MORE POLAR EXPRESS ITEMS

Personally, I'd like to see some scale PE figures in the People Pack line.

Also, the North Pole Pylon could easily be re-issued with a PE paint job:




And for inexpensive, and appropriate for any scale, billboards advertising Herpolsheimer's Department Store.

Andy

I agree with Andy. With all the add on cars I need a layout the size of the Choo Choo Barn to run them all. So much for my 5X9 layout!!

Good idea on the pylon, maybe an airship to load the sleigh....

i just got back from universal studios and saw harry potter. i recently bought the set and would like to do a little hogwarts scene. no people and no castle to be found. too bad somebody hasn't picked up on this one. maybe it's too expensive. as big as harry potter is, you would have thought lionel would have tried to grab a few accessories for it. 9 3/4 platform per chance??? i also believe that PE has ran its course.

A PE aquarium car...using moving scenery inside the car showing the train moving over the hillsides

rat

Yea, a PE aquarium car with frozen fish!

(Ok, I understand what you were saying.)

I'm not sure the PE line is totally dead. There are a significant number of threads here about people customizing and kitbashing cars. There also seems to be some interest in building PE themed layouts including ones like Trainworx recently did. The question is what's left to make?

I know the OP said "other than rolling stock" but I would still start there. I think there is room to release some scale cars that were previously done for the O-27 set (like the Hobo Car) and to create some new ones like C&O's custom RPO car. If they did a scale "Announcement Car", I'd like to have it be able to say a lot more things from the movie than the "All aboard!!" and "This is the Polar Express". Besides, those quotes are already handled by the scale PE tender.

As Andy mentioned, we could stand to have some more people (how about elves???) and the billboard idea is outstanding. Too many add-ons cost an arm and a leg only to have them be out for a short time. The ideas of the Airship and the Pylon sound good too. Maybe instead of Santa on the pylon, make it the airship???

What I'd hate to see (and probably wouldn't spend money on) is a blanket re-issue of alot of existing accessories with a new coat of paint, especially if they had little or nothing to do with the story. What I'd like to see is something new and clever. Maybe a trackside accessory that would make those wolves chase the rabbits for several inches and then disappear and repeat. I'm sure there are others.

quote:

I get the drift that most here feel that LIONEL has run the course of PE items.

I feel most that say this don't even collect the Polar Express items. What about NYC Hudsons? I say this to make a point, not to start a fight with Hudson fans. They are fine locomotives. As an outsider, it is easy to feel that there are more than enough.

You guys have some neat ideas.
Andy, the Herpolsheimer's Department store billboard sounds like a perfect addition.

There's still more that could be done with the Scale PE, as far as add-on cars.

quote:

Maybe a trackside accessory that would make those wolves chase the rabbits for several inches and then disappear and repeat. I'm sure there are others.

Eric, that is a great idea! If Lionel doesn't offer something like this, I think it could be rather easy to do...maybe have the wolves and rabbits on a conveyor belt with a hollow log at one end and small cave at the other...that way it looks like they are running out of the cave and chasing the rabbits into the log.

Recently, the American Flyer Cow on Tracks was brought up as to why there is not a current reissue on this item. I mentioned that a Polar Express version is a no brainer...replace the cow with a Caribou, to recreate the movie scene.

I agree, we could sure use a large group of elves.

I would like to see a frosted version, not chocolate frosted, but ice and snow frosted of the whole train. I don't think the PE was ever plain jane once in the movie.


rat

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:
I agree, we could sure use a large group of elves.

If reasonable copies of the elves from the movies can't be produced, they could do a more generic version of Santa's elves in plastic and sell them in packs of 20 or 25 (and save the PE licensing fees in the process).

Another thing that could be done (maybe by Ameri-Towne...?) are kits featuring the architectural style of the Pullman factory complex, which was the basis for the North Pole buildings in the movie. These would have appeal beyond PE-themed layouts, and again could easily be marketed without the PE labels and licensing fees.

Andy

I'd like to see the following buildings:

"Hero Boy's" house, complete with waving snowman in the front yard.

A "Herpolsheimer's" store with animated Christmas display in the window.

Billy's house.

quote:

Originally posted by ratpak:
I would like to see a frosted version, not chocolate frosted, but ice and snow frosted of the whole train. I don't think the PE was ever plain jane once in the movie.

This could be done by making caps that fit over the tops of the various cars (both scale and traditional). There is an added benefit here in that these caps wouldn't have to be PE-specific, either, and would also appeal to people wanting to "winterize" their non-PE passenger trains.

Andy

Wet snowball time: The licensing agreement with Warner Bros. may dictate what Polar Express and related items can be produced.

Rusty

Ditto for the HP sets. There were characters cataloged with the original set but these were dropped from later catalogs and were never produced. Original PE sets delivery was delayed because the license holder had issues with the box art!

