LOTS OF NEW AMERICAN FLYER ITEMS IN THE 2018 CATALOG

Oddly enough, I would be interested in a bona-fied aquarium car with swimming fishes...

An aquarium car was on my wish list although I was unaware that trains ran underwater without a tunnel. Maybe in the fall we can get one with fish.

Rich

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

A new Legacy engine in S; this keeps hope alive for me,  i.e. that Flyonel is not limited to solely Flyerchief offerings in the future.  As I have said I will buy any new Legacy loco, even if it doesn't come in one of my roadnames. So I look forward to pre ordering one or two of these Berks. I am getting ready to inform a friend of mine about these, and I am sure he will get a couple as well.  I hope these will be huge sellers and make the case for future new Legacy offerings. 

Dave, one additional question for the good of the order...will the Legacy Berk have a real coal load like the challenger and Y3??? I hope so, that just takes it to a wonderful level of detail.  

Ben

gunny posted:

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

The waffle sided boxcar was first offered in 2014 and the fact that it's not a 50' car has been a major complaint.  There are some similar 40' prototypes, but they're pretty rare:

*Well, at least one of the cars offered is SCL...

...too bad it's the wrong color and number...

The Flyer car is a pretty well detailed model and had it been a 50' car, it would have interested some of the scale guys.

Rusty

NotInWI posted:

Dave, one additional question for the good of the order...will the Legacy Berk have a real coal load like the challenger and Y3??? I hope so, that just takes it to a wonderful level of detail.  

Ben

Dave has indicated he'll do a separate post regarding the legacy Berk.  I too have a bunch of questions before I decide to pull the trigger on one.  Hopefully, Dave will answer them in his update.

While I'm not expecting River Raisin level detail, especially given the price point:

I am somewhat expecting the Legacy Berk to be a cut or two above the FlyerChief model.  Wire hand rails and real coal load will help considerably, but there are other details that need to be addressed.

Rusty

Well I am disappointed with this catalog.  I will get some of the Legacy Berkshires.  (Would like to know if Lionel will make the matching Passenger cars for the American Railroad Berkshire).  But there is nothing exciting about this catalog from the Flyer standpoint.  No new tooling.  No new engines.  No new cars (Yes there is the Aquarium car which is the Mint car with a motor in it and cars previously issued with new road names).  I was so certain that Lionel would finally do the SD40 they teased us with years ago.  No new track (wider curves, sensor track, railroad crossing, accessory track etc.)  No new accessories. 

What I find disappointing is that Lionel seems to be one of the few companies that does not listen to what the consumer wants but instead tells us what we want.  I get that new tooling costs money but how does American Models make passenger cars with interiors that are so detailed and Lionel can't.    

In the recent wish lists and surveys, there were so many great ideas that Lionel could see people really wanted yet other than the Legacy Berkshires (Which were low on the list and frankly Lionel had previously alluded to in past discussions) none of those items are in the catalog.  I appreciate that Dave Olson is reading our posts and is very attentive.  He seems like a great person and a real addition to Lionel but I would like somebody just once to explain why we are not seeing anyone addressing our asks.  How does making 2 and 3 bay hoppers for the hundredth time make a great decision that will create growth and customer interest.  Almost any item on the survey list would generate more long term revenue then what they will be getting here.

(Prediction: Next up, Legacy Berkshire Polar Express with the new cars.)

Final thought for Lionel.  Please take a look at what your customers are asking for.  Yes you can't please everyone but there are some very low tooling cost suggestions that would have a great impact on Flyer growth and customer satisfaction.

Final Final thought: Thank you Dave Olson for the attention you have given this group.  You give us all hope that someone is listening at Lionel.

--Rocco--

Rusty Traque posted:

gunny posted:

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

The waffle sided boxcar was first offered in 2014 and the fact that it's not a 50' car has been a major complaint.  There are some similar 40' prototypes, but they're pretty rare:

*Well, at least one of the cars offered is SCL...

...too bad it's the wrong color and number...

The Flyer car is a pretty well detailed model and had it been a 50' car, it would have interested some of the scale guys.

