Lionel Vision Line Triplex Official Brochure.

@Terrance posted:

Is LCCA doing a special offering of this engine?

Terrance

They don't say so right now but Lionel is offering a Lionel Lines LCCA only triplex. I guess you need an LCCA membership to buy it.

Has anyone seen when the projected delivery date is for this model?

@PSM posted:

Super set is the same as others.

Actually at $3300 Charles Ro has it about $200 less than other dealers. And with their system of shipping based on value, not weight, you really could not beat it.

@Dave 69 GTEL posted:

Actually at $3300 CRo has it about $200 less than other dealers.

They must have updated it, was still 3500 when I checked.  Good to know.

Trainworld was also $2049 when I last checked.

The wheel-slip is awesome...as are the color schemes. More importantly, and while subjective, painted drivers don't look good on this engine! This was a work horse locomotive, and I hope Lionel considers amending at least several of the schemes to blackened drivers, including the Halloween version, too

Wonder if any dealers will do break outs of the set.  I definitely want the rolling stock but not the engine since I have small layout.

Terrance

@Terrance posted:

Wonder if any dealers will do break outs of the set.  I definitely want the rolling stock but not the engine since I have small layout.

Terrance

Mr Muffin has been known to break up a set or two. You might want to get in touch with him.

Ryan and Dave live stream had a lot of good information.  Here's what I remember off the top of my head:

• The Triplex is pretty much ready - they had 3 prototypes, including the Halloween and as delivered paint schemes; the blue looked good.  Expected delivery is late Q2 2024. It is much further along than previous Vision releases were at this stage.
• The tender drivers are on the rails, but do not have traction tires.
• The tender is essentially a second engine that is linked to the main locomotive.  The wheelslip is created by telling the rear "engine" to run faster than the lead engine, and then return to whatever speed the front engine is currently at.  Sounds like lots of serial communication between two motor controllers.
• They tried to fit more smoke/steam features but ran out of space.
• All new sounds for the Halloween version, and Halloween scale passenger equipment will be in the v1 catalog.
• Base 3 is expected before this arrives middle of next year.
• The locomotive and tender will ship as a single unit, but can be unscrewed if necessary for maintenance.  The close coupling, quantity of wires, and drop plate meant it was better to ship as one big unit.

Nice locomotive, but I am hoping maybe Henning’s will be able come up with an aftermarket upgrade board to keep those #@%! wheels from spinning under load. Not good.

@PSM posted:

Trainworld was also $2049 when I last checked.

Since they charge sales tax and shipping their main advantage is no deposit.  

Charles Ro has no deposit either. I like TrainWorld and the folks there very much but you have to try to save yourself some money especially when dealing with something as expensive as this.

@PSM posted:

Trainworld was also $2049 when I last checked.

However, if you live in NYS you're going to pay sales tax (about 8.375%) on top of the $2049 plus shipping (yes NYS taxes the shipping) if you ship to a NYS address. That is not the case if you buy from Charles Ro.

Just sayin'

Dang! The new Lionel Vision Triplex will blow the MTH version out of the water! They got wheelslip (way cool, by the way), tender smoke (MTH's versions didn't have that), and a lot of other fun stuff into those things. However, they still didn't get the Virginian version correct. The Virginian RR Triplex was a 2-8-8-8-4. Also, it was numbered #700, not #701.

I'm still hoping for a Vision modern diesel loco in the future. The Triplex is really cool and unique, but I won't be buying one.

@Norman R posted:

Nice locomotive, but I am hoping maybe Henning’s will be able come up with an aftermarket upgrade board to keep those #@%! wheels from spinning under load. Not good.

Uh... That's a primary feature, not a problem...

one of the problems with the MTH version was that the eccentric crank rail came down too low and would strike the DZ-1000 switch machine shells.

@Dave 69 GTEL posted:

Charles Ro has no deposit either. I like TrainWorld and the folks there very much but you have to try to save yourself some money especially when dealing with something as expensive as this.

Nothing against Trainworld as I am a satisfied customer.  Not a fan of sales tax.  The thought of shipping these heavy engines gives me pause.

