New Lionel accessories..or lack of??

The smoke fluid loader, although 5 years overdue is new to the Lionel line.  Others as you have pointed out are being reissued some with added TMCC/Legacy additions.  Some with update Plug and Play.

I 100% agree that more accessories are needed. If you have an idea I would send it to Lionel or maybe design your own. All the accessories are designed here, getting someone to build it at a price that you are willing to pay could be an issue with the small volumes our train companies deal with. Unfortunately this just isn't a Lionel issue. It's been a long time since we've seen new accessories from any of the players. 

Lionel has added a new command control crane using the scale crane car crane as the design as well as the smoke fluid accessory.Many of Lionels accessories are not scale so some modelers will not use them.

Mikey

Maybe they're trying to appeal to the hard core post-war generation. If they didn't, then they would be getting flack about ignoring post-war.

I agree. I need more of the scale crossing banjo's, cantalevered overhead signals, etc.

I just hope they can make a more reliable product. I just burned up my 3rd scale semaphore!

I agree as well with all of you and my pretty wife is always "Accessorizing".  I need and want to be able to do the same with my layout.  You know we between husband and wife you have to keep these things fair and balanced. 

MTH makes some fun ones..but living in a Lionel world...well just a thought....

DOUGIE F,

   I do not hold out much hope for the old type accessories being manufactured again, however maybe some new remote control accessories along with the operating Box Cars with sound and remote couplers might be manufactured in more and different numbers.  If you want some really nice accessories, drop back to the the Tin Plate Era and pick up a 305 Hellgate lighted Bridge, maybe the Lighted Rail Station also.  These are quality accessories that never go out of style.  

PCRR/Dave

I did find the radio station on ebay last year but was out bid.  Is the one your speaking of the one that has a real radio in it??

Younger generations don't know what a sawmill is, or why you would ever want to load logs or coal. Milk hasn't been transported in cans in generations.

Most of what modern trains do is haul trucks, shipping containers, and oil from one giant hub to another. Everything happens on a grand scale and behind closed doors.

So, here is the assignment: Lionel is trying to cultivate interest in the younger generations here. Come up with some accessory that they could identify with, that might sell enough to make it worthwhile designing and manufacturing.

I missed the newer operating accessories made since I left O scale in 1991.  The container crane, lift bridge, rotary hopper unloader, just to name a few.  I'll be scouring train meets for some of these in the coming months.  As for things like the 397 coal loader, 456 coal ramp, milk car, horse or cattle car, there seems to still be enough around from the post war years to be able to get a decent working accessory.  

As far as new, never before made operating accessories, Lionel really should be doing more.  With the profit I think they're making on high dollar trains these days, they could take some of that money and do some R and D on new stuff.  

There was one other new accessory in the recent catalog, but it looked like it would just push some barrels off a platform.  Artist's conception and text didn't really paint a clear picture.

For what it was priced at, I thought it was a bit much so I passed, even though I am an accessory fan.

They are getting to the point where it's costing them too much to make (or they are requiring too much profit) for even the simplest items.  The little shanty came in at $50 MSRP for the Disney version (I'll admit the decoration scheme is probably a bit on the elaborate side compared to a single or dual colored molded piece).  I know probably $10 of that is licensing, but still.  When originally offered, these cost much less.

Based on the pricing of the scale crane accessory(the crane body piece of which is an existing design), I'm sure if they did a lift bridge or anything else mechanically intricate/unique, it would easily approach the $1K mark (or higher) in today's world.

-Dave

Dan Padova posted:

I missed the newer operating accessories made since I left O scale in 1991.  The container crane, lift bridge, rotary hopper unloader, just to name a few.  I'll be scouring train meets for some of these in the coming months.  As for things like the 397 coal loader, 456 coal ramp, milk car, horse or cattle car, there seems to still be enough around from the post war years to be able to get a decent working accessory.  

As far as new, never before made operating accessories, Lionel really should be doing more.  With the profit I think they're making on high dollar trains these days, they could take some of that money and do some R and D on new stuff.  

