Defender sets are coming!! Pictures added.

Great to hear that the defender sets actually happened. I did not pre-order but I must have that set!

If no one else does in this week, I shall later. Read above.

Bob

I hear they are in short supply and dealers are not getting all they asked for but are apportioned instead.  If you haven't pre ordered you may be out of luck

Has anyone wired the box car to the rocket launcher like the original set was? I was thinging of doing it so it could be as close as the original set. The pick ups on the action cars look weak, hopefully they last running over the section rail to activate the cars. 

Here are some quick pictures of the new Defender set. The electronic bell rings in neutral (or in motion with a consist in tow at higher voltage) unless it is deactivated with a switch underneath on the die cast chassis. The rocket flat and boxcar do operate. The set, as a postwar reissue, looks pretty sharp. Fit and finish on my sample is excellent. The shade of yellow is a bit brighter and the floodlight car is done in a shade of red rather than Tuscan when compared with a vintage Gilbert original.

However, there are a few adjustments that had to be made on my sample before getting to the firing range:

1. The supplied accessory rails are not as tall as vintage Gilbert rails. The contact shoes are shaped so that the contact sits too low if one is using original Gilbert accessory rails. Consequently, the contact shoes will have to be carefully reshaped with point nose pliers to permit the operating boxcar and rocket flat to pass vintage Gilbert accessory rails smoothly. You should be good to go if the accessory rails included with the set are used.

2. The axle contacts in the operating/lighted rolling stock of my sample were too tight and caused significant rolling resistance. Carefully bending the contact wipers and lightly lubricating the axles at the wipe points cured the problem. You might want to clean the GP7's traction tires of any errant lubricant, too.

Having done so, the Defender was ready for action. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Bob

Bob:  I just opened my set and ran it after lubricating all wheels and the gears on the power truck of the locomotive.  Instructions are in the manual.

At first there was no ringing bell whenI I first ran it. Then  it was there in neutral. After a little longer it came on in forward and reverse as well.  Run yours to see if that doesn't happen.

I had another problem develop as it ran.  It got slower and slower even under full power from my 30B.  On examination the power truck was loose in some way.  I got down a similar engine to examine how it should be.  After taking off the truck side frames there was loose screw and it just fell out.

Next I tried tightening it and it could't catch.  The solution was to take off the cab and hold the motor unit from the top while I screwed in the screw from the bottom.  Replacing the cab and truck side frames the engine worked fine.

I decided to write about the screw problm brcase if mine was loose there will be others.  By solving this problem I saved at leaset a week rather than sending it to Lionel.

In the next week I will be writing a review of the Defender set for the S Gaugian as I am one of the contributing editors of the magazine.  I do the Roundhouse Column as well as other articles. I hope you all are subscribers 

To Train 485:

I suggest you don't try to connect the two Flyonel cars like the originals.  The originals used a two prong plug from the box car to the rocket car.  The receptical was in the top of the rocket car.  It would be hard to replicate without damaging the new cars. I think if you look at the origials next to the Flyonel cars you would see this.

  Also, that modification would devalue the items should you want to sell them. 

Actually and more precisely, the bell in my sample rings in neutral when the voltage is great enough (> ~9-10 volts with a 30B). If one causes the bell to ring and then places the engine in motion at > ~9-10 volts, the bells rings in motion. If one decreases the voltage while in neutral and then starts the engine in motion at a low voltage/speed setting, the bell remains silent, even as one increases speed. Evidently, there is a voltage threshold for bell activation. Kind of a neat and useful feature.

My sample of the GP7 is mechanically flawless. No problems here, but it is good to point out your observations in case someone does come across an issue.

Bob

thank you Round House Bill.

I will leave it the way it is. I plan on running my set tonight and will note any issues I have read so far. Can't wait to read your review. To bad lionel didn't copy the orignal packaging. Probably would cost a lot more I guess. 

The new packaging is much more suited to shipping the contents safely and more compact, which lowers shipping costs. Love the old Gilbert display boxes and graphics, but the new set box is rather handsome in its own right.

Enjoy your set.

Bob

I want to purchase this set,but I would like more information, what does the operating box car do?

Thanks

The operating boxcar unloads boxes. The boxes are loaded into the car through one of the side doors (the one to the left in the posted picture) and are unloaded by remote control one at a time through the other side door. There is a small figure located inside the car on an internal solenoid arm and this gives the illusion of a workman heaving a box out the door as it opens when the car is activated by pressing a push button.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Nice pics.  I haven't had time to unpack my set yet.  Do your jeeps have any minor paint flakes?  Mine did as that was the only car I opened.

I would have assumed the Bell had a on-off switch?  How did the original work?

I have a 60's defender set with short step C&O new in box which has the bell but I don't touch it.  The paint on those engines was so delicate.  I hope it doesn't start falling off by itself.

Michael,

Thankfully, my sample of the new L-AF set is cosmetically perfect in every way.

A very common problem with the original Defender sets is paint chipping on the GP-7 handrails. No primer on the stamped metal handrails, one presumes. The paint tends to also chip in the boxcar and rocket flat in the 1959 set, this being made quite evident by being painted yellow over black plastic. Your 1960 set is as nice as they come. In addition to the difficulty of finding nice originals to look at, the L-AF set gives the opportunity to have a pretty brand new set to run without undo worries about chipping the yellow paint.

The bell in the vintage Gilbert sets is an actual circular bell rung with a clapper on a cam in the unpowered truck. The design is such that as speed increases, the clapper ceases striking the bell until speed decreases. I do know they (at Lionel) first intended to use the mechanical bell. My guess on the matter is that Lionel went with an electronic bell because there is no room in the new (unpowered) truck (it a solid piece rather than a stamping a la Gilbert) for the cam. In any case, the electronic bell sounds pretty good and one can switch it off if one wishes. I am a big fan of the new drive truck fitted with the vertical can motor for the classic Gilbert-style diesels and the new GP-7 runs smoothly.

Have fun.

Bob

Anyone know how much this set sells for. approx. ?

Thanks.

The retail is $599.99 but I have seen them from 450-599.

I paid $429.95 for mine at Charles Ro supply. I did per-order it back 3 years ago. Don't know if he has any left.

Noel, I  saw the Defender on display this past weekend @ Barry's Trains in Elizabethtown, PA.  He sells them for $500, so there is someone who has it in stock.  Nice set!

Got mine today. Looks great through the box windows Hopefully it will get checked out in time for running with the guys Sunday.

Steve

A few brief update comments:

The tool box on the rocket flat is mounted backwards. The box is attached with two small Philips head screws and can be easily flipped around right.

The retainer used on the L-AF Jeep flat is that for the piggy-back TOFC flat car rather than the hardware used for the 4 wheel-axle load flat car -- another deviation from the original.

My sample continues to run and operate well.

Bob

Ok, really short clip of my set running at this past Sunday's TTOS SP meet.

Steve

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S1IBSpiZso

I was wondering on how faithful to the original Tootsietoy jeeps are the ones in this new set? Are they marked in any way? Any one have any idea of who mfg them?  Thanks Gary

The Jeeps are a perfect match to the Tootsie toy Jeeps of the original.  Of course they are not lettered as such under the Jeep.  No markings as to who produced them.