Lionel RTR Catalog is here!

Got a tweet saying its on line at 930 est.  So much for that, its now 1030 and nothing.

Stay tunned

Here's the link

http://www.lionel.com/products...Interactive/2013rtr/

Liking the Harry Potter set...!

What I like:

BSA items

Presidential Box Cars

Mint Car

MLB Subway Series Set

What I Don't like:

No Alaska RR items

MLB Subway Series Set has 2 Yankees and 2 Mets/Yankees cars.  What, the Mets didn't have enough money to get their own car?!?!?!?!

Yay, bags of coal are back as well as another PP&L car.  Love the choice of sets.  I love sets.

nice to see Harry back, now they need to make the two add-on cars again  7-11142.

The CP Rail Multimark waffle sided boxcar is great, because the real CP waffle side boxcars were a boring gray with no graphics. I miss the multimark.

Andrew

I noted the odd way that was stated too, but I think that is just odd grammar since they were trying to call out the Yankes car as being the powered one, then followed with the Mets one as unpowered and then there was another unpowered one of each team(sounds even worse when I try to explain what they might have been thinking! ).

I'd be very surprised if it's not one Yanks Power Car, one Yanks unpowered car, and 2 Mets unpowered cars.

(though if it had been each car with both teams included, that would have cut off any jokes about the power car being painted as Yanks! )

-Dave

I took a look at the online item description (7-12016) and it's even odder.  The picture they show has 1 Mets car, 1 Mets/Yankee car & 1 Yankee car.

I wonder what I'll get when I order it.

It also appears not to have couplers but something like a drawbar.

Also, what's up with the "7-" item number?  Very few items have a 7- prefix.  I wonder what it denotes?

http://www.lionel.com/Products/Finder/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductNumber=7-12016&expandBranch=0&Keywords=7%2D12016&CategoryID=0&RailLineID=&CatalogId=

After reading through the catalogue, I think that there is a lot to be happy about. The new starter sets with the remotes should prove very popular with modern children, as they seem to be almost born with a remote in their hands these days. These sets may bring a lot of children into the hobby, who may have not been attracted by having to control their trains from a fixed location with a transformer. Plus, they will be able to operate their trains on other command-control layouts too. I agree that it is a shame that there isn't a switch to allow these locomotives to be run conventionally, but that may come in time if there is a demand for such.

All in all, I think that this is good news for the hobby in general, and I applaud Lionel for taking this step. 

i also think that the Gingerbread Junction set will prove very popular with those looking for a docksider to repaint. There are a lot of very nice sets in this catalogue that should appeal to a wide audience.

I would believe you will get what is pictured, isn't that the reason they call it "New York Yankees™/ New York Mets™ Subway Series™ Set".  I have seen the "7" used many times.

They aren't subway cars.  They are Bombardier MU Commuter cars, ala the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North sets.

Jon

Wow I'm very impressed this is the best RTR catalog I've seen! I really like the new remote system the remote looks really cool. Especially the remote control polar express set that's a must have for me. I wish they would have put Remote capability in the Hogwarts express set.

Very interesting that the pic in the "flippy" catalog for the Yanks/Mets set is different that the static pic in the link Chris provided (I really thought I just looked too quick in the "flippy" catalog, but I double checked and it doesn't show the dual team cars.)

True it's not a subway set, but they did refer to the Subway Series in the name of the set (in it's generic term, unless they are 12 years late to the last Subway Series World Series ! )

The lack of couplers (drawbars on each car) is standard on these M7 sets Lionel has done so far (2 for LIRR, one MTA Metro North set, and the candy cane 2 pack - though maybe there's one I forgot).

-Dave

If the LionChief controllers work the same way as the Thomas the Tank controller works in the set that came out for the holidays, the controller is on one particular frequency to control a specific locomotive. For the Thomas controllers, they are color coded so you can easily tell what remote goes with what locomotive.