Lionel has this outdated idea that most folks want toy like PW accessories reissued near exactly as originally made.  Take the #497 coal loader, Scale sized RS will not fit under it.   Its totally obsolete.  It was designed 60 years ago for  O-27 sized trains.   Do you think they will spend a few dollars to make clearance under the current model in this years catalog  just one half inch higher to accommodate today's scale equipment allowing more folks to use it?    I think not!!    I'd be shocked if they did..

Joe 

New accessories would be nice, but I would be happy if they would just make their current line of accessories available to us all the time. These items should be available just like track, transformers, crossing signals, Legacy sets, etc. Everything needed to run your trains and add to or expand your layout should be readily available when someone wants it. 

In all due respect Lionel did add SOUND to the  Sawmill as well, OK???

rtr12 posted:

New accessories would be nice, but I would be happy if they would just make their current line of accessories available to us all the time. These items should be available just like track, transformers, crossing signals, Legacy sets, etc. Everything needed to run your trains and add to or expand your layout should be readily available when someone wants it. 

Yes.  Good point.  Why aren't some of those newer accessories available now.  I'm speaking of the Mi-jack container crane, rotary hopper dumper, lift bridge, etc.

A scale legacy controlled operating coal coal tipple for a mine would be great.  Then make operating scale coal cars with sprung doors that open when rolled over a rare earth magnet dump track section.  Let's get away from the operating/uncoupling tracks.  

i would love to see a scale operating conveyor belt. i dont know why but im always looking for something that can work or be modified to work. all i come across is 1/16 scale

Clever operating accessories is the top reason I enjoy model railroading.It has been a while since anything even mildly interesting has been made.Accessories must not sell enough to justify the engineering and tooling costs for something new.Too bad.  

Dan, I guess as us old folk, obviously you not included, just like the joy of operating these accessories.  Lionel owes it to us to keep them coming.....yea right they say.  

If not for the way cool operating accessories my layout would be HO or N instead of three-rail O.

Pete

Dan986 posted:

Clever operating accessories is the top reason I enjoy model railroading.It has been a while since anything even mildly interesting has been made.Accessories must not sell enough to justify the engineering and tooling costs for something new.Too bad.  

This is really a nice collection...I have a few of what you have there, but sure need more!!

Matt Kirsch posted.

So, here is the assignment: Lionel is trying to cultivate interest in the younger generations here. Come up with some accessory that they could identify with, that might sell enough to make it worthwhile designing and manufacturing.

 For the younger generation? How about an IPhone loader/unloader ? 

Decisions in the corporate world of today are based on sales and PROFIT. Accessories are labor intensive, made in smaller quantities and are probably sold at a lower PROFIT level than trains are.  Wall Street demands PROFIT.  Anything else doesn't enter into the equation. The goal is to sell an engine that costs $200 to manufacture for $2000.  Now that's what they want.

Interesting topic! 

Reading through the responses and thinking about the catalog offerings over the past few years, I would have to give Lionel, MTH, K-Line, et al, some credit for the new, and/or improved, accessories they have, indeed, come up with.

But I would also agree that part of the new-catalog excitement for me is quickly turning to the back of the book to see if there is a truly NEW accessory....preferably of the operating type.   And, no....I'm not talking about adding a sound module or applying a new paint job to an old accessory!  (George, at ITT Products, can do the former for less than $50 for any of my older accessories, and I've done the latter at least a half-dozen times already myself!)

Now, there is one Post-War accessory that's given every one of us old pharts the fits....the 3656 cattle car/loading ramp....that for all the American know-how has dodged the improvement bullet for about 65 years!  Yo!!!......Lionel!......What gives???  We can push 'smoke' through a half-dozen orifices and slowly sag a tender coal load on a 4-digit price tagged steam engine.....and we can't have Elsie and her bovine brethren move more reliably in and out of a cattle car and through a gated maze??  C'mon!!!......Buy the Imagineers in the backroom a case of beer and let's get this 'figgered' out!!!