Now that they have the wheel-slip, they should finally do a run of their scale PRR T1😁

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Here's why I need traction tires on my articulated steamers.

On the flat & level, heavy locos with sintered iron drivers, usually with Magnetraction, will "do the trick" on long trains w/o tires. However, when you have non-prototypical grades to negotiate on multi-level layouts, as shown in the background above, tires are a necessity, unfortunately.

BTW, John, what make is your USRA 2-6-6-2 Mallet?

I never owned a MTH Triplex but I remember my friend’s Triplex. I maybe wrong but I remember that there was no motor in the tender to run the third set of drivers. The just turned the same way the regular wheels on a tender turn because they are being pulled my the engine’s first two sets of drivers.

Lionel upped their game by putting a motor inside the tender however it only operates when the wheel slip is initiated. A sensor sets the motor speed at a slightly higher speed and since there are no traction tires on the tender’s drive wheels appear to be slipping. Cool effect I watched the Ryan and Dave Show

                 https://www.youtube.com/live/t...Sc2miI?feature=share

I may of misunderstood something but that’s what I got out of how the wheel slip feature worked. It’s like the smoking whistle it does not really smoke only appears to smoke.

@Dylan the Train Man posted:

However, they still didn't get the Virginian version correct. The Virginian RR Triplex was a 2-8-8-8-4. Also, it was numbered #700, not #701.

They said on the live stream that, since the Virginian version was such a different locomotive, the version they are building is a "what if they later bought an Erie version", and that's why they did 701 not 700.

@CAPPilot posted:

Now that they have the wheel-slip, they should finally do a run of their scale PRR T1😁

They did mention that they had originally considered the feature for a different locomotive.  There was no hint as to which locomotive, but since the T1 had some issues, it wouldn't surprise me if they considered or are considering it.

What's up with the white pilot wheels? With all the versions having whitened drivers and white pilot wheels. Definitely a checkmark in the "no preorder" column, at least for me...some people may like that "new" out of the paint shop look. They can be darkened by the user, though perhaps it's time to be content with my Premier Triplexes and give the credit cards time to cool off...the I-1s are due shortly

@Bill Swatos posted:

On the flat & level, heavy locos with sintered iron drivers, usually with Magnetraction, will "do the trick" on long trains w/o tires. However, when you have non-prototypical grades to negotiate on multi-level layouts, as shown in the background above, tires are a necessity, unfortunately.

BTW, John, what make is your USRA 2-6-6-2 Mallet?

Yes, it probably would pull those cars on the flat, but sadly in the world of model trains, we many times have grades.  Mine are around 2.5%, not as steep as some, but steep enough to preclude pulling a 50 car train without traction tires.

My Mallet is the Lionel 6-11299 Legacy model.

not to be a debbie downer but, when your new $2000 plus triplex  comes with bob ross blue and the new design gearbox has issues not to mention just a dab of grease from the factory.

plus the two motor  systems that are needed for the wheel slip feature are out of sink and working wonky.

my $1200 mth tripex will still be working flawlessly for years to come and putting out more smoke than a three alarm fire. 😁

Seems this new version of wheel slip is a step up from the previous Big Boy #2133060 version of a few years ago(2020).  This one is kinda wonky.  No wheel slip...

@Dylan the Train Man posted:

Dang! The new Lionel Vision Triplex will blow the MTH version out of the water! They got wheelslip (way cool, by the way), tender smoke (MTH's versions didn't have that), and a lot of other fun stuff into those things. However, they still didn't get the Virginian version correct. The Virginian RR Triplex was a 2-8-8-8-4. Also, it was numbered #700, not #701.

I'm still hoping for a Vision modern diesel loco in the future. The Triplex is really cool and unique, but I won't be buying one.

The MTH premier Triplex has tender smoke and it smokes like crazy (I have one).  MTH was first to do it.  Thats a carry over.

@Dave 69 GTEL posted:

They don't say so right now but Lionel is offering a Lionel Lines LCCA only triplex. I guess you need an LCCA membership to buy it.