I'm a big fan of those ideas that are easily used outside the PE universe like the parts to winterize the passenger cars and the buildings that are "close" but not specific. I think that kind of stuff has the best chance to get made because it has a broader market.

Regarding "the licensing agreement" with Warner Bros. and how it affects the PE items that can be produced... I'm sure it does! There are already a truckload of PE items some of which aren't really accurate as far as the movie goes. Every one of them is covered by that agreement. (At least I hope so... ) If those items could be negotiated, I'm sure others could be as well. It just comes down to money and whether the studio and Lionel can work out something that would be profitable enough for each.

quote:

The licensing agreement with Warner Bros. may dictate what Polar Express and related items can be produced.

Good point on the licensing. That may be why we now have a lot of Polar railroad items from Lionel in the PE colors and a sort of Pennsy herald. It's not for nothing that JC is a marketing genius making the big bucks.

Does anyone here know how long a license typically lasts?

I had never heard the story of the box art. Thanks, Chuck.

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:
There's still more that could be done with the Scale PE, as far as add-on cars.

I'd love to hear your ideas and I'm always hungry for more of your pictures. The stuff you've done is amazing!

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:

quote:

Maybe a trackside accessory that would make those wolves chase the rabbits for several inches and then disappear and repeat. I'm sure there are others.

Eric, that is a great idea! If Lionel doesn't offer something like this, I think it could be rather easy to do...maybe have the wolves and rabbits on a conveyor belt with a hollow log at one end and small cave at the other...that way it looks like they are running out of the cave and chasing the rabbits into the log.

I think you're right. I've seen something similar from Dept. 56 with their sledders or skiers. Another project for you, Keith?

In terms of the PE scale passenger car line, there are several cars that would be attractive like the Hot Chocolate Car, the Hobo Car, and the Conductor Announcement Car. CandO Keith and I have individually taken the initiative and added to this consist with a RPO Car.

I would like to see add-ons as suggested above. Andy's idea of the Santa pylon is terrific.

quote:

I think you're right. I've seen something similar from Dept. 56 with their sledders or skiers. Another project for you, Keith?

Thanks for the compliments. This is a possible future project from my...I think it would be a lot of fun to make.

quote:

Another thing that could be done (maybe by Ameri-Towne...?) are kits featuring the architectural style of the Pullman factory complex, which was the basis for the North Pole buildings in the movie. These would have appeal beyond PE-themed layouts, and again could easily be marketed without the PE labels and licensing fees.

This would be a grand idea. As you said, it would appeal to those outside the PE market. I'd purchase these. For now, I started working on a large Polar Express inspired building that will be a station. Will have many LEDs highlighting it, around the large arches and top of building. Shortly after I started cutting the MDF for it, the issue of CTT arrived that had a TrainWorx PE layout. They have a simplicity but effectively showcase the style of the movie...with window shapes and roof lines. I love the way they look. So, I will do some buildings like those. I incorporated that window style into my large building so there would be some uniformity.

This building is kind of a flat...it will wrap around an existing shelf on my carpet layout. To give an idea of the shape, I rested the pieces against each other. This is the start of my large building...



Here are the drawings I put together for how it will look...
If you watch the part of the movie, when they arrive at the North Pole, you see many buildings that have arches on the first floor and lights near the roofs. Here is my simplified take...

The two ends will look like this...





Left front and right front will look like this....



Middle front will look like this...



Some of the smaller buildings like TW did on a layout...

Keith:

You are on the right "track". I have thought about starting construction of buildings similar to those in the PE movie. I have secured an appropriate and proportional tree for the train to circle and at least that is a start.

TW Design had the right idea for the layout they constructed for the gentleman from Chicago. I envision a mountain, causeway, and NP City.

I think some houses, and stores would be great just as Springoflife said. Maybe also in addition to having the waving snowman animation, also have Santa and the reindeer flying overhead.

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by Passenger Train Collector:
Keith:

You are on the right "track". I have thought about starting construction of buildings similar to those in the PE movie. I have secured an appropriate and proportional tree for the train to circle and at least that is a start.

TW Design had the right idea for the layout they constructed for the gentleman from Chicago. I envision a mountain, causeway, and NP City.

If you have enough room for the mountain, causeway, and city, that is going to look amazing. I know you will do a wonderful job on it. I only wish I had the space to do a full PE layout with all the key scenes. The idea of doing some buildings inspired by the movie has been going around in my head for a while now. I'm still deciding on additional details, before I start cutting out the windows.

On the tinplate forum, there's been hopes for a tinplate version as shown at the end of the movie. Likewise, on the same forum a Marx Rocky Mountain scenery set could be reworked into a PE set (I'm looking to do this myself for next year).

I would LOVE a tinplate Polar Express! I wonder how complicated the licensing would be (would MTH have to negotiate a separate deal with Warner Bros.?)? I also wonder how expensive it would be with both Lionel and WB getting a licensing fee. I'd still want one, regardless.