I like the assignment given above by Matt!....let's all brain-storm some accessory/animation ideas.   And, PLEASE!!......don't make it necessary to have a Blackberry or I-Pod in order to make it all work!!!  There are a few of us four-bar linkage bred, solenoid-loving, ozone-sniffing, old pharty buzzards out there who still prefer accessories of the 'K.I.S.S.' sort for hook-up and operation!  Curmudgeons, if you will!

KD

I’ve wondered this myself for quite some time.

Since I started with O around 4+ years ago, all I’ve read and seen is the legendary tales of Lionel and Frank Pettit in the 1950’s pumping out new ideas and accessories every year like the cell phones of today are (some new technological advancement every 6 months its seems).  What happened to the creative minds?

Yes, times have changed and toy/model trains don’t have the pull they used to, but I can’t even think of the number of freight movement type items that have been designed and created since the 1970’s that couldn’t have found their way over to being a model train accessory. I’m sure if I sat down and thought about it I could think of a few non-rail things with movement (using the old newsstand for example) that have come about since then.

What I really want is modern Light Rail/Streetcar like the Tomix Portram in the photo below of a downtown diorama that I had in my office in 2014 - since dismantled and items sold off - instead of the same repeated trolleys from 1950s.

Same with the 1950’s gas stations and car washes. Some of us, like myself, grew up in the 1970's. This is one of the reasons why I liked when I did N Scale also (btw, side note – I’m going to get back into N Scale this year, should have never left) because of modern looking buildings and rail vehicles. I’m from Brooklyn, but doesn’t mean that I want every streetscape and industrial area to look like it does up north (MTH falls into the same category also). How about some sunbelt type buildings products?

I will give the manufacturers credit as they’ve come up with cell towers, container cranes, wind turbines, etc. I just want more.

I agree with you on the light rail. I would like to see the modern light rail offerings as well. They are just getting ready to put light rail into operation in our downtown area. It would be nice to add something modern like that to one's layout.

I completely understand the issues about engaging the younger folks through hi tech.  My 3y/r grandson loves to watch videos of heavy construction vehicles on Mom's Iphone, but he and my other grandkids (4 and 7) also enjoy operating several of my vintage Lionel accessories...yeah, the ones that make all the noise, don't always do the right thing, and may not have any realism today.  They love to push buttons and see the action. Tops are the milk car, cattle car, lumber loader, log loader, magnetic cranes, coal loader, bascule bridge, sawmill, and of course, the rocket launcher.  Had lots of fun getting these to operate again after decades of storage!  Thank goodness for parts folks.   

Michael

PS: And even when the grandkids are not around, it's the kid in me that likes these, too!  Brings back lots of fond memories.

An interesting topic for me. As a PW guy with a layout loaded with PW accessories I'm always considering which  ones I might add. While I love the vintage versions, agree with some of the comments about Lionel reissuing accessories with updated and more reliable operating features. A modern remake of the cattle car and loading platform that isn't quite as buggy? I think something like that would sell like crazy!

YEAH!!! and if they made a Christmas model with reindeer!!    I'd buy 2

No I did find one on EBay last year and the last bid was over $200.00 for it..to rich for my blood..

Center Partition or Center-beam Flat Cars are loaded with lumber using forklifts at sawmills.

Center Partition or Center-beam Flat Cars are unloaded using forklifts very carefully at retail lumber yards.

These operating forklifts can be an accessory for each end of the track layout operation.

Andrew

I was watching the Lionel coal tipple on youtube a moment ago.  Quite impressive.  Checked one out on Evilbay.  Whoa Nellie, $900.00 + shipping.  Apparently they must be out of production because none of the on-line shops have any.  

When I was little there were so few MPC accessories; now that I am grown up- all I buy are post war accessories and signals; my 115 station, semaphores blocks and the like. These are all creatively executed; I'm sure there could be more too. Marx made some brilliant ones too- lighted switch and tower and the diesel filing station. To name but teo

Has the smoke fluid loader been released yet? I know Mike Reagan said they were on the water about a month ago.