Lionel and LCCA Roll Out the Red Carpet!

Mark your calendar for March 22-23 and plan to attend this two-day Red Carpet Event that will be a memory-maker! This first-of-its-kind co-sponsored event will be a private showing of the Lionel facility presented to LCCA members. The general public will not be invited.

Participants get the opportunity to visit the NEW Lionel trains and NASCAR Die-cast facility in Concord, NC, for private showings of:

• Facility Tours
• Lionel Operating Layouts
• Informative Professional Seminars on HOBBY ELECTRONICS, REPAIR SERVICE, MODULE MAKING, and SCENERY BUILDING
• LCCA Member-only Pricing on currently inventoried Products
• Take advantage of the wide variety of Lionel Products offered at reduced prices. Limited to inventory on Hand - Sorry no rain checks
• Limited Sneak Peek at 2013 Lionel products
• Rail Excursion Trip
• Spencer Railroad Museum Tour, and more.

Friday -- Arrive a Day Early for a Train Excursion and Museum Visit Visit the Spencer Train Museum in Spencer, NC. Buses will leave the Lionel facility at 9 a.m. sharp on Friday morning for the museum. A ROUND TRIP bus ticket will be $ 25 per person, except for children under two years old, who will ride free. The bus trip is approximately 35 minutes each way. Refer to the Registration Form for the price of museum admission and a train ride. A “Ride with the Engineer” is available when the museum is running the F3 locomotive.

Saturday -- The Red Carpet Event The Red Carpet Event at the Lionel facility will start that morning at 8 o’clock and will continue until 7 that evening. There’ll be lots of time to take in all the activities! Food service will be available at the site for an additional charge. LCCA members, a spouse, their children, or a significant other will be admitted FREE. A guest -- such as a member’s buddy – must pay a $ 35 entry fee to be admitted. Lionel dealers who are members of the LCCA as defined in our Constitution will be admitted FREE.

LCCA members will receive a bag of Lionel-related goodies and will provide a special commemorative to the first 300 participants. The LCCA and Lionel have invited LRRC members and their families. Admittance policy is the same for LCCA and LRRC members. Non-members must pay a $ 35 entry fee at the door, but because of the special pricing on Lionel products they will likely get their $ 35 back in the form of savings. The $ 35 will also provide a one-year membership in the LCCA, which will be accompanied by all club benefits.

LCCA will staff the entry door and handle admissions. Kids will receive a FREE Lionel Engineer Hat at the door. Door prizes will be awarded every hour on the hour. On this day only, members will enjoy guided tours of the Lionel facility; located near the NASCAR Charlotte motor speedway, and the Z-Max Four Lane Dragway.

Informative, interesting seminars will be presented by: Lionel’s Mike Reagan, on parts and service for your Lionel trains

• Roger Farkash of TW Design in Dallas, TX, on scenery tips and effects
• LCCA’s Bill Schmeelk, on the new FasTrackTM modular railroad system
• OGR's Ed Boyle - on S-Gauge Discussion

Important Freebies

Persons who spend $ 500 or more will qualify for FREE ground shipping of purchased items back home in the continental USA by UPS Ground Service. Plan to stay at a nearby partner hotel and use the FREE shuttle service provided by Lionel to/from those hotels and their facility. Saturday shuttle service begins at 7 a.m.

An Option to Shop

The Concord Mills Shopping Mall is about two miles from the Lionel facility. It’s one of the largest outlet malls on the East Coast and is a destination venue. Spouses and SOs could enjoy going to the mall while club members are at the Lionel facility. See Door Busters here - other specials announced at event. Accommodations and Restaurants Modern hotels are located less than a mile from the Lionel facility. A list of nearby hotels is posted at the LCCA website for convenience in making your own reservations. To receive the best rate, make hotel reservations ASAP. Rooms will sell out quickly. Many restaurants are adjacent to the hotels and have reasonable prices.

The Lionel Facility is located at 6301 Performance Drive, Concord, NC 28027.  Well worth the drive!

First Look - ESM's X58 Box Car - 2nd Release

The first Eastern Seaboard Models release of its N-scale X58 Box Car model sold out quickly earlier this year. A second release has arrived for this 50-foot Exterior Post Box Car. The prototype dates to the early 1960s and was constructed by Pennsylvania. More than 2,500 examples were built and found service in PRR and its successor roads, including Norfolk Southern. Lehigh Valley also rostered a hundred X58 cars. Eastern Seaboard offers variations to its X58 tooling, based on prototype.

