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I spoke with Dave at the Springfield show yesterday and had a chance to see #90 running on their display layout. I thought it looked and sounded very good. Dave and I discussed the delivery dates that have been circulating around here, and he said it's going to be May/June, not February. When I asked him why the delay, he said, "Because we want it to be perfect when it's delivered."

I spoke with Dave at the Springfield show yesterday and had a chance to see #90 running on their display layout. I thought it looked and sounded very good. Dave and I discussed the delivery dates that have been circulating around here, and he said it's going to be May/June, not February. When I asked him why the delay, he said, "Because we want it to be perfect when it's delivered."

I read that to mean: "it showed up with issues, and this time we actually made them do it over."

(not to hate on Lionel, but that's just what it sounds like to me)

Rick, did that sound like the "Ghost Whistle" when the first couple of whistles were sounding on #90 there? I thought before they changed the whistle's pitch to the second one, there were a few of the ghost whistles. I think Dave and Ryan(or Dave on one of his shows) talked about having the Ghost Whistle set up in the sequences with the crew talk, but didn't think it would do it on it's own unless there was no way around it?

@PSM posted:

I read that to mean: "it showed up with issues, and this time we actually made them do it over."

(not to hate on Lionel, but that's just what it sounds like to me)

PSM, I didn't get that impression from Dave. This was my first interaction with him, and his answers to my questions seemed genuine. I cited the issues with the Acela as my cause for concern, and it didn't seem like he took any offense. The discussion, along with seeing #90 in action, gave me increased confidence that we will have a quality product.

Rick, did that sound like the "Ghost Whistle" when the first couple of whistles were sounding on #90 there? I thought before they changed the whistle's pitch to the second one, there were a few of the ghost whistles. I think Dave and Ryan(or Dave on one of his shows) talked about having the Ghost Whistle set up in the sequences with the crew talk, but didn't think it would do it on it's own unless there was no way around it?

Ghost whistle is activated via aux 3 key

PSM, I didn't get that impression from Dave. This was my first interaction with him, and his answers to my questions seemed genuine. I cited the issues with the Acela as my cause for concern, and it didn't seem like he took any offense. The discussion, along with seeing #90 in action, gave me increased confidence that we will have a quality product.

I didn't mean to imply that Dave was being facetious.  I just mean that "it's delayed 'because we want it to be perfect when it's delivered'" sounds like PR speak for "the factory messed up and we know we'll hear it if it's not right".

I'm sure Ryan and Dave DO care about it being perfect, but having grown up with a marketing/PR person for a parent, I can't help but hear/read that as a careful, planned, and practiced answer.

I agree that his answer could be taken a different way. Given the concerns that many have voiced here and on other train forums, which the people at Lionel no doubt have read, I was half expecting a bit of a defensive answer but was pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the case. It may have been a "canned" / "planned" answer, but it didn't seem that way to me. I have said all along that #90 is a huge opportunity for Lionel to get their QC house in order, deliver a quality product, and start to regain customers' confidence.

As I said, based on the conversation, and based on seeing 90 in action on Sunday, I'm optimistic.

I have been waiting anxiously too and I was talking to a store owner who is extremely reliable, and he said the 90's actually came in and had a problem with the smoke units, so they were all sent back.  Did anyone else hear that?  If true that means they would be making 2 trips around the world, ha-ha.  Luckily on my pre-order they will let me examine it before I purchase it.  Makes me nervous when they have to be taken apart and put back together.

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