Production of Lionel 18" Passenger Cars

PTC, glad to hear my crystal ball is still working!  Or perhaps it was just a lucky prediction.  

 

I pre-ordered the new red MKT / Texas Special 18" passenger cars, and I'm quite happy to take delivery of them in 2015.  My wallet can use a break for 2014.  

 

David

Thanks for this update,  I was wondering when the Pocahontas set would be arriving.

It is great to have confirmation that Lionel is still in the passenger car business.  And I don't mean that as a cheap shot at Lionel either.  I wish them made 21" cars, but some of their 18" cars are really nice.

 

Art

Great news, I know many of you have been waiting on the N&W set for a long time.

 

I look forward to the reports of these wonderful cars.  

Honestly, I much prefer the 18" cars over the 21" cars.  The 21 inchers need VERY broad radii to "look good".  And by broad, I'm talking above O-128!!!  For the same reason, I thought the Big Boy even looked a bit ridiculous on Lionel's display layout at York, which I'm guessing may have had O-84 Fastrack curves on the outer loop.

 

I sold my 21" Texas Special passenger set earlier in the year for this very reason.

 

Aside from folks who are building dedicated basement empires, I'm not sure why anyone else would buy these huge articulated locomotives and full-scale-length passenger cars, auto-carriers, and the like. 

 

Sometimes, selective compression can be a good thing! 

 

David

 

As many have said, there is little question that the vast majority of O gauge operators have modest-sized layouts, and have no use for these gigantic items. One of items David mentions, the full-sized auto carriers, is a good example. I was struck by their size when I first saw them - they're huge! I'm sure a great number of the VL Big Boys (for example) will never be run, but end up as display-only shelf queens. It wouldn't surprise me if the that number was the majority. In the future, no doubt there will be tons of "never run" BBs in the pre-owned market.

It will be interesting to see if Lionel produces their latest CZ with a domed observation.  It wasn't catalog'd that way, and for that reason I passed on pre-ordering it... and stuck with Atlas-O's car-by-car approach.  Well, that's a whole other story.  

 

So the only 21-inch "set" I now own -- and I use the term somewhat loosely  -- is the Atlas-O CZ even though it's taken them so painfully long to build the whole train.     I figured by the time Lionel delivered their CZ, we just might finally see the Atlas-O domed observation car.  We were told a firm late-November delivery date by Atlas a few months ago.  Having an observation car would make a reasonably complete train -- sans the baggage car, of course.  But now from what I heard at York, I'm not so sure it'll make 2014.

 

So perhaps Lionel's CZ will win that race, but its observation car design still remains a mystery.    Years ago -- when Lionel first started making aluminum passenger cars with detailed interiors instead of passenger window silhouettes, they produced a 15" Burlington Zephyr with a domed observation (as I recall).  So, I'm puzzled why they would back-peddle on the 18" CZ with a dome-less observation.

 

But given the huge challenge they seem to be facing with their overseas supplier to produce aluminum passenger cars of any kind these days, they'll probably just be happy to get a CZ set produced and shipped period -- much less worry about being prototypically correct.

 

David

 

 

Art and I have a solution to the CZ Observation car.

 

 

Brian; I have seen that photo before & I have to say I love it. Great shot of the train & Newport Bridge.

"So perhaps Lionel's CZ will win that race, but its observation car design still remains a mystery.    Years ago -- when Lionel first started making aluminum passenger cars with detailed interiors instead of passenger window silhouettes, they produced a 15" Burlington Zephyr with a domed observation (as I recall).  So, I'm puzzled why they would back-peddle on the 18" CZ with a dome-less observation."

 

that's nutz.  i am puzzled too!

Forrest, I have the 15" set and you are 100% correct. It would be a big disappointment if it was made without the domes Observation car.

I also look forward to the Lionel CZ set even though I started buy Atlas CZ cars. Missed the first two. Just hope they both finish while I can enjoy them. I am not getting any younger each year. Also hope to find a Lionel Burlington E5. Passed on one last year havent seen another since. Managed to pick up the ACL. Need Lionel or Atlas to make cars for it. Picked up a NYC E7 for my ESE cars it is fantastic. The scale cars spoil you. If I could just throw the rest of the family out of the basement. I could really enlarge.

My $64K question is will we be waiting til 2016 for add on cars to our Pocahantos sets?

Considering Lionel has left us all in limbo regarding StationSound cars, I'd say that's a good bet.  By the time they produce them -- IF they produce them -- they'll probably have a $400-450 MSRP (given Lionel's ridiculous new MSRP structure), and Lionel will have close to a DOZEN different passenger sets produced that could theoretically get a StationSounds car. 

 

David

S.P.

 

The CZ was pulled by three different road names. You have a choice of the Burlington, Denver & Rio Grande, or the Western Pacific. I am using WP F units by Lionel.

Right now I have the Burlington F3 set. I hope to have the D&RG and the WP when I am done. I will also have both the Atlas train and the Lionel train. The Atlas train will be the 11 car consist. Nothing in my way but college tuition for my children. Started a family late in life. The CZ is my only mid west to west coast train. Would love to see Lionel make a scale Empire Builder.

S.P.

 

It appears that Lionel is concentrating their efforts on the 18" aluminum passenger cars. They produced two 21" sets in the Texas Special and the yellow Milwaukee Road versions. That was when they had a relationship to use the K-Line molds.

 

Your might want to consider K-Lines in the secondary market. There are some very nice Empire State cars available frequently on the auction sites. They are also scale.

I too am running WP units on mine, but have been getting some push back from my Chicago friends that I need to switch to CB&Q.  I know that the CB&Q ran the CAZ out of Chicago but I love the colorful WP so much. 

 

Art

I don't know who may have the tooling for the K-Line 15" passenger sets, but I believe that they could sell a ton of them by re-issuing the great aluminum cars that K-Line had. I have 3 sets, the Milwaukee Road heavyweights, the Milwaukee road streamlined and the Lackawanna "Phoebe Snow" 5 car set. I also bought two more add-on Lackawanna cars to give me a 7 car consist. Passenger Train Collector could probably back me up on this.

Bachmann's parent owns the tooling and they have indicated that the cost is prohibitive to bring the K=Line passenger cars back. Too bad, as they are wonderful cars.

 

Paul, I see many K-Line 15" sets however that come up on the big auction site.

Vince's trains had a beautiful set of K-Line empire state express cars. Did you see those? i believe the price was $999.  ed

I have the lionel ESE cars. They are very nice. I use them with a NYC E7 . Never cared for that hudson. Question. Did lionel ever make the streamline 20th Century 6-35411, 6-35408 and 6-35403? Strictly Lionel and American Flyer here. Only Atlas track and CZ cars

breezinup,

I sure hope you're correct; I'll buy as many as I can get my little greedy hands on!!!Come on 'buyer's remorse'

 

Hopefully it's corrected and new aluminum passenger cars will be on delivery schedule. However, time will tell if this is the case.  Sure Lionel would like being on schedule also.   

 

I have to say, I didn't want to take a chance (ie, wait 1-2 years) on the new UP aluminum passenger set given the wait on the N&W set. So, I found a set of older 'City of Denver' cars NIB on the secondary market at half the cost.  Love'em, they're beautiful.  Much happier because I paid less, didn't have to wait, and can enjoy them now instead of checking the shipping schedule.

 

Also, it'll be fun looking for the 2 pack add on and station sounds car for that set. Another part of the hobby I love, looking for items I want.