New Product Spotlight – Boston & Maine Paul Revere GP9 Set

One of six sets that will be available only through our Lionel dealers, the Boston & Maine Paul Revere GP9 set combines a rugged conventional locomotive and traditional line of cars with bold new graphics. Designed in partnership with Lou Caponi, the late President of the Lionel Collectors Club of America and friend to train collectors everywhere, these sets capture the spirit and excitement of the classic toy train set.

Lead by a GP9 in the bright McGinnis paint scheme with a matching caboose bringing up the markers, this freight train is ready to head down one of the B&M’s charming New England branch lines to provide personal service to the many small customers along the way. These locals were the critical first and last legs of the journey for rail shipments and the customers’ contact point with the railroad. Their colorful consists constantly changing as they meandered along from siding to siding – what could be a more perfect train for hours of fun on a toy train layout?

6-81021 Boston & Maine Paul Revere GP9 Set

The freight cars in this train include a B&M boxcar and 4-bay hopper. The hit of the consist has to be the State of Maine aquarium car decorated in the Bangor and Aroostook’s instantly recognizable red, white and blue and carrying a load of one of Maine’s tastiest exports! This latest twist on the classic aquarium car features Maine lobsters “swimming” around inside the illuminated interior.

The GP9 locomotive features:

• Transformer-controlled forward-neutral-reverse operation
• Railsounds RTR™ sound with diesel revving and user-active horn, bell and crew dialog
• Battery backup for sounds
• Powerful maintenance free motor
• Operating headlights
• Operating couplers
• Metal frame and handrails
• Die-cast metal trucks
• Traction tires
• Interior illumination

Freight car features include:

• Die-cast metal sprung trucks on hopper and boxcar
• Die-cast metal trucks on aquarium car and caboose
• Operating couplers
• Metal frame and opening doors on boxcar
• Stamped metal ends on hopper
• Removable molded coal load on hopper
• Interior lighting in aquarium car and caboose
• Motorized interior belt makes lobster decoration appear to swim inside aquarium car

The set will run on O-31 curves and retails for $499.99.  Your Lionel dealer is the only place you can pick up this and the five other dealer exclusive sets featured in the 2014 Signature Catalog. See yours to place your order today!

New Product Spotlight – Victorian Christmas LionChief Set

How about a little Christmas in July? Lionel’s complete new 2014 Christmas Catalog is available for viewing on our website. Here’s a look at one of our new sets to get you thinking about this year’s Christmas train display!

Using our Hall Class 4-6-0, this new set brings all the charm of an English Victorian Christmas home. (For more background on the actual locomotives, see this earlier blog on our new Albert Hall set!) This train will be a natural complement to many of the Christmas village collectables as part of a larger display.

The set includes a LionChief-controlled “Saint Nicholas” Hall Class 4-6-0 and tender, two coaches, a combination car, wall-pack power supply, remote control, and a 40 x 60 inch oval of FasTrack with eight O-36 curves, three 10 inch straight and one plug-in terminal track. Adding to the fun, the train plays British Christmas music in addition to its train sounds!

6-81280 The Victorian Christmas set includes a locomotive, tender and three matching passenger cars.

This new Lionel set captures the graceful lines of these beautiful trains beset with all the warmth and charm of Christmas’ past. Controlled by the LionChief Remote, the new train is easy to control and comes with many great features:

• Electric locomotive controlled by remote
  

  The LionChief Remote puts all of the controls in the palm of your hand.

• Operating headlight
• Puffing smoke with ON/OFF switch
• RailSounds RC with steam chuffing and background sounds, whistle, bell and user-activated announcements
• ON/OFF switch for steam chuff and background sounds (all other sounds are only activated by pressing the buttons)
• Operating coupler on rear of tender
• Maintenance-free motor
• Cab window “glass”
• Die-cast metal locomotive body and tender frame
• Two traction tires
• Separately applied details including buffers, coupler air lines, brake stands, marker lamps and valve gear

The user-friendly LionChief remote features a single forward/reverse/speed control knob and three separate buttons for the whistle, bell and announcements. The sounds for this set will have a distinctly British flair, from the shrill whistle to the Christmas music selection. The remote requires three AAA batteries, not included.

Retail for the set is $399.99. See you local Lionel dealer to order one today!

New Product Spotlight – CP Rail Grain Train Set

Now the excitement of those long and colorful unit trains of Canadian grain can be brought to layouts of any size with this new Ready-to-Run set. Based on some of the many popular paint schemes of the Canadian cylindrical covered hoppers and powered by a locomotive in the attractive “Dual Flags” scheme of CP Rail, this set is ready for the wheat rush.

6-30210 CP Rail Grain Train Set is ready for the harvest.

Beginning in 1972, the Canadian government began financing the construction of several thousand covered hoppers for agricultural service. These would finally bring an end to the days of loading grain in 4o foot boxcars. Most of the cars were financed by the national government and wore a variety of colorful schemes. They were leased to Canadian Pacific and Canadian National with CPWX or CNWX reporting marks on the cars.

The colorful cars can still be seen today all over North America.

Several provincial governments also supplied  cars to the pool. The bright blue Alberta cars featured unique names of towns and counties. Saskatchewan has recently added new cars in one of the most colorful schemes yet. In addition to all of these, the major Canadian railroads ordered their own cars. All together, these cars operated out of a general pool so they would be available wherever and whenever needed.

