Model Railroading > Lionel HO

It would appear that Lionel are dipping a toe into HO again and not just a Polar Express train set Lionel HO

The Lionel rep at the National Train show said to watch for the ad in Model Railroader. And he wasn’t kidding when he said there were going to be a lot of HO items.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

Here is a webpage, but be careful. Some things on there you wish you could un-see.

https://www.lionelstore.com/category/Train-Sets/HO-Train-Sets

At least this time around, there are no hook-horn couplers.

One Engine of Many Colors.
Frank30

I took a quick glance at the HO rolling stock offering, first blush it looks like some Bowser items... particularly covered hoppers with northeast road names.
Is this an indication of a redo of the Lionel-Athearn relationship in the early '60's, or am I jumping to the wrong conclusion?

My take was the days of post war names where it was mostly
northeast names.  

RichM Wrote:
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> Is this an indication of a redo of the
> Lionel-Athearn relationship in the early '60's, 

Probably.

SantaFeRuss

All the items are the ex-Model Power line which was sold to MRC and guess re-sold to Lionel. All items are trainset quality at best.

Multi page ad in the new MR.   Beginner type stuff.   Kalmbach needs the ad money.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> Multi page ad in the new MR.   Beginner type
> stuff.   Kalmbach needs the ad money.
And the hobby can use the beginners !!  This is their reentry into HO. I believe some items coming in the future will be of interest to the non beginners. --- Ken 

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> Multi page ad in the new MR.   Beginner type
> stuff.   Kalmbach needs the ad money.

At least they're not your hated dismals!

I had experience with the recent Lionel HO trains.  In the fall of 2017 I bought for Gulliver's Gate the Lionel HO scale Polar Express train. 

The passenger cars wouldn't roll because the axle wipers for the interior lights pressed to hard against the axles.  So I had to bend them away until the tension was reduced sufficiently to allow the axles to turn while maintaining contact for the lights.

The Polar Express 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotive was almost complete junk.  First, the middle two driver sets are blind (no flanges).  As a result it was very poor at staying on the tracks.  Also, there was too much spring tension for the pilot and trailing trucks, so it's pulling power was poor.  Worst of all is the electronics.  The combination LionChief/DCC decoder would act crazy when running.  Almost every time I'd run the engine it would start running out of control.  I finally went and removed the stock electronics.  Unfortunately you need to add a resistor or you'll burn out the head light.  Of course I didn't realize this until after I put the regular DCC decoder in and tried running the engine.  So I had to replace the LED .  This still didn't core ct the tracking and pulling issues, so I ended up using a Proto2000 Nickel Plate 2-8-4 with homemade stick on lettering to pull the train (I was not going to reletter a personal engine for work).

So my recommendation regarding Lionel's "new" HO trains is buyer beware.

Stuart (formerly of Gulliver's Gate).

Do you will see them in local hobby shops or only in authorized Lionel dealers with required operating layouts and exorbitant minimum orders?

When I bought Allied Models hobby shop in November of 1975, all of their “Christmas” train sets were already in stock.  They were “brown box” Tyco sets like the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, etc.  But, as a Lionel & American Flyer collector, I knew much of nothing about current HO at the time and just figured that I was all set for Christmas.

We sold every set and the day after Christmas, they all started walking back into the shop.  Customers complained about EVERYTHING!  The loco won’t run, the power pack died, the wheels are out of round, etc., etc., etc.!

When I took the time to look the Tyco items over, I realized what absolute garbage everything was and swore I would never again stock Tyco train sets.  I can clearly remember the Western Model Distributors sales manager telling me how I would go broke trying to run a train shop without Tyco.

Over the 32 years I had the store, we put together HO sets using Athearn locos & rolling stock, Atlas track and MRC power packs.  Almost nothing was ever returned, customers just came back and bought more.

