703 Semi-scale Hudson is the one of the prodicts that lionel did not make but was in the catlog, and there was a lift brige in a nother post war catlog (that lionel made in the 80's or 90's. why weren't thes made and what other items were plained but never made?
I guess you mentioned the two most famous items that were announced, but never made. I don't recall reading any authoritative explanations. The reasons are lost to history, anything that anybody posts would be conjecture. Some very good books have been written about the history of Lionel. Have you had an opportunity to read any of them?
How about the "Silver Platter"?
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/145587/1615747.aspx#1615747
Then there was the Sager Place, which Lionel did finally make, about half a century after announcing it:
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/84392/998910.aspx#998910
Bob Nelson
There has been much conjecture over the years regarding the #703 Hudson. Some say that this was to use the original #700 castings but with less detail, and that the casting tool had been improperly stored, the plating corroded, and that JLC was heartbroken over the loss.
The lift bridge(which was not released until this century!) might have been just too complex to make at a reasonable price point, and too big to ship.
Jon
Kooljock1The lift bridge(which was not released until this century!) might have been just too complex to make at a reasonable price point, and too big to ship.
I got the following information from I Love Toy Trains. Actually, Lionel made one 213 lift bridge in 1950. It was a prototype that never went into production. It was 26" long, 13" high & 4.5" wide. The motor was also used in the 397 coal loader & the lifting mechanism was from the 497 coaling station.
Apparently, the lifting mechanism was too light for lifting the 213, especially with a train on it. I saw the prototype operate with no train and without being on a layout on the Toy Trains video.
I guess the newer plastics & DC motors make a big difference.
wyomingscout
Let's guess, it's fun.
It's 1946, Lionel is trying to get everything back into production, they know that everything will sell after four years of no production.
The 1946 Color Lionel Catalog shows the O-27 line with the 1664, 1666, and 1665 switcher as pre war carryover designs with new tender trucks. Added, the 221 "Empire State Locomotive" which was all new tooling. Only the totally newly tooled 2020 Turbine had the NEW Lionel Smoke Unit (that was used that one year only, Smoke Bulb).
"O" gauge had only four locomotives offered. The 224 came back from the pre-war lineup with new tender trucks. The O-27 2020 Turbine with smoke was run as "O" gauge with the cab number 671.
The pre-war 226 with its 2226W twelve wheel tender was rebuilt. The boiler casting was re-worked to receive the new 8 wheel, double worm drive and a smoke bulb. New 6 wheel trucks were added to the tender. It was renamed the 726 Berkshire.
Two more sets are shown on page 10 with the "No: 703 with SMOKE" Hudson locomotive and 2703W whistle tender. The locomotive is also for separate sale on page 12. Pictured is the pre-war 763, right down to the pre-war tender trucks. The photo is poorly matched to a photo of a string of post war cars.
Now lets GUESS! The pre-war 763 locomotive casting would require major rework to receive the Smoke Bulb, also, it would have to use the 726 Berkshire smoke box front which screws down from the outside top ( the pre-war fastened with 2 screws reached from inside the hinged smoke box front). To make matters worse, the pre-war 700E and 763E use a special "E" unit that mounts to the headlight bracket under the smoke stack. All that would have to be located. I would guess that costs were climbing fast on a low volume, high price, top of the line locomotive. Even the cost of building a prototype would be high. The 763, to become the 703, finally became the 773 in 1950.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
One more not made was the post-war 403 switcher. THis locomotive would have been the postwar version of the 201 or 203 switcher sharing the boiler with the prewar 1662, 1663 and postwar 1665. I am sure those of us with a good junk box could emulate it using the boiler from a 1665 with the postwar drawbar and a 2403/6403 slope back tender with bell and coil couplers. Of course the motor would be a prewar 201/203 motor. THe only issue would be to add a rubber stamp numbered 403 everything else would be "off the shelf"
Since posting the question some time ago, I located a 201/203 motor and a 1665 boiler, the rest is in the works. The 1662/1663/1665/1656 switchers have the e-unit cutoff lever in one location, the 201/203 about 1/2" away. I will have to mill or cut a new e-unit slot in the boiler following the locator marks inside the boiler to match the 201/203 motor and fill the existing slot with aluminum and zinc filled epoxy. I am debating whether to put teledyne couplers, magic electrol reverse or electronic control in the tender. The magic electrol/teledyne relay from a prewar 1663 or 201 fits along with the bell. If I do electronic control, I would be forced to use a dump car receiver rather than 2 seperate receivers because of close quarters in the tender because of the bell mechanism. For the tender, I would probably use "Flying Shoe" trucks and couplers with 2 rollers on the tender for solid power pickup. Add to that a rubber stamped 403 for the cab.