Much of the grain carried in these cars was destined for ports and shipment overseas. As CP and CN expanded their networks in the 1990s with the purchase of some strategic American railroads the sight of the Canadian covered hoppers and locomotives south of the border became even more common.

Now you can handle this lucrative traffic on your railroad with the new CP Rail Grain Train. This complete set includes a CW-80 transformer, 60″ x 40″ oval of FasTrack, U36B locomotive, three covered hoppers and a caboose. The locomotive features:

• Transformer Controlled Forward / Neutral / Reverse
• RailSounds RTR including diesel engine revving, horn, bell and operator-activated crew dialog
• Dual Motors
• Traction Tires
• Metal Frame
• Operating Headlight
• Illuminated Cab Interior
• Dual Operating Couplers
• Engineer and conductor figures

The covered hoppers feature operating couplers, and sprung die-cast metal trucks. The caboose features a metal frame, ladders, smokestack and trucks plus interior illumination. All of the cars and locomotive will negotiate an O-27 curve. See your dealer or http://www.Lionelstore.com to order your set today. Retail price for the set is $389.99.

New Product Spotlight – Christmas Freight Cars

This year we’ve added many new Christmas-themed freight cars to our catalog to help brighten your layout. Whatever your model interest, we’ve got something to help trim your trains!

Postwar Inspired

6-27946 Christmas Savings Boxcar

For those who still thrill at the memories of Christmas’ past we have four new cars inspired by some of our classic Postwar trains.

The 6050-25 Christmas Savings Club boxcar features AAR-style die-cast trucks and a coin slot in the roof (so you can start saving for more trains!) It retails for $54.99.

6-27948 Great Northern Christmas Boxcar

Our 6464-25 Great Northern Christmas boxcar has operating doors and bar-end style die-cast trucks. It has a metal frame and retails for $59.99. All of our Postwar Inspired and other Christmas cars seen here have operating couplers.

6-27947 Reindeer Transport Car

The 6473-25 Reindeer Transport Car is sure to be a hit with kids of all ages. The reindeer heads bob in and out of the side windows as the stock car rolls along the track. Retail price: $59.99

6-27949 Christmas PRR Merchandise Car

For even more action, the Merchandise Car returns with the 3854-25 PRR Christmas Merchandise Car. With the press of a button, the doors of the green car open automatically as presents are dispensed from the car. The car includes six colorful packages and retails for $74.99.

Traditional Freight Cars

6-26489 Hershey’s Christmas Bells Boxcar

These festive cars will all fit in with any traditional layout. Many are will complement our existing licensed train sets as well.

It’s just not Christmas without chocolate! Add to your Hershey’s trains with the Hershey’s Christmas Bells Boxcar. The car features die-cast sprung trucks, metal frame and opening doors. Retail: $64.99

6-29698 Tree Topper Transport

Top things off with our Tree Topper Transport bulkhead flatcar. The red and green car comes loaded with three large gold stars which are removable. This car also has sprung die-cast trucks and retails for $79.99.

6-26481 BSA Christmas Gondola

We salute the Boy Scouts’ spirit of giving with the BSA Christmas Gondola. A perfect addition to your Christmas trains or your BSA set, this gondola comes loaded with crates and decorated for the Scouting for Food and Clothing drive. Car features die-cast trucks and retails for $64.99.

6-25977 Leg Lamp Mint Car

The Leg Lamp – need we say more? It has become a holiday icon of “major” proportions and now its warm glow can draw neighbors from all around to your layout. The Christmas Story “Leg Lamp” Mint Car features a look into the windows in that timeless movie scene. The lighted car features die-cast trucks, metal frame and a lighted interior. Retail price is $79.99. Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as “Fra-Gee-Lay” as the original!

6-29792 Angela Trotta Thomas Toyland Express Boxcar

From the living room window to the storefront display… This year’s Angela Trotta Thomas boxcar features “Toyland Express.” Angela’s painting captures all of the warmth and excitement of those classic Lionel train displays. The boxcar features sprung die-cast trucks, metal frame and opening doors. Retail price: $64.99

6-25960 Christmas Tree Transparent Boxcar

Railroads were at one time a leading shipper of Christmas trees every December. Now you can add these movements to your railroad with the North Pole Central Christmas Tree Transparent Boxcar. The car has see-through sides and opening doors along with die-cast trucks. Retail price: $74.99.

6-29697 Santa’s Submarine Flatcar

From the starry skies to the deep blue oceans, Santa has to get around! We’d love to see what stories you’ll come up with to go along with the new Santa’s Submarine Flatcar. No doubt this car will be a treat for kids of all ages with its removable sub. The car retails for $69.99.

6-29699 Silver and Gold Mint Car

The new Silver and Gold Mint Car comes decorated in Christmas decor and loaded with bars of silver and gold bullion. This classic car will look great in any Christmas consist. With die-cast sprung trucks and a metal frame it retails for $69.99.

6-39364 2013 Christmas Boxcar

And of course we couldn’t leave 2013 behind without our annual commemorative boxcar. This year’s car features a silver background, green sides and ends and a red door with graphics of a classic toy train rushing through the snow. The car features sprung metal trucks, metal frame and opening doors and retails for $59.99.

See your dealer or visit http://www.lionelstore.com to add to your Christmas collection today. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from Lionel Trains!