Gentlemen...
I just received the May/June issue of the S GAUGIAN and could not help but notice a lot of Flyonel ads and photos. Pages 1 and 2 have a full color advertisement by "S"cenery Unlimited (Don Heimburger in disguise) showing 35 locos in all the different paint schemes. Also, included in this ad are 18 paint schemes for the new cylindrical hopper. All with part numbers, prices and photos (computer-generated artwork). Quite an array of stuff to put it mildly. Then, on the inside back cover, is a full page color ad from Lionel/American Flyer with much the same stuff only the pictures are larger. I like looking at the pictures and trying to envision how this equipment could fit into my layout and be plausible. The "S"cenery Unlimited ad has things divided into the "1st Half of 2012" and the "2nd Half of 2012". I think those dates are off by about a year - maybe a typo? It appears that perhaps a second production run of the Y-3 (featured on the front cover) is in the works. There is a #2009 scheduled for the first half and a #2020 scheduled for the second half of 2012 (2013?). Likewise, I see a dummy NYC SD-70 diesel which is new (to me). Actually, there are a lot of unpowered SD-70s for about $240 less cost. I guess $240 represents the retail cost of the motors and internal AF electronics in case anyone is interested. It appears that mythical cars have not been omitted (shame!) since there is a NYC lightning striped modern cylindrical hopper along with a green Erie, a blue CofJ and a gray/maroon Lackawanna and others. But there are also some authentic cars as well. I guess we have to decide what we like and act accordingly. I mention all this because of so many questions pertaining to Flyonel products in the past. Here, in one magazine, is all the information neatly summarized for easy viewing. Good for Mr. Heimburger, I say! And, to cap it all off, there is an article detailing how Fred Rouse of SSL&S converts the AF Y-3 articulated to operate on scale NMRA-compliant trackage. Good for Fred, I say! I also seem to recollect this is the weekend that both Lionel and MTH have promised to hand out their new printed catalogs at the big TCA show in York, PA. It will be interesting to see what they will be offering. Bound to be a few new surprises in there. Hopefully something for the NYC transition-era folks. In terms of newly-tooled S products suitable for scale operation (or convertible to scale), I think it is fair to say that Lionel/American Flyer is leading the pack for 2013 so far. Never in a hundred years would I have dreamed of something like this happening. Is S scale actually going mainstream? Ruminations are fun when you get old enough......Ed Loizeaux
