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Post by rockymountaineer on Jan 16, 2023 0:09:21 GMT
WHOA!!!! And just like that... a dose of reality hit big-time to kick off 2023... as if I needed a reason to cut back on Lionel pre-orders!!!
Tonight I received an email that Pat's Trains hit my credit card for a tidy sum of $$$. So I double-checked MTH's latest newsflash. And sure enough a BUNCH of items I pre-ordered throughout 2022 are due to arrive at MTH dealers and clubs this week, if they haven't already arrived. I'm sure some of you folks will be feeling the same hit. So here's a link to the shipments MTH has sent to dealers.
LOTS of good stuff in that list: some regular production, some special-run dealer production, and some special-run club cars as well. Great MTH Premier items, including lots of FM Train Masters along with many, MANY 36' woodside reefers that were announced throughout 2022 as dealer and club special-runs. The graphics on these reefers should be fabulous, if they follow in the footsteps of those shipped earlier in 2022. Check 'em out... and get ready to watch the charges roll in, if you went shopping with MTH last year!!!
This aught to temper those Lionel 2023 pre-order lists, if you were thinking of catching up with 2022 pre-orders BEFORE stepping onto the vicious treadmill again this year. I know it certainly has made an impact on what I'll be pre-ordering from Lionel's latest catalog -- even if some of those goodies won't see the light of day until 2024. Time flies all too quickly when we're having fun.
My Lionel shortlist of "definites" from the 2023 Catalog is now down to just the 3 new Wings of Angels boxcars, a couple of Aberdeen Carolina & Western passenger cars, a Polar Express Hot Chocolate thermos car, and a Pennsy RR Vision Crewtalk N8 Cabin Car. That's it!!! A mere fraction of what I would have ordered 10-15 years ago.
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Post by madockawando on Jan 16, 2023 1:36:57 GMT
That's good news! I hope some long forgotten items I ordered from MTH also heading my way! Even better news when it comes to the new Lionel catalog: I don't have to pay for anything I pre-order from Lionel for many months or maybe even a year. So my wallet is safe...at least for now. We can have both!
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Post by Traindiesel! on Jan 16, 2023 8:01:43 GMT
Looking at the MTH list, the only items I preordered were the Jack Daniels reefers from the TCA METCA division and I already paid for them. I forgot about the Trainmasters, a casualty of not having a dedicated catalog at my command center. I’ve been wanting the Reading and Milwaukee Road Trainmasters for a while. But those two would add up to a thousand beans themselves.
A few weeks ago I looked at all the custom runs from Mr. Muffin that I really liked. Just his custom runs alone added up to about $3,000! Those days are over but a lot of it are Milwaukee Road trains I like to collect and run.
So unless I spring for the Trainmasters and some other custom runs, my Lionel order will probably be the Santa Fe Northern 4-8-4 and a PRR Vision Line caboose.
I reserve the right to change my mind about all of it.
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Post by rtraincollector on Jan 16, 2023 12:30:49 GMT
Okay you got me to look at Lionel, just to compare their basic boxcar vs MTH Boxcar I didn't get into specifics of each car but my question is how come MTH boxcar is $45 less. How can MTH do it but Lionel can't. $109.99 vs $64.95 if I was in the market for new train cars, I know where I would be heading.
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Post by Adam on Jan 16, 2023 13:19:44 GMT
The SF Trainmaster sure looks nice.
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Post by harborbelt70 on Jan 16, 2023 13:44:50 GMT
This reminded me of a pre-order that I had completely forgot - a dealer special run that is not listed in this shipment but now I am puzzled about what's happened to it. It's from The Train Loft in NC and is a pair of Stroh's Beer reefers. I think I have seen photos of the first run of these posted here.
Most of the best dealer special runs I have ever got came from Jeff at The Train Loft and actually date back to K-Line days.
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Post by dennym57 on Jan 16, 2023 14:44:14 GMT
Lionel are price pirates. I prefer MTH rolling stock, but I'm not big on pre-order, if it's not in stock I move on.
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Post by madockawando on Jan 16, 2023 15:50:19 GMT
Okay you got me to look at Lionel, just to compare their basic boxcar vs MTH Boxcar I didn't get into specifics of each car but my question is how come MTH boxcar is $45 less. How can MTH do it but Lionel can't. $109.99 vs $64.95 if I was in the market for new train cars, I know where I would be heading. Which boxcars were you looking at? Are they offered by the same dealer?
