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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2019 18:47:00 GMT
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Post by kstrains on Sept 14, 2019 20:01:45 GMT
I think this is the tooling that Lionel purchased from Weaver for these RPO cars. Lionel made new trucks for these. There are several road names they are reproducing these in so probably the 4 wheel trucks are due to the tooling vs matching the existing Heavyweight Polar Express cars. My Southern RPO is on its way from Charles Ro that uses the exact same tooling. Overall, do you like the car?
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Post by ptc on Sept 14, 2019 20:06:40 GMT
Now were are talking. Who doesn't like the Polar Express and a new car, what could be better.
Way to go, Trey.
Wait till the Christmas season, 2019. The OGF has all of the3 best Chirtsmas modelers.
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Post by rockymountaineer on Sept 14, 2019 23:26:37 GMT
Volphin,
What's your overall impression of the car? I purchased the Lionel Pennsy RPO earlier this year to match Lionel's heavyweight Broadway Limited cars. Those are the ONLY Lionel heavyweights I decided to keep. The entire Reading & Northern 8-car set went back to the dealer because of all the problems I encountered -- every car had something wrong with it. And even though the dealer offered a complete exchange, I was so turned off by the experience I just asked for a refund -- which the dealer obliged. I was a bit luckier with the Broadway Limited cars though -- only two needed to be exchanged, and I really liked the paint scheme on them. Very sharp... and the olive green trucks really are unique. On the downside, the car interiors are unevenly lit with a mint-green tint, whereas the RPO car has a yellow/amber illumination. For whatever reason, Lionel seems hung up on their heavyweight cars having mint-green illumination, as I was told most of the heavyweights catalog'd in the 2019 Volume 1 catalog will also have the mint green interior illumination.
Getting back to the RPO's.... the exterior of the Lionel RPO matched the color of the heavyweights exactly, but I was underwhelmed by the Lionel/Weaver interiors on the RPO and B60 baggage cars... or shall I say LACK thereof. My Pennsy RPO interior is absolutely barren -- very unfinished. And since the interior lighting is bright, this is all very noticeable. I found the overall effect cheapens a car for which Lionel posts a $160MSRP in the catalog, with dealers selling them closer to $115 per car. By comparison, MTH RPO interiors aren't detailed per se either, but at least they appear more finished.
Bottom line... Since the interiors can be seen if you look at the cars up-close, I decided the unfinished interior appearance is too much of a deal-breaker for me. So no more Lionel/Weaver RPO or Baggage cars will be making their way onto my roster for that very reason.
David
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Post by rockymountaineer on Sept 14, 2019 23:51:23 GMT
Forgot to mention... although I passed on the P/E RPO car because of the above-noted issues, I do have the P/E Hot Chocolate StationSounds car on order... due later this year. That's one car Lionel has executed pretty well lately. Although some of the liveries have a missing plastic panel that is designed to hide the interior electronics inside the StationSounds diners. Most road-names have that panel installed, but my Freedom Train StationSounds diner (for example) doesn't have the panel. So the electronics can be seen when looking inside the car. Hopefully, Lionel will have the A-crew working in their factory when the Polar Express StationSounds cars are being manufactured... because I've been waiting quite awhile for that "sweet" edition to my Polar Express train. David
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Post by thebigcrabcake on Sept 15, 2019 1:53:49 GMT
I just received my Polar Express RPO car today. There have been some BIG changes at Lionel. The packaging for this car vs all the other PE cars is markedly improved. The trucks are no longer in contact with the styrofoam packaging. They are suspended in mid air by the use of "pedestal" built into the styrofoam mold that supports the car from the bottom and the roof, spreading the load evenly. This will prevent the truck damage that has plagued Lionel heavyweights for years. The only thing that seems off is the use of 4-wheel trucks. Is that correct? Everything else in the set uses 6 wheel heavyweight trucks. ?? Note the wipers that have moved to the inside of the wheel too. Thoughts? I think it looks great. I would have preferred a 6-wheel truck too, but that can probably by changed without too much trouble. Emile
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2019 2:21:43 GMT
David, I had the chance to more closely inspect the quality tonight. Here's how I grade this car: Paint and finish: D. The paint is flawless, but Lionel just can't seem to decide what color the PE cars should be... and whether the windows should be frosted or not. Another item of note is the MUCH thinner diaphragms. IDK why they didn't just use the old ones. Interior detail: F There is no interior at all. A project for January!!! Function: B The lighting is flicker free, however the rollers have more slop in them than I prefer and the wheel sets have more friction that I prefer. This is an UNOILED review. The couplers have thumbtacks but function well to the touch. The real test will come when the strain of the entire consist is applied. That's my opinion, feel free to make it yours.
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Post by ptc on Sept 15, 2019 16:01:43 GMT
Thanks Trey for your review. I remember the days with the first release of the scale PE cars and how trouble free they are. Have run them for many years and enjoyed them greatly. The Gold PR coaches were just as good.
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Post by Country Joe on Sept 15, 2019 20:14:51 GMT
Trey, that looks like a nice car but I would also be disappointed with the lack of interior detail.
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Post by ptc on Sept 15, 2019 20:27:37 GMT
Trey will come up with a solution for the interior fo sure. Can't wait to see this project.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2019 15:57:41 GMT
Trey will come up with a solution for the interior fo sure. Can't wait to see this project. You can take that to the bank my friend. I really doubt I'll have it done by the holidays, but ya never know...
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Post by harborbelt70 on Sept 16, 2019 16:53:13 GMT
Trey will come up with a solution for the interior fo sure. Can't wait to see this project. You can take that to the bank my friend. I really doubt I'll have it done by the holidays, but ya never know... 1. Go look at any RPO blueprints online and you'll get lots of ideas. 2. Have a look at this fellow's efforts on a UP RPO car: ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/k4690-k-line-passenger-car-interior-upgrade-rpo3. Check out Delta Models for their RPO kits (scroll down for the interiors): www.deltamodelsusa.com/kits-and-sets These however are full O scale and might need to be modified. 4. Alternatively, hunt around for the K-Line interiors (there was one here: www.traindoctor.com/service/kline/kline.php under part number K4405A but dunno whether they really have it). And if that does not keep you occupied until Doomsday nothing will.
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Post by Adam on Sept 16, 2019 18:54:07 GMT
Beautiful car! I can't wait to see pictures of all of the great Christmas layouts that are going to get posted here. Train...umm...I mean...Christmas Season is coming!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2019 23:59:12 GMT
Thanks for the links sir. It seems I saw someone do a whimsical one not long ago... was it Emile? I think it was...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 1:37:51 GMT
I just received my Polar Express RPO car today. There have been some BIG changes at Lionel. The packaging for this car vs all the other PE cars is markedly improved. The trucks are no longer in contact with the styrofoam packaging. They are suspended in mid air by the use of "pedestal" built into the styrofoam mold that supports the car from the bottom and the roof, spreading the load evenly. This will prevent the truck damage that has plagued Lionel heavyweights for years. The only thing that seems off is the use of 4-wheel trucks. Is that correct? Everything else in the set uses 6 wheel heavyweight trucks. ?? Note the wipers that have moved to the inside of the wheel too. Thoughts? I think it looks great. I would have preferred a 6-wheel truck too, but that can probably by changed without too much trouble. Emile Emile can you repost the images from your PE RPO project? I remember being extremely impressed with the way you detailed the interior...
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