Pennsy examples recently released feature three different prototypes. Pictured is ESM’s Class X58C Pennsylvania #113906 (#222108) version that features ACI plate, SL loaders, and modern body.

Painted Deepwater Green with white lettering, this Penn Central #362303 (#222302) X58 example sports Hydra-Cushion underframe, and transitional body with running boards removed, but retains high ladders and brakes and is based on a prototype serviced in 1974.

Wearing a coat of Tuscan Red with white lettering, Conrail #362303 (#222403) X58A has a Hydra-Cushion underframe, plus transitional body style. The model shows a May, 1985 servicing date.

Eastern Seaboard Models’ fine N-scale X58 Box Car model rides on BLMA Models American Steel Foundries’ 70-ton Ride Control Trucsk with low-profile machine-cut metal wheels and includes Micro-Trains’ #1015 reverse draft angle body-mount short-shank couplers. The models retail for $ 34.95 each and may be found at your favorite hobby dealer or may be purchased direct from Eastern Seaboard Models

Athearn's New Genesis GP50 Available Now!

A new tooling EMD GP50 will join Athearn’s Genesis collection of diesel locomotives this fall. The model will debut with three roadnames: Chicago & North Western, Santa Fe, and Southern Railway. Variations offered to modelers will be many, from road specific detailing to EMD production phases.

Santa Fe GP50 examples will be Phase II models with late anticlimber, straight sill and “laundry chute” slanted blower housing, straight side sill, and hinged and latched battery box doors. Road specific Santa Fe features will include: Leslie S-3 horn on bracket, operating prime stratolite beacon (DCC mode), air conditioner on cab roof, standard sunshades with track, ground plate with Sinclair “ice skate” antenna, and more.

Chicago & North Western dressed GP50s from Athearn Genesis will feature C&NW’s distinctive gong bell in the unit’s nose, Leslie S-3 horn, Sinclair “ice stake” antenna, operating Western-Cullen rotary beacon (DCC mode), winterization hatch over forward radiator fan, and more. C&NW GP50s in the first release will be equipped with Phase I anticlimbers, rounded blower housing, stepped side sill, and bolted battery box with long louvers.

Southern GP50 models will include features found on early phase EMD’s GP50 examples, including rounded blower housing behind the cab on fireman’s side; notched anticlimbers, bolted battery box door with center stiffener, stepped sill, and more. Road specific inclusions for this new Genesis GP50 in Southern paint will include: high short hood, dual Nathan P5 air horns, firecracker antenna for Locotrol, Locotrol conduit line, walkway lights, drop grab iron, long hood mounted bell, and small sunshades. Four numbers will be presented for this Southern Railway GP50 with NS and CNO&STP sublettering, where appropriate and correct black or white background numberboards per prototype.

A Lucky (and Soggy) Group Goes "Backstage" at Lionel

Hundreds of Lionel fans converged on Charlotte, NC as Lionel opened their doors for a "backstage tour" of their newly opened office.  Co-Sponsored by Lionel and the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA), the two-day event includes informational sessions with industry experts as well as a traditional show format.

The weather is wet here, but the spirits are high!  The eager early birds were also treated to some special treats by Lionel for braving the weather.

LCCA will staff the entry door and handle admissions. Kids will receive a FREE Lionel Engineer Hat at the door. Door prizes will be awarded every hour on the hour. On this day only, members will enjoy guided tours of the Lionel facility; located near the NASCAR Charlotte motor speedway, and the Z-Max Four Lane Dragway.

Through the weekend, we will be treated to several informative and interesting seminars. Lionel’s Mike Reagan will speak about parts and service for your Lionel trains. Roger Farkash of TW Design in Dallas, TX will give us all tips and effects advice on scenery. LCCA’s Bill Schmeelk will present and answer questions on the new FasTrackTM modular railroad system. Finally, OGR's Ed Boyle will moderate a discussion on S-Gauge railroading.