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Post by madockawando on Jan 16, 2023 15:53:25 GMT
Lionel are price pirates. I prefer MTH rolling stock, but I'm not big on pre-order, if it's not in stock I move on. Lots of people pay those prices. I like MTH's premier line rolling stock but since they sold of some of the premier tooling they are more limited now in the type of rolling stock they offer.
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Post by madockawando on Jan 16, 2023 15:55:19 GMT
Looking at the MTH list, the only items I preordered were the Jack Daniels reefers from the TCA METCA division and I already paid for them. I forgot about the Trainmasters, a casualty of not having a dedicated catalog at my command center. I’ve been wanting the Reading and Milwaukee Road Trainmasters for a while. But those two would add up to a thousand beans themselves.
A few weeks ago I looked at all the custom runs from Mr. Muffin that I really liked. Just his custom runs alone added up to about $3,000! Those days are over but a lot of it are Milwaukee Road trains I like to collect and run.
So unless I spring for the Trainmasters and some other custom runs, my Lionel order will probably be the Santa Fe Northern 4-8-4 and a PRR Vision Line caboose.
I reserve the right to change my mind about all of it. I really like the Custom Run program of Mr. Muffin. I am hoping for a Mr. Muffin custom run CN NW2 Lionel Legacy switcher.
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Post by Sir James on Jan 16, 2023 16:13:48 GMT
When a lot of toys all arrive at once, it's kinda hard to decide what to order now.
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Post by dennym57 on Jan 17, 2023 1:43:37 GMT
Lionel are price pirates. I prefer MTH rolling stock, but I'm not big on pre-order, if it's not in stock I move on. Lots of people pay those prices. Yes I know. I don't have deep pockets.
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Post by rtraincollector on Jan 17, 2023 15:52:24 GMT
Lionel are price pirates. I prefer MTH rolling stock, but I'm not big on pre-order, if it's not in stock I move on. Lots of people pay those prices. I like MTH's premier line rolling stock but since they sold of some of the premier tooling they are more limited now in the type of rolling stock they offer.
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Post by rtraincollector on Jan 18, 2023 4:47:14 GMT
Okay you got me to look at Lionel, just to compare their basic boxcar vs MTH Boxcar I didn't get into specifics of each car but my question is how come MTH boxcar is $45 less. How can MTH do it but Lionel can't. $109.99 vs $64.95 if I was in the market for new train cars, I know where I would be heading. Which boxcars were you looking at? Are they offered by the same dealer? Just comparing catalogue to list of items being released by MTH from there website, not dealer prices
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Post by madockawando on Jan 18, 2023 15:08:46 GMT
I did my own comparison. I ordered a Custom MTH Premier Central Maine & Quebec AC-4400 Cab # 1002 from EZ Catch Train Shop: $569.99
Last month I received from Mr. Muffins Trains a Lionel Legacy SD90MAC Diesel Locomotive "Canadian Pacific" Veterans #7023 and it's sibling #7022 for $584.99 each.
I ordered all three locomotives because I like the road names and I like how they looked. The Lionel locomotives are a whole $15 more than the MTH locomotive. IMO, $15 is insignificant. This whole trope and mythology that "Lionel is killing the hobby with their prices" that haunts O Gauge forums twice a year when the Lionel catalog comes out is about twenty years past its shelve life. Buy the trains you want from the manufacture that makes them. If it is expensive, then save up for it. You have the time to do so between when the product is announced and when it is delivered. Some train shops will allow you to put a train on "lay-a-buy" so you can pay for the train in easy installments and have it paid off long before it is delivered. That is how I purchased the Canadian Pacific" Veterans #7023 and its sibling #7022 from Mr. Muffins. I paid them both off in easy installments and didn't worry about it. When they came in I had two fun locomotives to run with no shock to the wallet.
The bottom line is there are ways to buy any trains from any manufacture that you want with just with a little planning on your part. If you don't want the train then don't buy it, but please don't use price as a justification as to why you are not buying when in reality you probably never wanted that particular train in the first place.
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