Lionel..Please explain why I want to buy this piece of.............

[nblum]

"Will not be able to find them as Neil will have bought all of them."

 
Nope, I'm focusing on cornering the market for King Tut cars :).

[brianel027]

OK, I'm looking at the Lionel catalogs from 1996 and 1997 right in front of me. It's been years, but I did see the Reading Alco apart at a Lionel dealer and remember how cheap and thin the new plastic frame on those locos was. The dealer called it "garbage."

The catalog copy makes note of the new lower profile to match Lionel passenger cars. I never did a comparison between body shells at the time I saw the Reading frame, but it does appear from the catalog photos that no changes were made to the body. The nose on the lowered locos rides much closer to the track rails than previously when a sheet metal frame was used.

Obviously the plastic frame at that time was designed to allow the shell to fit lower. The shell on the sheet metal frames locos rides on top of the frame, but there are downward folds in the sheet metal frame that obscure the space between the truck tops and the locomotive frame.

My educated guess is that Lionel thickened the plastic frame of this loco without really giving too much thought to it. As a result the space between the truck tops and the body is glaringly obvious.

And I am NOT a sophisticated buyer: I will never buy full scale, I will never buy command control of any kind, I have no interest in fragile details, precise rivet counts or accurate digital sounds. This is the sort of product type that makes up my collection.

And as I said before, there are a number of locos out there that look, run and are priced far better than this Alco being discussed. And the BEEP, for all it's problems, is a MUCH better looking loco and if it ran good over 027 switches without shorting out, I'd probably have several of those too.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Chief....I told you Bob liked me best!!!!!

[Blueberryhill RR]

One thing I like about this thread....It's not locked.

[ChiefEagles]

Chief....I told you Bob liked me best!!!!!

I believe it.  Even OGR did not lock it or delete it.  HUMMM.

I really think he saw my comment about starting a new thread when I talk to MTH and hopefully will get results.  I am using your email to go with my "trails" with MTH switches when I talk to MTH.  Both threads were getting out of hand and off the subject about our switch problems.

[rtraincollector]

Or could it be Bob likes MTH better and he thought we bad mouth them enough ( LOL) (Just kidding Bob) .

[Bob Keller]

Nah, I just got tired of listening to the complaints ... and I think Frank's point had been made, anyway.

Most train makers offer defect-free products. My experience with MTH products (either personal purchases or product reviews) has been pretty good. Not 100%, but in the very high 90s.

Nobody makes a line of entirely defect free products - for every four or five that are spot on, a clunker will get into the mix. A coupler falls off, a brake wheel isn't affixed correctly, or a spray of paint is a bit too think here or there. Everyone (Me too) has had that sick feeling when you open the box and parts tumble out.

I've told this story before - I was in the Lionel factory a few years before it closed and I was shown a "building within a building" which was a recent addition - about a year before I visited, I was told. They had a QC set up where they tested every locomotive in conventional and command modes. At the time, they were testing that Western Pacific F3. It is fuzzy at this point, but I believe they said that they'd discovered something like 70 percent were defective.

Now, I was stunned, shocked, amazed.

But the up side, was that they were discovering the problems BEFORE they were shipped. Realizing you have a QC issue is the first step in fixing it. All they needed to do was to pile them back on the cart, and walk them over to the production line for correction.

Oh, if I was in MTH's pocket, the thread would have died on the first day. Insert smiley face.

[ChiefEagles]

I have been personally insulted and my feelings are hurt with the action of the CTT Oguageoverlord.  Now Bob Keller, get off the floor from laughing.  Yes, I will admit that I streach the truth just a little bit every now and then. 

[anjdevil2]

Thanks DJ, I AGREE WITH YOU 100%!!!

PS: Mopars Rule...

[ChiefEagles]

Another fight brewing!!! 

[anjdevil2]

Jes' stirrin' the pot......

[jonadel]

The only car I would like to have back was my new '68 Roadrunner .......... t-boned and totaled by a drunk 15 months after I bought it. Only accident I've ever been involved in. BEEP BEEP :)

[Bob Keller]

Aw comeoneguys. Lets get back to talkin'bout grits.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Which Frank?   

[brianel027]

OK, this thread has gone on for a bit and aside from the guy who bought this loco for his kid, and then me, I'm curious....

Who would truthfully consider buying this kind of locomotive???

Aside from the obvious easy target of criticizing Lionel (and Lionel made it soooo easy with this one), I don't think many of you are looking for this kind of product. Now, if I heard Lionel was making a new Alco or anything that was non-scale, non-Legacy, non-TMCC, conventional and ran on 027 track, I'd be excited. Especially if Lionel woke up to smell the coffee, and put a current modern roadname on it!!! I'd love to see a well made dual motored Alco in both the normal black and the new executive Norfolk Southern schemes!

You guys know I think the K-Line S-2 ranks as the best locomotive in the past 20 years.... that's my kind of locomotive!!! This new Alco from Lionel is absolutely a goof, and I think I'm entitled to say so since this is my kind of loco.

So seriously, aside from the high-riding trucks, how many of you actively buy this kind of low end product for yourselves???

[rtraincollector]

To me its almost worth buying a southern train set I found listed for $109.99  I almost had second thoughts but then remembered its kline by lionel not lionel and the parent company still has a say in the products so its not as cheap looking its the Southern Executive Inspection Train  set.

The main thing I had against the train set from target was the fact I heard the passenger cars didn't even have lights then I heard about the engine so it was a for sure no thanks . I still see the set for sale on ebay from time to time and they want more thqan what target was originally selling them for . I believe they originally sold for like $199.99 and I see them with a starting price of like $249.99 lol

[Buckeye Riveter]

I have two BEEPs on order that will look good under the tree with my Lehigh Valley Beep.