Lionel Polar Express Set Availability

[Anonymous]

What a pathetic knockoff. A 4-4-2 loco is supposed to resemble a 2-8-4 Berkshire. A closed end round observation to replace an open end round end one. Other cars don't come close to resembling the ones in the movie.

I hope Warner Bros. sues the socks off of them for infringement. It will serve them right!


By the way, I understand that Hallmark is selling Polar Express material. Haven't been there yet. Does anyone here have any knowledge?

[Kooljock1]

Holy Smokes!

Can you say: "Train Station sued by Warner Brothers!"?

Not a bad little set though...

Jon [8D]

[Anonymous]

In 3 or 4 months from now you will be able to buy it online for about 220 bucks.

[cbq9911a]

There was a sidebar in this week's TIME magazine about getting the Polar Express set. Basically, every place the reporter went (in Chicago) didn't have it, but she was able to get it from an out of town dealer for $ 450.00.

[Anonymous]

I called Land's End which had the Polar Express in one of their recent catalogs this weekend. They were backordered and didn't expect to have any product available for shipment until January 15th.

What is hard to understand is how Lionel could bet the farm with marketing, advertising and licensing dollars, but not have the inventory to back it up? This movie was not like Thomas the Train, which was marketed to children 6 and under with a bunch of no name actors and has beens. Polar Express was planned for release at Xmas, starred Tom Hanks, who purchased the movie rights, and directed by Zemikus (sic) and feature new movie making technology. They should have had product sitting in Wal-Mart, Target and Costco by the pallet. Even if they had to give up a little margin they would have made up the difference in volume.... let alone incremental sales from non train people looking to expand their sets with some extra track. Lionel played right in to the hands of the EBay folks (who had some foresight) that buy up product just to flip it at a higher price.

Also shipping time from Hong Kong to Long Beach is 10 to 15 days depending on the vessel. It can take 5 to 10 days on average to unload and clear customers. If the importer has their act together imported merchandise can be precleared. Currently, there is a backlog in unloading container ships of about 5 days due to the holiday season and new mega container vessels that carry almost twice the cargo of older ships.

[Buckeye Riveter]

I'm surprised that the Train Station hasn't gotten a call from Lionel's lawyers.

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mead66

Hi,

Try www.train-station.com. They are advertising a lionel polar express junior set for $229.00.

I'm not sure the key word in this case is "junior", it may drift more towards the word "ripoff".[:(!]

[Anonymous]

Key word is " junior "

That set they are offering at $229 are repainted starter bits which look nothing like the train depicted in the book or the movie. I cannot fathom why they did not at least used some shades of blue and red on those passenger cars instead of slapping on a coat of silver paint and a really goofy looking, cheap name tag.

[Anonymous]

Why not just wait till next year when they make some more. The more that are out there the less they will be. I wouldnt buy any now and pay the inflated price. Come next year when more are out you will never see this train set go above the retail price.

[mead66]

Hi,

Try www.train-station.com. They are advertising a lionel polar express junior set for $229.00.

[Anonymous]

I've also had difficulty getting an answer from Lionel and the Internet dealers are giving different messages. Most seem to think there is a second run. However, at least one small dealer I spoke with doesn't think they are getting the number of sets they originally ordered. If that happens, I think we ought to ask why.

If I may go in a slightly different direction, even if there is a second run, IMHO what's happening right now with these sets is going to destroy any chance the hobby will be able to get a boost from the movie. They're hitting $450 on Ebay and the few dealers I found that are still listing a price are asking $320 or more. This is going to continue the myth that Lionel trains are just for collectors and too pricey for the average family. I hate to say it, but I think Lionel blew it. I hope at least some of the people looking for the Polar Express will take a look at some of the cheaper set (and nice sets) being offered by both Lionel and K-line. With the new track, operating cars, included figures, railsounds, etc, these sets are a great value.

[Anonymous]

I'm not wanting one for Christmas and I don't care if it's three or four months or even longer! I made that clear in my post. I'm simply trying to find out whether Lionel will even be doing a second run. They owe it to us and if they'd announce it (even without a definite date) those wanting one could all rest easy. Those wanting it by Christmas can pay the inflated prices we see on Ebay (Lionel's promise of a second run might even help lower these prices because some consumers would just opt to wait!).

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

. They only have a limited capacity to produce products. The fact that the plant is in China doesn't help the shipping time either.

Big Boy is right, assuming Lionel could get the raw materials and production time, it would take 6 weeks to get product here. That's four weeks from China to Long Beach, CA. Then another 2 to get it through customs and sent to Lionel's distribution center. Then it has to go out to all the distributers and retailers.

If you want one before X-mas...good luck.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Ron, my guess is that Lionel has it's manufacturing schedule pretty well planned out so they can deliver all of the different products in the catalog. The unexpected success of the Polar Express poses a real dilema for them, and has left them scrambling to shuffle things around to meet the demand. They only have a limited capacity to produce products. The fact that the plant is in China doesn't help the shipping time either.

[Anonymous]

I recently emailed Lionel ([e-mail]) asking them about the second run of Polar Express Sets in January. Lionel emailed me back saying they can't confirm anything at this time. I emailed them back trying to get more info. but they just stonewalled me--they said: "Our marketing department doesn't advise us of their plans." I emailed the internet dealer I normally buy from (Trainworld) and they're not taking any new Polar Express orders until December 1st at the earliest. They were equally vague and it makes me wonder how solid this proposed second run really is.

So what gives here? I understand that Lionel and their dealers completely underestimated the demand for this set. Okay, we can forgive them for that. But obviously a second run is required and I don't understand why Lionel isn't being clear about this. The only thing I can think of is that they want to wait until after the Holiday Season to make sure that the demand doesn't suddenly evaporate. But as a consumer I just want to be sure that I will be able to get a set at some point. Does anyone have more information about this second run?

IMHO the Polar Express movie (our family has seen it twice!) will join the book as a Christmas classic and so I would think that the Lionel Polar Express Set is something that should be re-released from time to time to satisfy demand from new families discovering the wonderful story. Is this something Lionel will likely do?

If anyone can shed any light on any of this I'd be most appreciative. Lionel is missing a lot of sales here--and a ready made hook to lure more people into the wonderful world of electric trains! Perhaps even more importantly they're dropping the ball in not doing their share in promoting such a wonderful story and movie!