It is my feeling that Tyco, AFTER the takeover by Consolidated Foods Corporation, did more to HARM the MR hobby than any other manufacturer.  A dad in the 1970’s would buy his son a Tyco Set, it wouldn’t work or broke down quickly and ended up in the trash.  Fast forward 20 years and the kid is now a dad.  His son asks for a train set and his dad says “No, you don’t want one of those!  I had one as a kid and they are just junk!”  So, an entire generation or three got turned off the hobby because of Tyco brown box junk.  Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, Lionel won’t get the chance to do the same with their HO junk, because pretty much NO kid today, who is HO age appropriate, wants a train set.  Part of the blame for that goes to Tyco as well.  If Lionel isn’t going to produce high quality HO, they shouldn’t produce any at all.

Hope you are all well,

Allen Drucker



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/19 20:53 by Streamliner.

Streamliner Wrote:
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> ....  If Lionel isn’t going to produce high
> quality HO, they shouldn’t produce any at all.

I agree. That is the trouble with train sets - lose the customer before you hook 'em.

I am surprised that Lionel does not have a better regards for its name.

Despite the quality. They are filling a much needed gap.  Low cost stuff for the beginner.  It is good to practice painting and weathering on.  And learning how to trouble
shoot and improve.     

Streamliner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I bought Allied Models hobby shop in November
> of 1975, all of their “Christmas” train sets
> were already in stock.  They were “brown box”
> Tyco sets like the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, etc.
>  But, as a Lionel & American Flyer collector, I
> knew much of nothing about current HO at the time
> and just figured that I was all set for
> Christmas.
>
> We sold every set and the day after Christmas,
> they all started walking back into the shop.
>  Customers complained about EVERYTHING!  The
> loco won’t run, the power pack died, the wheels
> are out of round, etc., etc., etc.!
>
> When I took the time to look the Tyco items over,
> I realized what absolute garbage everything was
> and swore I would never again stock Tyco train
> sets.  I can clearly remember the Western Model
> Distributors sales manager telling me how I would
> go broke trying to run a train shop without Tyco.
>
> Over the 32 years I had the store, we put together
> HO sets using Athearn locos & rolling stock, Atlas
> track and MRC power packs.  Almost nothing was
> ever returned, customers just came back and bought
> more.
>
> It is my feeling that Tyco, AFTER the takeover by
> Consolidated Foods Corporation, did more to HARM
> the MR hobby than any other manufacturer.  A dad
> in the 1970’s would buy his son a Tyco Set, it
> wouldn’t work or broke down quickly and ended up
> in the trash.  Fast forward 20 years and the kid
> is now a dad.  His son asks for a train set and
> his dad says “No, you don’t want one of those!
>  I had one as a kid and they are just junk!”
>  So, an entire generation or three got turned off
> the hobby because of Tyco brown box junk.
>  Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may
> be, Lionel won’t get the chance to do the same
> with their HO junk, because pretty much NO kid
> today, who is HO age appropriate, wants a train
> set.  Part of the blame for that goes to Tyco as
> well.  If Lionel isn’t going to produce high
> quality HO, they shouldn’t produce any at all.
>
> Hope you are all well,
>
> Allen Drucker


Very well said!

Posted from Android

HB90MACH Wrote:
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> Despite the quality. They are filling a much
> needed gap.  Low cost stuff for the beginner.
>  It is good to practice painting and weathering
> on.  And learning how to trouble
> shoot and improve.

Most won't get past that point . As for stuff to paint, try Accurail undecorated cars (steam/transition era)  at less than $20 per pop.

The problem for beginners is a good locomotive at a decent price.   

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HB90MACH Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Despite the quality. They are filling a much
> > needed gap.  Low cost stuff for the beginner.
> >  It is good to practice painting and
> weathering
> > on.  And learning how to trouble
> > shoot and improve.
>
> Most won't get past that point . As for stuff to
> paint, try Accurail undecorated cars
> (steam/transition era)  at less than $20 per
> pop.
>
> The problem for beginners is a good locomotive at
> a decent price.

In that regard, ScaleTrains has very good offerings in their Operator line. Although they still cost a bit more than toy-store trash, I expect they'll be quite durable.