Andy

A tinplate version would be awesome! I saw this too at the end of the movie. I noticed it was a 2-4-2 pulling the cars rather than a berkshire. Also the tinplate one in the movie was pulling two cars. This seems like it could be done easily by Lionel or MTH!

Lionel may of been listening............

On October 25th 2011, I sent my list of tinplate to Santa Edleman(please take careful note of Item 8, are you telling me I should have sent my letter to Santa Calabrese, instead?

Posted October 25, 2011 10:50 AM
Being that the 2012 Tinplate Catalog has not been released and I'm sure most pages are still blank. Here is my list in no particular order. I'm sure some of my other Tinplate co-horts will add their own thoughts to the list.

1) 600e
2) A std Gauge mint car or aquarium car
3) Houdini Lager Boxcar
4) A girls freight train in O gauge
5) BLack and Orange Halloween Freight set (using the CV)
6) A number 8 or 9 Christmas trolley
7) A 390 Christmas set
8) A polar railroad or polar express set
9) An Orange Comet.., or a Lemon Comet
10) Snow on the roof tops.

Thats it for me Santa . I'll leave a piece of provolone for you by the fireplace

Re: A PE Layout...
If I were having Trainworx build be a PE layout, in addition to the mountain, causeway and North Pole, I would want to add some other key scenes. I'd like to have the PE come into the layout from a hidden turnback loop (perhaps under the deck for the North Pole) and have a stop on a street of houses to pick up the little boy. Then through downtown (past the store) and out into the wooded countryside (a great place for that wolves and rabbits accessory!). Most of the PE track plans I have seen compress out everything between the boy's house and the mountain but I'd add it back in.

Keith... Thanks for posting those drawings. Those buildings would be really cool! I hope you go ahead with them.

quote:

Originally posted by Charlienassau:
Lionel may of been listening............

I know that you won't tell exactly what is in the pipeline, but can you tell us if what you are hinting at will be in the next regular catalog, or will we have to wait for a Christmas catalog (or a tinplate catalog...)?

Andy

quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf97:
Re: A PE Layout...
If I were having Trainworx build be a PE layout, in addition to the mountain, causeway and North Pole, I would want to add some other key scenes.

I was thinking that the train on the frozen lake bed scene could be simulated by a series of gentle S-curves (O72?) with the "lake" surface built up to hide the track as much as possible. The effect of the passenger cars repeatedly reversing direction of swing would give an effect of a train skidding across the lake.

Wouldn't it be awesome to do a large PE layout that replicates many of the key scenes?

Andy

quote:

Originally posted by Andy Hummell:

quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf97:
Re: A PE Layout...
If I were having Trainworx build be a PE layout, in addition to the mountain, causeway and North Pole, I would want to add some other key scenes.

I was thinking that the train on the frozen lake bed scene could be simulated by a series of gentle S-curves (O72?) with the "lake" surface built up to hide the track as much as possible. The effect of the passenger cars repeatedly reversing direction of swing would give an effect of a train skidding across the lake.

Wouldn't it be awesome to do a large PE layout that replicates many of the key scenes?

Andy

YES! That icy lake would be awesome! I've been trying to figure out how to simulate the skidding. Great idea, Andy!

Too bad all us PE enthusiasts can't rent some space and build a layout...

quote:

Originally posted by Liam:
A tinplate version would be awesome! I saw this too at the end of the movie. I noticed it was a 2-4-2 pulling the cars rather than a berkshire. Also the tinplate one in the movie was pulling two cars. This seems like it could be done easily by Lionel or MTH!

Unless I'm mistaken, the tinplate train at the end of the movie has "PENNSYLVANIA" on the tender. If that's true, then it's not a PE train and no license is required. I was under the impression that you guys wanted a tinplate train in PE paint and markings.

quote:

Originally posted by springoflife:

quote:

Originally posted by Liam:
A tinplate version would be awesome! I saw this too at the end of the movie. I noticed it was a 2-4-2 pulling the cars rather than a berkshire. Also the tinplate one in the movie was pulling two cars. This seems like it could be done easily by Lionel or MTH!

Unless I'm mistaken, the tinplate train at the end of the movie has "PENNSYLVANIA" on the tender. If that's true, then it's not a PE train and no license is required. I was under the impression that you guys wanted a tinplate train in PE paint and markings.

The toy train at the end is also based on a Marx model.

Rusty

I would be really happy if I could find one complete scale PE set with the Berk, Polar Express tender and the 5 PE cars!! Seems like they are more scarce than hen's teeth. Jim

I wish they would do a Legacy Potter loco, and upgrade the coach quality with metal trucks like they did on the Shakespeare express, and do interiors.
The present coaches are badly let down by very poor quality trucks and couplers.
I sell quite a bit of this stuff, and the amount of cars that arrive with broken trucks just from the shipping is pathetic.