Popularity of Lionel PWC waining?

I don't think Lionel has been making any in the last couple years. I think the CC line is probably more popular now because of the lower price.

I could be wrong though.

PWC and CC are very different animals. PWC is re-iisue of original looking (aka "TOY trains") with modern electronics. CC is re-issue of the true PW equipment. Basic transformer controlled FNR, basic horn/whistle/bell. The trains may look the same on the outside but they are very different under the hood and appeal to very different audiences.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck:
PWC and CC are very different animals. PWC is re-iisue of original looking (aka "TOY trains") with modern electronics. CC is re-issue of the true PW equipment. Basic transformer controlled FNR, basic horn/whistle/bell. The trains may look the same on the outside but they are very different under the hood and appeal to very different audiences.

Chuck I agree - I run CC engines and PWC rolling stock because I like the sprung trucks! Also a big fan on convientional horns and transformer controls!

Looking through even the most recent Lionel catalog, 2011 volume 2, one can see the Postwar Celebration logo on page 49 for a 2-pack set of 6464 boxcars. These same cars were also in the 2010 vol. 2 catalog.
The last Postwar Celebration set in a catalog was in the 2009 vol. 2. It was the 50 year anniversary set of the Northern Pacific GP9 freight with legacy.

The legacy GP9 in M&St.L is also included on that same page (Page 48)

I can't say whether either series is more or less popular. Each will have its loyal fans. But if you combine these series with the other series that Lionel maintains, such as the Lionmaster, the Heritage series, the Vision line and movie or popular culture series, it is enough to make your head spin.

Add to that the folks who want more modern trains, more scale trains more imaginary trains, one may wonder why you would need any revival series. But, as long as Lionel owns the molds and the naming, each series can return in the next year.

Century Club buyers really took a porking. Huge bucks for not very accurate copies of post war locos. Ouch! The 726 is a caricature of the original.

I'm disappointed.....Conventional Classics showed up too early for me and took away PWC for the most part. I have an original New Haven F3 freight set from 1958. The last thing I need is a Conventional Classics version. However, I would have jumped at a PostWar Celebration version with TMCC/RS.

Peter

quote:

Century Club buyers really took a porking. Huge bucks for not very accurate copies of post war locos. Ouch! The 726 is a caricature of the original.

I agree.. The only engine I wanted was the #726 but missing out on the early buy boxcar prompted me to cancel my club membersdhip.
Happy I did..
Over the years I've seen the near $1000 engine selling at shows as low as $250.00.
I never really bit into the PWC. Bought a few pieces but newer trains had all my attention.
When Lionel ended production in 2001 it left nothing to celebrate..I had zero interest for buying more....
Joe

I'm a fan of PWC rolling stock. I like the crisp, clean graphics and superior rolling characteristics. Never had much interest in the motive power where I prefer the originals or Williams if I am going to add TMCC. The last pair of "variation" boxcars were disappointing though being almost identical to previously released items and not as pictured in the catalog. No more pre orders for me.

Pete

I hope Lionel keeps bringing Archive non-legacy/tmcc and CC motive power! I would love to have CC 682 or 675(know probably won't happen ever!) or archive F3 Florida east coasters!

"Popularity of Lionel PWC waining?" I don't think so. I doubt it's "waining". Meaning, was it really ever that big to start with? I have my doubts.

And I have the Texas Special ABA with the two powered A units. I also have another PWC classic, the modern ZW with 2-135 bricks. That's the one with the Lifetime Warranty.

It's been back twice over the years for motherboard replacements. You really have to baby that unit, put fuses on it and watch out for those loose handles.

Other PWC? I don't think I have any. The Archive Series and MPC if anything I was more interested in - like the MPC IC and UP passenger F3 sets and the Archive SP F3s. And then there was the really HUGE hit with Lionel's customer base - the Special Introductions in big steamers. That one's been misssed.