Rusty

The SCL car is the correct color and number series.

kenwoodies1 posted:

Rusty Traque posted:

gunny posted:

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

The waffle sided boxcar was first offered in 2014 and the fact that it's not a 50' car has been a major complaint.  There are some similar 40' prototypes, but they're pretty rare:

*Well, at least one of the cars offered is SCL...

...too bad it's the wrong color and number...

Rusty

The SCL car is the correct color and number series.

Except SCL 80182 is a 50' sliding door/plug door boxcar, the Flyer car is 40' long similar to the pictured SCL12604.

Rusty

Rusty Traque posted:

kenwoodies1 posted:

Rusty Traque posted:

gunny posted:

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

The waffle sided boxcar was first offered in 2014 and the fact that it's not a 50' car has been a major complaint.  There are some similar 40' prototypes, but they're pretty rare:

*Well, at least one of the cars offered is SCL...

...too bad it's the wrong color and number...

Rusty

The SCL car is the correct color and number series.

Except SCL 80182 is a 50' sliding door/plug door boxcar, the Flyer car is 40' long similar to the pictured SCL12604.

Rusty

We all know the car is the incorrect length.  Your reply stated "Well, at least one of the cars offered is SCL... too bad it's the wrong color and number."  They probably offered this color scheme as they already had the NS, Southern and CNW in brown/freight car red.  Jim

Rusty Traque posted:

gunny posted:

How come a 50' boxcar and a 40" woodside reefer both measure 8 3/8" ?

And need different radius track?

The waffle sided boxcar was first offered in 2014 and the fact that it's not a 50' car has been a major complaint.  There are some similar 40' prototypes, but they're pretty rare: 

They seem to interchange R20 (20" radius) and S36 (36" diameter?) in the descriptions

Brendan

The new Berks look AWESOME!!!!

I definitely see this as a TOUCHDOWN for Team S.

Taking the Hi-rail* approach in S could REALLY look great with some of neat stuff that S is now getting to the market.

(My definition of S Hi-rail: Kadee couplers; T-rail track [not tubular/traditional]; Realistic scenery/structures/settings and congruous weathering throughout the equipment and layout.)

How's that new track system (not Lionel... some other company... Fox Valley???) coming along?

Andre

For those who used to say"Their not enough in s scale product."I think its safe to say that is changing.Although I am an o gauger.If I where in s scale my mouth would be watering right now.

banjoflyer posted:

Brendan posted:

They seem to interchange R20 (20" radius) and S36 (36" diameter?) in the descriptions

Brendan

Yeah I never could figure that one out. Most S runners use the r20 description. Maybe at some very early point Lionel was trying to make S into an O gauge clone????.......................

i.e. O36 is the same as S36?  Who knows. Even the innermost measurement of the roadbed of an r20 complete circle is larger than 36". With any attempt at clarity they should refer to the standard S scale Fastrack as S40. Then they can describe larger curves as S54...etc.

Mark

 

Lionel catalogs are notorious for cut-and-pastitis.  O36 is the "standard" O gauge Fastrack curve included with their starter sets.

I wouldn't get my shorts in a knot about it.  Does anybody seriously believe the Flyer waffle sided boxcar with the standard Flyer stamped metal frame can't go around R20?

Besides, Lionel doesn't even make an "S36" curve.  Nobody does, in fact.

And if they can get the Y3 around R20:

Even S Scale America and the Lionel cylindrical hopper cars (with body mounted Kadees to boot!) will do R20:

And AM's Budd cars:

Much ado about nothing IMHO.

Rusty

Mark, what was the early price on the FlyerChief Berk?

Roundhouse Bill posted:

Mark, what was the early price on the FlyerChief Berk?

Bill, I have a Bluetooth FlyerChief Berk  and the early buy price was 309

Mike

Flyer 52 posted:

Roundhouse Bill posted:

Mark, what was the early price on the FlyerChief Berk?

Bill, I have a Bluetooth FlyerChief Berk  and the early buy price was 309

Mike

Ro doesn't show an early buy price on the Flyerchief Berks. Perhaps because these are a holdover from the previous catalog?