I'm wondering, if you have a number of LionChief controllers/ locomotives, how you tell the different LionChief controllers apart? They are all black from what I can see in the catalog. Do they have some sort of add on marking to identify the locomotive/set? Just pick them up and turn the knob until you find the right one to operate the locomotive you want to run? Get a label maker and put labels on them?

I don't know if many hobbyists are going to have multiple LionChief controllers, but if they do, they are probably going to want to know at a glance what controller works with what locomotive. I don't know how many frequencies are available for use by Lionel, but if this system proves popular, I imagine at some point they are going to have to repeat frequencies. Having this info on the controller/locomotive would be good to know.

The LionChief system sounds pretty neat. I think it might appeal to families for 2 reasons: 1) ease of hook up of the power system on the set, and 2) easy to operate remote for kids and adults. I hope it is successful for Lionel. The first Thomas set received favorable reviews.

I'm not going to say my views about the remote (I already have a thread about that), but I must say I have NEVER been so excited about offers in a catalog before! I saw several freight cars which I would not mind to have, and may preorder the Pennsylvania General set (my first preorder in 10 years!)

They need to correct the minimum radius listed--without major changes in that locomotive, the Hogwarts set isn't going to operate on 0-27

---PCJ

Coupla more things:

Pg 42-43: Smooth move there...stick a 'Grand Central' anniversary logo on a New York Central set so you can say you're still using that "exclusive" MTA license . No new tooling required .

Pg 48-49: Where's the ownership attribution for that Saskatchewan hopper design? Last time I checked, that paint scheme was trademarked by the government of Saskatchewan, and only one model company was authorized to produce it. That's why the scheme was pictured here and there but was never actually announced as a real product (so far).

---PCJ

And (as I've mentioned in another thread,) what diameter curve is going to be needed for the Polar Express, now that it is a 2-8-24 locomotive! 

the perfect Christmas gift for the MTH fan!

i really like the catalog, i'm a conventional and traditional size guy so the RTR is always my favorite, the phillies set is a must! i really like the new color scheme on the scout set but i really dislike the fact i can't run it without the remote, i guess i'm getting the older set. really like some of the rolling stock and i see you can get cars and bouts too!

Dave

They need to correct the minimum radius listed--without major changes in that locomotive, the Hogwarts set isn't going to operate on 0-27

 

---PCJ

Those type engines need 0-36 (regular FasTrack size) minimum. At least my Santa's Flyer (same engine) does.

Catalog says "Made in USA" for the Presidential cars!? Wonder if that's correct, or just copied from the previous catalog?

Picked up a catalog at my local hobby shop this afternoon and I am impressed. The wide range of offerings and the Trainchief innovation should generate good sales.

I see a Trainchief set for a grandson in my buying future.

The AREA 51 Set on pages 24-25 will find it's way to my layout joining the 2 earlier sets in this series. You can never have to many aliens (or Homies) on a fun layout.

Tony

"Bringing Chaos From Order"

Can the new "remote control" engines in the starter sets be run conventionally?  It seems like this could be the start of whole new host of compatiblity problem if they can't.

if the Thomas the tank is any indication then remote only. each remote only controls what it came with

He said that the green and orange Saskatchewan scheme on the 4-Bay Cylindrical Hopper was designed and copywrited by the North American Car Company, when I talked to him at the NMRA show in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 3rd, 2012.

Andrew

There are many cars and sets to consider.

• 6-30206 Area 51 LionChief Remote Control RS-3 Set
• 6-30224 Pennsylvania 4-4-0 Steam Passenger Set
• • 6-37161 Container 4-Pack
  • • 6-29695 Trailer Train Maxi-Stack Pair
    • 6-30211 BNSF GP38 Diesel Maxi Stack Freight Set
    • • 6-15083 Canadian Pacific Waffle-sided Boxcar
    • 6-26451 Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Ore Car
    • • 6-37102 Watchman Shanty

It all depends on exactly which time and place that is most important.

Andrew