Participants get the opportunity to visit the NEW Lionel trains and NASCAR Die-cast facility in Concord, NC, for private showings of:

• Facility Tours
• Lionel Operating Layouts
• Informative Professional Seminars on HOBBY ELECTRONICS, REPAIR SERVICE, MODULE MAKING, and SCENERY BUILDING
• LCCA Member-only Pricing on currently inventoried Products
• Take advantage of the wide variety of Lionel Products offered at reduced prices. Limited to inventory on Hand - Sorry no rain checks
• Limited Sneak Peek at 2013 Lionel products
• Rail Excursion Trip
• Spencer Railroad Museum Tour, and more.

Activities are planned throughout the weekend, including a host of activities for the kids.

DASH in 165 Seconds - New Video Tour Available

DASH represents a new tool for collectors. We're all used to online marketplaces, and standalone collection management. We're used to price guides, and we have seen lots of pictures of people's collection and layouts.  DASH is none of these... and ALL of these.

By bringing many of the things collectors need all together, the promise of DASH is to simplify collecting, making it more fun and affordable.

The best way to begin to understand how DASH can help you is to watch the new video tour of the site. In under 3 minutes, you will see how to get started and get a glimpse of some of the key features.

DASH is implementing some major improvements right now, but even now it is the best tool for model train enthusiasts, and we hope you will register and start using DASH today.

Lionel's Archives - Wow!

One of everything...pristine condition. Touring the Archive Room at Lionel's new office in Charlotte was one of the highlights of this weekend's "Red Carpet" Event, co-sponsored by Lionel and the LCCA.

While you would expect Lionel to have the best collection of their own items, it is incredibly impressive and fun all the same.

Lionel opened their arms to those LCCA members that made the trip to Charlotte over the March 23-24 weekend. There were more than a few of us that had visions of this room dancing through our dreams that night!

You're Invited to the Brand New Collector-Diecast

We just launched a brand new site for diecast enthusiasts, and you're officially invited to visit Collector-Diecast to see all the cool cars, trucks, planes, tanks, and vehicles of every kind in the huge Catalog and bustling Marketplace.

Many railroaders will find that the diecast hobby crosses over with their own interests. Not only will you be able to find cars and vehicles for your layouts, but you might just fall in love with the various vintage-style cars that well up some nostalgia, and numerous high-quality stunning items that the industry produces. Here are some of the highlights railroaders will enjoy about Collector-Diecast.   

We hope you find something to love, buy a few new things for your collection, and put together a big new collection to manage on our latest site. It's great time to be a railroader, and an even better time to be a diecast enthusiast. 

Technical Improvements Are on Track

Although you might be experiencing a few delays during your travels through the site, we're hard at work improving Collector-ModelTrains. The ride may be bumpy, but significant improvements to the site are on track and arriving shortly.

We wanted to let you know that we're aware of a few problems you might be experiencing with the site, but they're all part of the construction and improvement process. Some of the issues you might be seeing include slow response times, a confusing texonomy in the catalog, and of course a closed marketplace. We recognize the significance of each, and believe me when I say they bother us just as much as they do you.

That's why we're working our cabooses off to get the site rolling smoothly, and we wanted to update you on our progress! In short: things are still on track. In a little more detail, take a look at some of the upcoming improvements we have scheduled for the very near future. 

• Faster site response while you are browsing and building your online collection
• Greatly expanded and more detailed Catalog taxonomy and data
• Totally renovated marketplace with a huge increase in available inventory 
• Increased social and community presence

Collector-ModelTrains is about to get very exciting very quickly. We just ask for a little patience right now as we work through these improvements and create the world's best website for model train collectors. 

Meet the DASH Team at York

York is almost here, and two guys from the DASH team will be there too. Keep your eyes out for Bill or Steve as they walk the halls with their new DASH shirts on, And be sure to introduce yourself, because both will be handing out goodies you won't want to miss. 

Both guys will have their iPads and would love to show you a few screens of the new and improved DASH site, featuring the ultimate catalog of almost 100,000 model trains, with DASH’s newly-designed browsing, simple collection management, and tripled site speed.

You will be hearing lots more about DASH in the next few weeks, and York is the perfect place to meet some folks from the DASH team. Don't be shy, come see us, and say hello!

Magnet Model Railway Insurance - Discover how much your model railway is worth

You spend thousands of pounds creating a layout, so why do so many have inadequate insurance or none at all?

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