Has anyone seen when the projected delivery date is for this model?

Hi The LCCA will have a special engine #2024 and will be a Lionel Lines with Joshua Lionel Cowen name under the cab. We will start taking orders from members on Monday by calling our business office and ask for Cathy. We are offering shipping included and a 1 year membership  extension included. There will be an E blast out to all members on Monday morning. It will also be on our website. Phone orders only.  If you are not a member you can join the club and order the engine. Our business office number is 815-223-0115.

SAL GAMBINO/Past President. 

@Sean's Train Depot posted:

That is not correct - I do have the MTH premier version and there is a drive shaft connection between the engine and tender on the MTH version to drive the tender wheels/drivers/rods.  No way dragging a tender could keep 3 drivers and all the side rods in sync with front.  So MTH had a drive shaft between engine and tender.

Have a feeling these guys are talking about the Railking version  Half the price of the Premier version but no tender drive or smoke

As for getting the Russian Blue color correct-  There isnt any color pics of the Triplex.  Mth did two different colors and called them Russian Iron blue  Nobody knows which one is correct   The later MTH version had more of a gray look than the blue of the early one

Sean, thanks for sharing that picture - it appears to be the new and as-built Triplex (built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, PA). It seems Lionel used that and one or two other as-built promotional photographs for their white-drivered versions. However, I have several pictures of the Triplex in action and the drivers are black, possibly due to soot and grime or they were painted by the Erie RR.

Another suggestion to Lionel: for the Halloween EERIE version, on the tender, replace  "Happy Halloween" with "Graveyard Special"

Builders photos often showed white wheels and running board edges to accent features of the locomotives. You would need to try and find "as delivered" shots.

@Sean's Train Depot posted:

Some of these paint schemes from Lionel are starting to make the locomotives look silly lately.

Well, apparently Lionel does believe these are just toys.

IMO, Lionel made a very good VisionLine choice with the Erie Triplex. Definitely the wheel slip is very nice. Probably the PRR T-1 should be next.

Lionel 2024 Triplex Brochure: “all new wheel slip simulation… Not just a sound effect this time… the sounds and smoke will follow along”. I have struggled mightily to simply be quiet about this feature. Sadly, I have lost the battle. For a person with an unbalanced sense of humor a wheel slip simulation is a slope that descends into a catalog of whacky behaviors by expensive toy trains.

Its thrilling to see Lionel opening up new frontiers in the never-ending pursuit of O gauge locomotives that authentically replicate behaviors that are undesirable or completely wrong in the prototype. This year they’ve cracked open Pandora’s Box a bit further with authentic motion and sound of wheel slip. Engineers and mechanics don’t want wheel slip - it puts inordinate strain and wear on the locomotive drive train and track rails. O gauge railroading enthusiasts? Well, at least some of us are willing to pay BIG BUCKS to get it to happen.

On the next Visionline offering, maybe Lionel can up the ante with prototypical derailment action which will pitch the locomotive off the track at the press of a button on your Cab 3 remote. (If you don’t have a Cab3 remote, well, sorry, there’s no way you can get this to happen.)

Turning it up another notch, there’s the Visionline with “authentic boiler explosion action”.  Just hit the big red mushroom button on your Lionchief app and the locomotive scatters all over your layout. (The fine print in the brochure says this button may only be pressed one time per purchase.)

The fun doesn’t stop there! The possibilities are endless. People in business and accounting professions can’t wait for the new Penn Central Visionline locomotives. Just hit this feature on your controller and the locomotive goes bankrupt and rolls to a stop. This high-tech financial simulation works great even in TMCC and transformer control modes.

C’mon folks, let’s help Lionel out. What railroading failure modes do you want to see come to life with your next purchase?

Apparently the slipping drivers under the tender is very prototypical. According to a short article on the Virginian triplex (The Virginian Railway by H. Reid), "when the coal and water supply in the tender grew low, the lessened weight caused the driving wheels to slip".

