Here is what I might be ordering.
1) Santa Fe GP30's
2) NP & WAG Single Sheath Boxcars
3) NP and/or PRR Flatcars with John Deere tractors (Really happy to see farm equipment being used as freight cars loads.)
Honorable mentions
CB&Q F7 A-B-B-A
UP FEF #838
Nice catalog, and I do like the Boston and Maine F7s, but at over $1000 for just the A-A pair, I’ll pass. I’m done shelling out big bucks for overpriced trains. I’ve got more than I ever dreamed of and I’m running out of room!
Tentative Order:
After a first run through nothing jumped out at me, but I'll revisit it when the print version shows in a few days. That's actually what I've done with the last couple of catalogs.
Funny...I forgot all about the MM Anniversary hand car which I pre-ordered from Volume 1. In fact, I bought two extra as Christmas gifts for train friends.
Nothing this time around, but I do like the redesigned LC+2.0 GP7s . Nice to see the handrail upgrades over the stamped ones. Might be a potential purchase in a future catalog should a road name of interest pop up. Hopefully Lionel will do the same upgrades with the other traditional diesels.
Rob
@dkdkrd posted:Nice to see some emphasis on the vandy tendered steam genre.
Too bad there's not a separate painted/undec./ vandy tender available...for the folks so inclined to change things up a bit. Maybe with a rudimentary RS package?...like some of the other tenders-only Lionel once offered.
Just a thought...
Since you have the IR drawbar, the tender could be full featured, it's PnP for most of them. I routinely connect up different tenders for testing with Lionel Legacy.
@MartyE posted:Looks like the Legacy engines will all have 4 digit addressing from the sound of it on page 4&5.
Given the fact that's a feature of the new Legacy electronics, I can't imagine why they wouldn't all have it. 
@Dave Olson posted:It's based on the M1b tooling. New body slides all around. We've also redesigned the front end to bring the pilot and truck to more scale proportions. It was pretty stretched before.
I have looked at the pictures in the catalog, understanding this may not be the final design, and I do not see the clean out plugs on the firebox that would have indicated these came from M1b tooling. Which is good since the M1 did not have these clean outs. Fixing the pilot is great.
The M1 and M1a are nearly identical. Since Lionel is advertising them as M1 engines, I'm glad they used 68XX or 69XX cab numbers which the M1 engines had (M1a and M1b had 67XX).
I know the M1 was initially fielded with the smaller 110-P-75 tender as part of its dual role, but I thought they were replaced with the 210-F-75B tender. Need to see if I can find some post WWII photos with a short tender before I decide which one to get.
@John Hon posted:I really would love to get the WM 1309 but the catalog description states they are difference between the model and actual 1309 with some details added. I would need to find out the details before I pull the trigger.
Lionel's 1309 is a real disappointment. The page says its an all new product but looking at the artwork, its just a re-release of their mallet that first appeared in the early 2000's. The C&O had H-5 class USRA mallets, but the 1309 is a class H-6 and not a USRA engine. Differences between the 1309 and the catalog art:
With 1309 being the only operating articulated engine east of the Mississippi, I was hoping Lionel would make an accurate representation of it. For me a repaint of a similar engine with an MSRP of $1800 doesn't cut it. I'll pass.
Ken
No American Freedom Train items (wasn't expecting any). Would be nice if they would complete the set like they said they would.
I will get the SP Friendship Train car to keep building my set. But that looks like the only item this year (unless I can find a post WWII photo of a short tender M1-see above).
@RickO posted:This didn't take long:
The text says the photo was taken in 1933. Am I missing something?
The 2007 version of the C&O F19 omitted the number plate on the smoke box door. Every picture of F19's I can find (and there's a lot available) have the number plate on the door. So Lionel, please add rectangular number plates for all the variations you're making.
The original tooling for the F19 is really accurate. It's a fine model. I'm considering the one with the C&O donut herald on the tender.
The Vanderbilt tenders were replaced with rectangular tenders in 1938 which were kind of odd looking with a low deck over the water tank area. Lionel doesn't make a similar tender so the rectangular tender version shown in the catalog isn't accurate. The gray boiler, PM, and RF&P versions are fantasy. The PM and RF&P had Pacifics, but didn't look anything like the F19's.
Ken
@CAPPilot posted:The text says the photo was taken in 1933. Am I missing something?
Sorry Ron. How about this one:
(Scroll down on the left column is 6875, you can click and enlarge it)
@RickO posted:Sorry Ron. How about this one:
(Scroll down on the left column is 6875, you can click and enlarge it)
And 6875 had the later footboard pilot.
ADDED: Unfortunately the Lionel short tender engines have the original passenger type slatted pilot and pre-WWII headlight position. Staufer's Penny Power (the first one) stated some M1 engines never got the footboards but did get the mid-1940s headlight position change.
I hope somone does a Halloween custom run on that LC 2.0 GP7. Can't afford the F19, but the Halloween schemes are soooo cool!
@Grampstrains posted:It isn't just the handrails. the body is also different. It looks like a "Rail King" engine?
On the live stream they said it was newly acquired tooling so that's probably correct.
Nothing this time.
Pondering the F7 Great Northern Superbass unit. 
Since the Vol. 1 killed me, I’m glad his one is a little light 
I’ll probably get one of the MTA SIRT S2’s - small size, reasonable price. And thanks to Ron @CAPPilot, I’ll be ordering one of the SP Friendship Train boxcars to go with my collection (I completely missed that one when I was browsing the catalog). And when I saw the SP, right above it was a Pennsy Union Line boxcar - I may order one to go with the METCA special run version I picked up earlier this year. I really like the Santa Fe Blue Bonnets, but I’ll have to give them a bit of thought.
