The Spring York meet is biggest weekend in the model train hobby, and it just ended! Lionel had some great trains at the show, and if you couldn't make it yourself, we've got a closer look at some of the best new products they had on display.
There's always a strong presence from Lionel at York, and this year was no different. They had Signature Edition items, Ready-to-Run products, and even some never-before-seen accessories. Check out the full details and browse some great images from Lionel below.
Lionel at York
Southern Pacific AC-12 Cab Forward
The Cab Forwards are the only LEGACY steam locomotives from the 2014 Signature Catalog which are not on a made to order schedule. Production on these will begin shortly and a pre-production sample was on hand at the show. While it has the look of a Pilot Model, this sample was produced for our testing and evaluation. Several of the smaller detail parts that will come on the production runs are not applied here.
USRA Heavy Mikado
The new Heavy Mikado is further down the road in production, but thanks to new 3D printing technology, we had an early sample for the show. The new boiler for the model was printed in plastic and installed on our existing Mikado frame. The final product will have a die-cast boiler, but the new print gives a much better representation of the final product than our two dimensional art can do.
Lion Chief Plus Diesels
We set up a large 8×16′ platform in our booth with multiple loops so guests could try the trains, including the new LionChief Plus locomotives. Our steam locomotives have already shipped and you can get them from your favorite dealers now. Also on hand were prototypes of the new RS-3 and GP7 diesels. We’ve already tested this locomotive with 35 scale freight cars behind it on our North Carolina test track – it handled them with ease!
Scale 86′ Boxcars
We had a very advanced preview of our new 86′ high cube boxcar on display; not just for the 4 door car shown in the 2014 catalog, but another for an 8 door car which will follow! These prototypes were also produced on a 3D printer. Look for more detailed articles on the prototypes for these cars and the models later this year on this blog.
End of Train Device
Attached to the coupler of one car is the 3D-printed prototype for the new End of Train Device which will arrive with the new boxcar set. The new working EOT will attach directly to the side of our couplers – just like the prototype.
We’re very excited about the potential for 3D printing. This allows us to review our designs with better accuracy before cutting our tooling AND share the progress with you much sooner!
Made in the USA Cars
Samples of our Made in the USA Presidents and Armed Forces series cars were on hand. Also just arrived are the flat cars in our Post War Inspired train series. Pre-production samples for two of the Major League Baseball cars were also on display.
Lionel Junction Pet Shop Express
An early deco sample for the new Pet Shop Express has arrived. The graphics on this new set are colorful and complex and we hope will have a great appeal to our youngest engineers. The bright train stood out in the display and was a big hit with many kids during the show.
Personalized Message Boxcars
Our new Personalized Message cars will make the perfect birthday or Christmas gift. Cars play three pre-recorded messages / songs, or you can record your own personalized greetings simply by pressing the brake wheel! Sounds and controls are battery powered so you don’t have to have the car on the layout to program or enjoy.
Holiday Décor
Speaking of gifts, Lionel displayed a wall filled with new items from our Holiday Memories catalog. From snow globes to ornaments to door mats and garden flags – these fun accessories will brighten any home at Christmas time or year-round.
Of course the best part of York for all of us at Lionel is the opportunity to hear back from all of you. Thank you for all the TCA members who stopped by our booth and attended the seminars and presentations. We look forward to seeing you all again in October!
Lionel certainly had some handsome trains at the show. Although many were only in the pre-production stages, it was still clear how much detail and care went into their design and execution. It's especially cool to see them using 3D printing technologies to give us closer looks at their products even sooner than they've been available in the past. The resulting white Mikado is actually a pretty neat looking product on its own!
You can keep your eyes out on the DASH Marketplace for these products and even more upcoming items from Lionel. We have the latest Lionel Pre-Orders available now, so there's no need to wait. You can secure many of these built-to-order items right now.
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