Anyway, I don't think PWC can wane because it was never that large a deal in the first place.

Let's face it, most of Lionel's available capital isn't even going into
trains, but rather NASCAR for the greater, and quicker return. We're
doing good to get the little bit we got!

I have all the cc sets except for the girls set and I have about 5 of the PWC sets and a bunch of rolling stock. I like both series. The reason I like the cc cars better are the trucks. I wasn't a fan of the sprung trucks on the PW cars, just didn't look right. The PWC Berk set, which I have, uses nice bar end trucks, keeping it close to the original.

The other thing that's odd about some of the PWC flatcars is the lettering & color.
I have the barrel car & the liquified gas car and the way "Lionel" is spelled is really odd & the cars have an orange tint, not deep red.

Christopher
I agree
I think the PWC 2349 NP gp-9 set is the best so far---a combination of both series.
The engine has all the high end command/sounds of the PWC series and the cars have the more accurate CC series trucks.

I'd like to see this continue in the PWC series---I'm ok with paying more (obviously) for the upgraded features.

I'm adding full command/sounds to the NH F-3 AB units and the Budd set from the CC series.
Hope the 2012 catalog has some postwar goodies in it.
Thx
Joe S

Does anyone have any more pics of the Sears C&O set than what has already been in past threads, also I have new PWC Super 0 Hudson set for sale if anyone was looking to add to their collection? I can be contacted at my email andrewheilmann@yahoo.com

Terrance

I don't see how NASCAR could be taking up most of Lionel's spending on new product, or am I missing something? Or misunderstanding the comment?

Here's the thing... at least for me...

I LOVE the Post War Celebration Series, but most of the sets contain cars they've already released in other sets. I'm not going to buy a whole set just to get the one car or the one engine. I just don't have the space!

What I'd really love? More engines like the recently produced Can-Motored GG-1. Classic tooling that I can up-grade to TMCC/Cruise with an Electric Railroad kit.

Jon

Already available from Williams, Jon.

I never thought there was a market for these remade sets. Post War trains have taken such a hit in the past 7 years that the market seems over saturated.

Hi Rail 3 rail scale is were its at in my perspective, but that is just my opinion and what I model.

I hope there are more energy in manufacturing Legacy products and more scale passenger cars.

quote:

Originally posted by Terrance:
Does anyone have any more pics of the Sears C&O set than what has already been in past threads, also any pics of the orbitor and NH sets?

Terrance

quote:

Century Club buyers really took a porking. Huge bucks for not very accurate copies of post war locos. Ouch! The 726 is a caricature of the original.

I was a member of the first Century Club. I joined early (got the boxcar!), and was hoping for an accurate reproduction of the 1946 Berkshire. In the end, I only purchased the boxcars, none of the engines.

I have a few of the PWC locos, despite their having electronics. The more recent Collectable Classics products are more in line with my interests. I have a couple of those engines too. But my purchases of any newly made product is very infrequent. I prefer equipment made before 1994.

One thing that has to be considered is the Post-War pot only has so many things that can be drawn from it, and if something is made as a PWC set, it's unlikely to be rerun as a CC set.

A fair amount of the "good stuff" has already been released as a CC or PWC set. While there is still some sets that can be done, were probably going to begin to see some duplication of previously released cars, which in some quarters, may actually make the set less desirable.

Still, it'll be interesting to see what else is produced.

Rusty

quote:

One thing that has to be considered is the Post-War pot only has so many things that can be drawn from it ...

Quite true, and that's why they dug into the archives, literally, when they came up with the Archive Series. You had for instance the exact same PW style F3s, but some where done as PWC and others as Archives. The Southern, Wabash and Rio Grande F3s were re-done as PWC while the KCS, SP and McGinnis black and orange were painted up as Archives. And you had a few, the UP and Pennsy F3s, that were in the archives, but had already been done as MPC models.

So these were all really the same thing. A Lionel F3 by another name...

