything as Kader Holdings Ltd. owns Bachmann. In 2008 Kader bought Sanda Kan.

So it seems I am not the only one that noticed a lack of information about Oct's York. The OGR grandstand meet has been written but nothing till now about the TCA museum presentations. OGR you wouldn't delete the TCA report  would you?

Not one word about all of the Weaver Models tooling either...

Jim,

The short answer to that is, "NO".

The TCA Museum Report is welcomed here, as well as Mr. Muffin's report on the OGR Forum Meeting.

Breezinup's comments are well taken about the lack of information TCA Eastern Division attendees provide to the rest of us.

Ed Boyle

Partner

Special Projects Editor

O Gauge Railroading magazine

Its been implied in a few posts that Lionel and Atlas have each acquired some of the Weaver tooling. The former head of Lionel tech support was being coy when asked about the Weaver TOFCs. Expect an announcement in the future.

Pete

You need to go to the TCA youtube channel TCANetvision. All the manufacturer presentations are there. They are usually posted within a day or so after the York meet's end.

I did not realize that Lionel had started making cars in Romania.  I'm not sure how big a deal it is in the grand scheme of things, but it sure is interesting.  I wonder what they will do with the Weaver tooling?  It would be great to have quality cars made in the USA, but they may have just bought them so that someone else doesn't.  Many companies will buy assets to keep them off the market or in the hands of competition with no intentions of using them to produce product.  I hope that isn't the case here.

Art