Lionel only offered the "Electronic Set" with a 4671 locomotive. An electronic berkshire would be workable as well....1946 horizontal motor berk, the plug and jack brushplate is already there. The tender had enough room for two electronic receivers one for the whistle and the other for the reverse unit and coupler {use the dump car receiver) quick push reverses, long push uncouples. That is how a 4726 could be emulated. The later slant motor 726 with a change of brushplate is possible as well.
I have noticed on the die cast flatcar there is a mount for a receiver. I wonder if it would be possible to add electronic control to the early die cast log car 3451 early milk car 3662 and merchandise car 3454 all using the dump car relay with the dalay to operate the special feature.
The 1946 cataloged but never made 703 hudson had a number of unresolved issues that needed more development giving us the 1950 773. To me the cataloged 703 was a 763 with added smoke. The 1946 smoke bulb Ammonium nitrate smoke unit was way too big, the later heater /SP pellet smoke unit was more compact. The e-unit mounting needed work as well. I did see this prototype at CalStewart some years ago possibly 2009-2011 at Pasadena.
THe 1950 unit had magne traction at the expense of no open spokes on the drive wheels, magne traction, O-31 capability by changing the size of the pilot truck wheels and the elimination of the drop pin and chain drawbar. It also lost the turned handrail posts and had less detailing
Had we been lucky Lionel would have kept most of the 763 detailing. add smoke and magnetraction and O-31 capability
It was too bad that Lionel in 1940 when the Madison cars first appeared Lionel never made other body styles other than the straight PULLMAN. What would the cost have been to make the observation platform? Finally in the 1990s Kughn produced the cataloged but never made Madison car Observation "Sager Place" It would have been awesome if they had made different window arrangements as well...straight coach either with single or paired windows , Diner, Combine and Full baggage. It took MPC in the 70s to do this on the "baby madison cars"
We had to wait til the 1990s for the great looking heavyweight cars as well....Too bad they did not come out instead of the "Rail Chief" cars in 1937
The Railchief cars were just repurposed cars from the 752 Union Pacific.
The RAILCHIEF and HIAWATHA cars were indeed repurposed UP M-10000 City of Portland cars. It is too bad that Lionel did not make proper HEAVYWEIGHT passenger cars for the Hudson in 1937 think K-Line Heavyweights or the heavyweights eventually made in the 1990s to go with the Commodore Vanderbilt. Visualize those cars in Bakelite in PULLMAN green with black roof.
Ed
Could you please send a link to that video of the one prototype 213 lift bridge operating. I would sure love to see that!
wyomingscout Kooljock1 The lift bridge(which was not released until this century!) might have been just too complex to make at a reasonable price point, and too big to ship. I got the following information from I Love Toy Trains. Actually, Lionel made one 213 lift bridge in 1950. It was a prototype that never went into production. It was 26" long, 13" high & 4.5" wide. The motor was also used in the 397 coal loader & the lifting mechanism was from the 497 coaling station. Apparently, the lifting mechanism was too light for lifting the 213, especially with a train on it. I saw the prototype operate with no train and without being on a layout on the Toy Trains video. I guess the newer plastics & DC motors make a big difference. wyomingscout
Kooljock1 The lift bridge(which was not released until this century!) might have been just too complex to make at a reasonable price point, and too big to ship.
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