We first introduced our E8 and E9 diesels here on the blog last year. Here’s an update on the project, along with photos of our production samples. These locomotives will be on your dealers’ shelves soon!
Lionel’s new E8 and E9 capture the look of one of the most famous faces of railroading.
One of the most famous passenger locomotives of all time, the E8 and E9 were the last in the long line of EMD’s E units. These locomotives were the face of passenger service on most of America’s railroads for nearly forty years. Towards the end, many found their way into freight service as well. For more history of the prototype locomotives and the trains they pulled, see our earlier blog.
The new E8s include one powered and one non-powered locomotive. Both engines feature:
The Union Pacific E9 features a single headlight above the nose door.
- Fan-driven smoke unit with adjustable output
- Directional lighting including LED headlights and Mars Lights where appropriate
- Front ElectroCouplers
- Working front Marker Lights
- Illuminated number boards
- Lighted and detailed cab interior
- Die-cast metal trucks, fuel tank and pilots
- High level of separately applied details including the Pennsy’s Trainphone antennae
- O-31 minimum curve
Powered locomotives also feature:
- LEGACY Control – also capable of running on TMCC or Conventional
- Odyssey II Speed Control
- LEGACY RailSounds including
Like the prototype, the Southern Pacific locomotive includes a headlight on the nose door and a Mars light above.
- CrewTalk and TowerCom dialog
- 6 Railroad speeds
- 8 Diesel RPM levels
- LEGACY Quilling horn
- Single hit or continuous mechanical bell
- Sequence control provides sounds and dialog for an entire trip around your layout
- Current speed and fuel dialog and refueling sounds
- Dual motors with flywheels
- Refined Transformer Control with lower starting speeds
- Traction Tires
- Engineer and Fireman figures
- IR Transmitter
In addition to the Mars light, locomotives feature appropriate pilots, horns and other roof-top details appropriate to each prototype.
The A-A locomotive sets will be available in Baltimore and Ohio, Burlington, Florida East Coast, Kansas City Southern, Milwaukee Road, Pennsylvania, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific. Retail price is $929.99. Matching passenger car sets will also be available.
Lionel Trains 
Awesome, got a customer waiting on these. Quick question Lionel? Why do some dummy models of modern diesels get cancelled, is it not easier to make those since you are already making shells for the powered units? Had another customer bummed out due to his non-powered unit being cancelled.
The most typical reason for a product to be cancelled is insufficient orders to meet production minimums. Obviously with these E8 sets, that shouldn’t be an issue!
I meant if it’s the same shell of a powered unit, why don’t they get made either way. I can easily sell a non-powered to someone looking to make a set more accurate with 2 locomotives or more but to just cancel those bc not enough demand was there seems silly bc it’s the same shell and not sure what kind of effort needs to go into the base but it can’t be that much more difficult that adding gears.
Look great. I am looking forward to other roads like Illinois Central. The E8 and E-9 should be popular for years to come.
These look great and much more accurate than the catalog photos. I’m looking forward to getting my PRR version that I ordered. I am also hoping to get this UP version also but can’t find any so far.
Some comments if your interested on the UP version.
Will there be ladders on the right side of the nose, just behind the number board like the prototype? Or is that for the modern version only? Not too late to add!
It looks like the pilot is wider than the body. Is it or is it just the photo? I was considering fixing the pilot but won’t if they don’t match up.
I hope Lionel offers a powered B unit since one powered unit may not be enough to pull my 11 car passenger consist.
Rich,
The Union Pacific locomotives will be as you see in the photo. This is a production sample. The pilot lines up nicely with the carbody – it’s the photo. Thank you for the suggestion on powered B units. We will look into it.
Reblogged this on theredcaboose1.
Lionel: Lionel and its competition have had problems getting the Kansas City Southern colors correct. What have you done to assure they are correct in this production run?
We do our best to match colors from multiple photographs and actual paint samples whenever possible. If you have a source for more accurate information for KCS, we’d love to hear from you!
Which models will come with the MARS light?
The following roads will come with Mars Lights in the upper light; CB&Q, KCS, Milwaukee and SP. The roads that do not have these will not have a headlight in the door (B&O, FEC, PRR, UP). The Mars light feature will be included on the non-powered units as well.
Do the Santa Fe and Chesapeake & Ohio EMD E 8s from the 2014Signature Edition have Mars Lights?
Yes, both of these roads will have Mars light effects.