Lionel could add another feature, "the 700 had to be halted every two or three miles to build up another full head of steam.. Those three sets of cylinders gobbled up steam faster than the boiler produced it." So Lionel could put a timer in the engine controls so it ran a few minutes then would come to a slow stop, sit for several minutes, and then run for a few minutes before stopping again. "Virginian men were running out of new cuss words faster than the 700 was losing steam." Imagine the opportunity to include some interesting crew talk additions.

The slow engine was good at suffocating the crew in tunnels, "The engineer stuffed a bag over his head to keep from suffocating. The Fireman jumped into the water tank for his trips through Micajah'' tunnel. So an animated Fireman could be added with him jumping into the water tank from time to time.

Finally, "As far as the railway was concerned, the 700 never did make a successful trip... ". So they had it shipped back to Baldwin, removed the engine under the tender, added a trailing truck under the engine, and turned it into a 2-8-8-2. The tender engine got a new boiler and tender and became a 2-8-2. Both of these were fairly successful and lasted to 1953. Lionel could include a separate Mikado boiler and tender that would allow the owner to convert the triplex into two engines and visa versa.

Ken

@Norman R posted:

Its thrilling to see Lionel opening up new frontiers in the never-ending pursuit of O gauge locomotives that authentically replicate behaviors that are undesirable or completely wrong in the prototype. This year they’ve cracked open Pandora’s Box a bit further with authentic motion and sound of wheel slip. Engineers and mechanics don’t want wheel slip - it puts inordinate strain and wear on the locomotive drive train and track rails. O gauge railroading enthusiasts? Well, at least some of us are willing to pay BIG BUCKS to get it to happen.

So I sort of empathize with your point here a bit with the surreality of wanting to emulate “broken” prototype behaviors in our models. However, it’s not without precedent. Lionel used to offer a “breakdown” B-unit that would smoke like mad and make lots of loud engine noises to simulate a unit on the fritz. And, as someone who grew up on the former PRR mainline in rural Pennsylvania, while a ragtag Conrail was just fighting for survival running on it, I sort of “get” that breakdown B-unit idea. In fact, I’d love to see them offer alternative sound packages for the various, let’s say “states of use” of older equipment. Turbos that are shot, roof fans that have motor bearings that are shot, prime movers that are down a cylinder or two, burning oil and belching fire… these are all things I frequently witnessed in Lilly, Cresson, and Gallitzin growing up there in the early 80s.

And hey, every MTH engine with ProtoSound 2 and 3 has that silly train wreck sequence.

The fun doesn’t stop there! The possibilities are endless. People in business and accounting professions can’t wait for the new Penn Central Visionline locomotives. Just hit this feature on your controller and the locomotive goes bankrupt and rolls to a stop. This high-tech financial simulation works great even in TMCC and transformer control modes.

This lack part I chuckled pretty hard at. Good one!

I think the real irony here is that these model locomotives that “simulate” the ways that the prototypes are broken, will probably show up actually broken if recent history is any predictor.

@Paul Kallus posted:

Sean, thanks for sharing that picture - it appears to be the new and as-built Triplex (built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, PA). It seems Lionel used that and one or two other as-built promotional photographs for their white-drivered versions. However, I have several pictures of the Triplex in action and the drivers are black, possibly due to soot and grime or they were painted by the Erie RR.

Another suggestion to Lionel: for the Halloween EERIE version, on the tender, replace  "Happy Halloween" with "Graveyard Special"

For the Eerie version glow in the dark drivers would be a nice touch.  Forget smoke how about simulated flames?  Agreed on the tender signage, way too tame.

How about 'Undead Ahead'?

@Norm Charbonneau posted:

Lol! Love it Norm!😆

@Norman R posted:

Lionel 2024 Triplex Brochure: “all new wheel slip simulation… Not just a sound effect this time… the sounds and smoke will follow along”. I have struggled mightily to simply be quiet about this feature. Sadly, I have lost the battle. For a person with an unbalanced sense of humor a wheel slip simulation is a slope that descends into a catalog of whacky behaviors by expensive toy trains.

Since the prototype was known to have the very problem of tender wheel slip, I don't see how this is wacky behavior.