I also am considering the Lehigh Valley Gorge Train set only wish they would make it with the open air cars. Also please put people in these cars, I didn’t see it mentioned in the interiors.
Northern Pacific Single Sheathed Box Car. Just to get SOMETHING and use a gift certificate m6bson gave me for Father’s Day. Not seeing anything that knocks my socks off from Lionel anymore. And those prices…
(Although the GP7s LC+2.0 at $399 are a deal.)
@laz1957 posted:I also am considering the Lehigh Valley Gorge Train set only wish they would make it with the open air cars. Also please put people in these cars, I didn’t see it mentioned in the interiors.
I agree. The lack of passengers is a big minus. The cars are difficult to take apart to add them, at least the last time I tried.
Ordered both UP aux tenders, will have to think on the rest.
@eddie g posted:What is the MM hand car going for?
$199 at the Lionel store.
Since I grew up in North Carolina, I must have the Aberdeen & Rockfish geep. The SAL consolidation is tempting since it runs on 0-31 but ill just wait for a budget lion chief one.
Dyed in the wool Santa Fe fan here, raised at the bottom of Cajon Pass in San Bernardino. Have been really enjoying my yellow-bonnet F7s from the 2022 catalog, so as soon as I saw the new bluebonnets, I almost threw my credit card at the screen. I guess I need to give my usual supplier a day or so to put pre-orders up.
I'm considering getting an FEF-3. Either the black 844, or 841 in as-delievered condition.
@Andy Hummell posted:I have the Halloween Pacific they did a few years back and if the sounds are like the ones on the Pacific, this will be a fun engine to run. I'd consider this one myself if my budget didn't have to accommodate the upcoming car payments on the vehicle I just bought.
Andy
Dump the car & payments. Buy the Hallowe'en loc.
You can walk.
The MTA S2 is calling me. Tough to ignore.
Really a GREAT volume II catalog. For sure, Lionel is not giving up - in fact, the company seems to be doubling down.
After the spectacular 2020-2022 Southern Pacific runs, there's not much SP in this catalog (good for my wallet, bad for my layout). The SP Friendship car is a must + the new Hallowe'en loc.
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic train is a possibility, though unlikely. That's a great train ride beginning in Jim Thorpe, PA, if anyone is interested.
Another catalog passes with no ALCO T6! Oh well, nothing here for me.
Good to see the C&O folks are getting the F-19. FWIW, there used to be a C&O Vanderbilt tender that was located at Balcony Falls, Va. maybe up into the late 80's, early 90's. It sat with some MoW cars in the yard, so, it may have been used as a water car for the MoW gang.,
@TheRambles posted:Tentative Order:
- Reading and Northern
- LEHIGH GORGE SCENIC RAILWAY LEGACY SET + 2pk Expansion
- SD50 #5018 and #5019
- Conrail
- CONRAIL #2168 (Ex-Reading GP30)
- METCA
- New Hope and Ivyland 2-8-0 #40
- Reading and Northern SD50 #5018 (Red)
Where is NH&I #40 listed for sale?
I'm in for Black River and Western #60!
@BlueComet400 It’s not yet, Stu mentioned it in an earlier post here:
OMG Lionel!! You picked the WORST time to put out such awesome engines when I am trying to fund the construction of my new 30' x 40' layout!!
In order of must have: Lehigh Valley 2-8-0 (will look great working in my Bethlehem Steel plant and yard,) C & O #492 (can't wait to double head that with my 2007 passenger set and my Greenbrier pimped up by Bruk), M-1 with red stripe for freight and my Red Arrow consist, Conrail SD-50 PAIR (to run the PS covered hoppers at my Nazareth Cement Mill [and its what I remember as a kid in the 80s!])
Lionel, PLEASE, can you help me find a second job? 
. Perhaps Dave needs a valet??
Once again nothing of particular interest to me, but then again all my preorders are with another manufacturer. I would like to see the Reading round roof commuter cars in CNJ as they ran those cars as well. It would be easier to convert those to 2 rail than to build the dozen All Nation kits I have to get to one day. Maybe in a future catalog.
Llikely, a boxcar or two.......nothing I need or "gotta have"
Peter
Pretty excited for the Conrail SD50s
Fantastic catalog @Dave Olson and the rest of the team! Very impressive for a C2.
I'm in for some of the American Orient Express cars, the CNJ heritage unit, the Great Northern full length dome, and maybe a couple other things. I'd love one of the C&O Pacifics but don't think it's in the budget.
I'm really hoping I can get Legacy Station to do a custom run of Montana Rail Link SD70ACes with the red dot logo (my personal photo below).
These interested me but acquiring them is iffy. About $2400 list for a F7 ABBA (3 powered and a Superbass B unit). Ouch! $500 list for a Stationsounds Dome Car, double ouch! Very nice catalog though.
Pennsylvania GP30 #2211 & #2233 (Maybe just one of them to go with my custom Lionel Penn Central GP30's)
Santa Fe GP30 #1203 & #1220
Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F7 AA #332 & #335 Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F7B Powered #337A Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F7B Superbass #338B
Strasburg Double Sheathed Box Car #103
Nothing, I like the F19 and would get the RF&P, but I have 7 engines coming soon.
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