Pre-Order Vision Big Boy Query

For what it's worth, after 1949, ALL Union Pacific 4000 class locomotives pretty much looked the same, i.e. none had different "paint jobs", in regular service. One can NOT judge by how ANY of the remaining 8 4000s in parker & museums, look today.

"Also - I have 072 and 081 - does anyone know if this thing will operate and look right on my curves?"

 

it will run on them, how well it looks will depend on your personal aesthetics.  there are some overhang pictures posted on other Big Boy threads.

If that's true then they are looking for trouble. How can you order a specific number and NOT know what it will look like. 

And what is the pre order period?

has not been officially announced yet. Speculation is that it will begin sometime in Feb 2014 when the catalog is issued and the Big Boy is "officially" announced with pricing.

I'm more worried about the end, so I know how long I've got to try to save for one.

Delivery is scheduled for the 4th qtr. 2014.

 

My own guess would be 2-3 months  allowing for production and delivery by Q4

Remember these are build to order so waiting to see what is delivered may not be an option unless your dealer order some spares. You will not be able to go into your LHS after seeing one and have them call up their distributor to order you one

some dealers are taking pre-orders now!!

 

preorder bigboy

 

our club has 072 and the bigboys that run there look just fine.

Which is why I want to know the drop dead date.  I'm not worried about seeing it before I get one.  I'm just worried I won't be able to save up enough before the order period is over.  It's a Big Boy, my favorite locomotive, so I have no doubts that I'll love it.  I love my K-Line BB, and this one can only get better!

IMO, Doesn't make sense to preorder before Lionel announces the preorder period. Especially so since the engine is not allocated and pricing is yet to be announced.

Sounds to me like a counting pool measuring how many sure orders prior to setting a price. 

All pre-preordering could do is set a higher price and cost you more money.

Joe

That shouldn't be a major concern because I doubt that dealers will require you to pay up for the thing in the pre-order period.  Most, I imagine, will not even require a deposit.  Shop around a bit and find a dealer who will be willing to take your pre-order with no deposit or, at worst, a minimum deposit.  You'll likely have plenty of time to save up for the full cost because I seriously doubt that you'll see these things until sometime late in 2014 at best.  I could be wrong about that, but I kind of doubt it.

It's very simple: If you intend on getting one, start saving your pennies now... 

 

Rusty

this is not the only dealer doing the pre-order, pre-order.  I believe the only reason these dealers are doing the pre, pre is there is so much interest and if you do not order one you will be left out.  cost is subjective and some dealers do not require a deposit so you loose nothing. I am ordering one and if I do not have the money when they arrive some one else will have an opportunity to get one.

200,000 pennies......give or take.

If my memory is right, the email I got said pre-order period runs thru February 2014. And if you go to Charlie Ro, they don't charge your credit card. Once actual price is announced you can back out. Now, could we please get back on subject you hijackers! Lol. Alan or whomever - does anyone know if the 4014 and 4004 are identical in appearance? What did the earlier renditions from Lionel look like? Do both 4014 and 4004 both look like the one in the Lionel Vision marketing stuff? Front is gray, rest of engine black. Etc.? Thanks.

Hotwater pretty much answered that in the second post

 

CAN anyone tell me if the big boy is going to have a swinging  bell

 

From the video and description in the email, I doubt it has a swinging bell - seems it too would have been mentioned. By the way, anyone know what the fasttrack LCS section and power supply might be?

 

No swinging bell. The Big Boys did not have a swinging bell. 

The big boys didn't have alternating stack chuffs either..........

To be fair, no articulated steam locomotives have "alternating stack chuffs".

>>>If my memory is right, the email I got said pre-order period runs thru February 2014. And if you go to Charlie Ro, they don't charge your credit card. Once actual price is announced you can back out.<<

 

Think about it... What is there to gain by ordering prior to Lionel announcing the price?? 

All it does is if those prepreorders are brisk is put other folks thinking about buying it less likely to find a deal, and more likely everyone including those with the pre-preorders could see a higher MSRP.

Joe

>>>If my memory is right, the email I got said pre-order period runs thru February 2014. And if you go to Charlie Ro, they don't charge your credit card. Once actual price is announced you can back out.<<

 

Same for us, no money at this time. Go to our page for sign up.

I'm really glad to see so much enthusiasm around a train like this that is pushing new innovations. I was afraid that the innovation was gone with all of the reruns we have had lately.

 

Having said that, I think everyone should relax a little. If you watch the video from the museum at York they said that it would be officially announced in the Feb. catalog. What you see now is a preview. The Pre-orders don't even open until Feb. What dealers like Charles Ro are doing is really a Pre-Pre-Order. I don't recall seeing anything like this before.

What am I missing?  If you pre-order you are not charged now nor are you obligated to buy when Lionel announces the price. If, after hearing the actual price you decide not to buy, this data will surely flow to Lionel (e.g., price announced and 200 orders just dropped to 100 orders).  A good way to vote with your wallet and inform Lionel of the reasonable price point.  How would preorderng under these circumstances benefit Lionel or push up price??

Also - per the email, these locos are to be built to order - or preorder. No preorder likely means you can't just casually walk into your LHS and find/buy one.  Under these circumstances - if you want one - wouldn't it be folly not to preorder?

Finally - what "innovations" are we talking about?  Lionel has already done steam whistle and blow down effects on other locos. And the Vision Challenger had the nice and realistic feature of steam effect emanating from under the rear of the loco. And the PRR Texas style loco had cylinder steam. Two features I was hoping might make it into this Big Boy. So, other than disappearing coal load and synchronized smoke stacks (not even a real big boy feature), what innovation are we discussing?  Thanks.

Lionel, rewriting history a locomotive at a time!

Why have an expensive "detail" that is incorrect?

Will it have 8 chuffs that go in and out of sync? Much prefer that.

 

(The Western Pacific EM-1?, and others)

That will be a lot of $, thinking this is a no go for us.

LIONEL knows the price already they testing the market to see how many people are pre booking before they set the price they new the price all these years that's they way of saying hay now we can set the price now we have  4000 orders . everyone should cancel they  pre order s and see the price before booking why give LIONEL the upper hand on pricing

I was going to make another comment but I better not.

The only reason the chuffing would go in and out of sync is wheel slippage as you take a corner.

Despite that, My Imperial Railking Big Boy does slowly go in and out of sync in the chuffing and I believe the smoke follows it.

I LIKE IT.  Nuff said.

I may not get the new one, the price is far from my normal range, but I am wishing for it 

Speaking of the differences. If you look in the 2006 catalog when the Legacy BB came out, there is some differences, depending on the number in the front railing area.

I'm no expert on model trains but can tell you in the grown-up manufacturing world the price for an item IS affected by the number of units being produced. Raw materials get volume discounts. Labor remains flat, but the per unit price goes down if a laborer produces 10 units today rather than just 5.  From this standpoint, the more preorders the lower the price.  With that said, maybe none of this actually impacts Lionel. But I also suspect that the 2 year warranty, being twice as long and probably more than twice as prone to seeing use (guessing more things go wrong as they age) would, from an actuarial standpoint, create a material expense adder, as would Lionel covering all the back and forth warranty shipping costs.

Before you think I'm a Lionel "plant" I am also the person that posted last year venting that I believe Lionel's pricing is out of control, taking advantage of its name for greater profits. Hence, the reason why my fleet is mostly MTH Premier.