Real Life BEEP!

[Greg T.]

Picked up the January Issue of TRAINS.  The inside cover has a photo of the new Union Pacific N-ViroMotive low emissions Switcher.  Does anyone else think that this engine looks like a BEEP? 

LIFE Imitating ART. 

Greg

[brianel027]

Well first off I want to say that new issue of Trains is just superb!!! Great pictures and a great issue that I'll be looking over for months to come!

Two other things hit me with this new issue. First off is how Lionel so completely ignores current Class A railroad road names on their products which are aimed at beginners and ulitmately growing the market, outside of Union Pacific, Chessie and the Alaska Railroad. In the past 16 years Lionel has had:

-Only one single affordable beginner starter Conrail set in 1993. 

-Only one single affordable beginner starter Soo Line set in 1993.

-Only one single affordable beginner starter CSX set in 1991.

-Only one single affordable beginner starter Amtrak MOW set in 1991.

-Only one single affordable beginner starter Amtrak passenger set in 1995.

There have not been any affordable starter sets in Norfolk Southern, BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacfic Railway, Kansas City Southern, plus a load of smaller more regional lines. Given that Conrail was one of the nation's largest railroads serving the most densely populated sections of the country, I just do not understand the thinking in the logic of excluding this line in products that are aimed at intorducing the next generation to the hobby.

Same goes for NS, CSX and BNSF, These locomotives can be seen all over the country given the way the railroads now operate, yet Lionel ignores these roads. Huge mistake in my estimation.

Anyone who wonders why I repaint so much has the answer right here. At the Brianel Trains shops, these roads are right at home. PRR and NYC Lionel items from Lionel are just begging to be stripped and repainted, regardless of actual or potential value. I have stripped and repainted a couple of pricey NYC/PRR items just because of my dislike for those lines - not because I really dislike those roads, but only because they sometimes (I know they're not) seem to be the only two lines offered by Lionel on starter products.

Looking at the photo of the Union Pacific N-ViroMotive switcher for the past few issues (there was an article on this loco a couple issues ago) it reminds me less of a BEEP and much more of the ill-fated Lionel model of the 44-ton centercab switcher. Over the years, I have seen enough photos of larger center cab switchers, that I can accept the Lionel model as one of these versions and NOT the 44-ton prototype, which of course it is a long way off from.

[FJ and G]

Greg,

Yes, exactly my thoughts. BTW, what did you think of them saying California is the #1 train watching spot? 

I think readers should have voted for Pennsylvania or Colorado.

[brianel027]

Dave, California was not voted the number one spot... Illinois was, probably in part due to that Chicago sees more daily trains than any other city in the nation.

Pennsylvania was vote the number two state with California coming in at number three. My home state of New York was number five, though New York is still a great state to find old Alco locomotives still in use and running.

I'm sure New York could have been higher on the list at one time, but as the industrial might of the state has left, the railroads that served them, followed suit.

Again, great issue of Trains! But there have been some others recently too... the Conrail issues, the NS/CSX bids on Conrail issues, the "70's" issue. I don't subscibe, but I have bought more issues of Trains in the past year off the newstand than ever before.