Apart from the pre-WWII items (Hudson, B6sb, quad hopper, tankcar, NYC caboose) that are older than I am (I do own one of the tankers, and with Kadees and scale insulated wheelsets I am not ashamed to include it with my brass and top-quality kit-builts), you would mostly be right until the past six or eight years. Since most of the manufacturing has been moved to the PRC, however--perhaps owing to more demand among three-railers for accurate equipment-- Lionel has offered some excellent full-scale locomotives and rolling stock. Their B&M 2-6-0 was well worth converting, never having been offered previously in any other form, as is their Alco S-2 and S-4 and NYC S-2 electric. I probably own nearly two dozen of their freight cars (some easier to convert than others). Check out their AAR twin hoppers and PS-2 covered hoppers, for example.
On the other hand, they have never offered anything not primarily designed for the far larger three-rail market. So, in short, it is quite possible that they will produce full-scale S scale equipment (as they already have with the USRA 2-8-2) but I am doubtful it will ever be offered for the scale market, ready-to-operate. If they don't consider the much-larger O scale two-rail market sufficiently large to justify adapting anything for it, I can't imagine why they would do so for the far-smaller S scale one. I suppose I can also identify with the frustration of paying a substantial premium for all the toy train electronics that have only to be removed (the 2-8-2 could probably sell for $200 less without all of the crap, making it competitive with other quality S scale steam and economically worth having the drivers reworked). I confess that I have bought only Lionel freight cars so far, as the worthless electronics increases the price on locomotives to the point where it is uneconomical to convert them. Off the top of my head, where other O scale manufacturers have offered imports for both two and three-rail (Weaver, MTH--which has done it sporadically--and Atlas), the usual numbers I've heard, at least for brass, is that of about three hundred units, only fifty might be two-rail. Jace Kahn General Manager Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. > I don't think I'd hold my breath waiting for that to happen... I don't think > Lionel has ever offered anything in any scale that is TO scale. > > > John Degnan > [email protected] > Perhaps someday they will offer a scale steamer with scale flanges? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