Btw, I wish I could have been there to help them dig through those archives and see just what all was really there.

quote:

A fair amount of the "good stuff" has already been released as a CC or PWC set. While there is still some sets that can be done, were probably going to begin to see some duplication of previously released cars,

Pretty much my feelings as well..
It has never been written PWC or CC pieces won't be repeated.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by JC642:

quote:

A fair amount of the "good stuff" has already been released as a CC or PWC set. While there is still some sets that can be done, were probably going to begin to see some duplication of previously released cars,

Pretty much my feelings as well..
It has never been written PWC or CC pieces won't be repeated.
Joe

True, but you have to allow the market to "settle."

While I wouldn't mind duplicates of certain cars, I really only need one 3444 Cop & hobo car reproduction.

Rusty

quote:

While I wouldn't mind duplicates of certain cars, I really only need one 3444 Cop & hobo car reproduction.

Well we need a better reproduction of the 3444. The one that came in the New Haven CC Set and Rio Grande F3 set was junk. Yeah, it was motorized but the figures moved so slowly if they moved at all!!

quote:

True, but you have to allow the market to "settle."

While I wouldn't mind duplicates of certain cars, I really only need one 3444 Cop & hobo car reproduction.

Rusty

I have a somewhat different outlook on anything suggesting I'm again falling victim to the instant collectable hysteria.
Been there done that enough to know none of this stuff will ever be long term desirable to me as long as by design Lionel continues to deliver a better product then its previous release.
Read a very recent article in another train magazine where a notable collector blames Lionel for the collapse in the modern era collector market suggesting readers to limit collecting to pre & pw trains and run all else...
Nothing could be further from the truth..
No different then those who enjoy PW collecting, I collect some pieces from the MPC/LTI modern era, a time when Lionel manufactured trains in America.
For me like PW collecting prior to 1970, the same impenetrable wall that PW collectors enjoy exists between my area of collecting and Lionel's continuing ability to reissue and improve the product line.
For me its 2001, the defining moment when the lights went dark in Chesterfield.

Lionel could remake, improve, capitalize & deflate till the cows come home but with the additional assurance of finite dating, 2001, unless I choose to allow it as so many have, todays improved imported stuff never really affects me or my continued interest in collecting it...
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Jumijo:
Century Club buyers really took a porking.

Yah. These days it seems like if I wasn't getting porked, I'd have no pork at all.

One set that I would like is that Canadian Pacific passenger outfit with all of the extra cars that go with it.
I'm sure that I'll never see it.
Norm

quote:

Originally posted by Norm:
One set that I would like is that Canadian Pacific passenger outfit with all of the extra cars that go with it.
I'm sure that I'll never see it.
Norm

Do you mean this one?


Pete

Yes,thanks.
Norm

quote:

this one?

I would like to see Lionel issue a Dome Observation car for this set.

Mike

Christopher 2035

 

Do you have video of the Sears C&O set?

 

Terrance

ZWPower13,

 

What do you like most about the Super O Hudson set?

 

Terrance

No video yet, but I did post pics the other day. Did you see them?

Christopher2035,

 

I haven't seen your pictures, were they in another thread?

 

Terrance

yeah they were, but I'll re post -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lionel has yet to remake the Milwaukee Road and Illinois Central F-3 AB diesel units. I would expect that they will show up (probably leading sets) before long. I believe that will nearly complete the remakes of major PW motive power. Oh, and add the Milwaukee EP-5 electric to that list as well!

The Sears set...most awesome Lionel yet!That 2347 alone is worth the price of

admission.  The cars are incredible as well. I couldn't take the thing off the

track for months, and now after seeing these photos...it's going right back on

again!  No such thing as too much PW Lionel!

 

Did they do the 6220/623 Santa Fe NW2?  Also, the early ALCos -   RI, Silver UP

 

I'd love for them to reissue the the 217 B&M FA2 A-B units