We are in agreement. The mark of a company is what they do when a mistake is found. Its easy when everything goes right. But when something goes wrong, the good companies own it, fix it and move on. Companies that deny, dissemble and obfuscate are not worth dealing with and go out of business. Tell 'em Eric!
Eric you are a classy guy. Your videos are second to none. The information and back ground from the real trains is what sets you apart. It's great to learn about history. Sad to hear you explain to grown men about mistakes. Sad sad sad. Anyway i too have the exact loco set arrived past June happy birthday to me. Lol. but mine just sits there. My RR still under construction, soooo thank you for the recall info, i would have thought the whole problem was me. Lol Keep up the great work, your lay out is one of dreams for most of us.
michael scott I have to agree with you about adults.Remember when Lionel produced an h. o. Model of the Challenger?Because Lionel designed in a manner that allowed for 18 inch rad. operation we had customers promising to never buy Lionel junk ever.Sad sad sad that some men never grow up . Nuff saiid
Eric I always appreciate how you make the good case that mistakes will happen, that you don't sweat minor things. It's a hobby and fixing itis part of the hobby, or for that matter, life. Thanks for keeping it real!
Over the years I have really enjoyed your videos! I love the info on the "real" Locomotive's you give. I love the stat's you give. And the detailed information on each model. And my favorite part, seeing them in motion on your marvelous layout. Great job Eric!!! Keep up the good work 👍 P.S. I still would ❤LOVE💕to see a working RXR crossing with lights, bells, and lowering gates!
The 'beautiful Santa Fe paint' scheme was called the Warbonnet scheme, invented by EMD's styling staff in the late 1930s. There was also a PA-3 with Farr grilles on the side. The EMD 567 re-engining program was a Santa Fe/EMD project, certainly not an Alco offering. The 244s were unreliable not because they were "rushed into production" -- they were introduced in 1944 (hence the '44'). They suffered from poor design, lack of factory product support (spare parts and ongoing improvements) and too much turbo boost, which overloaded engine components. GE never stopped supplying electrical components to Alco since there was no other source.
I know SEPTA had an FA number 615 that was ex LIRR. It had no prime mover but it had gel sprayers for cleaning the track in fall. Its been retired and now owned by an unnamed private owner
4:09 the Rio Grande one would fit in pretty well with the ATSF set since it's just plain silver those gray heavyweight cars look great with that PA1, and probably how and 2nd class train looked like in the 1950s
Ahhh, love that action videography. I used to take the NY Central - Conrail - Metro North line for years. My favorite experience was falling asleep on the ride home in the dead of winter with a big arctic rabbit-fur hat pulled over my head.
Eric, I totally agree with you on the mistakes. They happen. I think todays trains are so impressive with all the add one. I’m an American Flyer guy and it’s the same with the S Scale. As long as the train is repaired that is all that matters!
There are others on RU-vid giving train repair or train reviews but they are so bad that whenever one of them comes on I am mediately turn it off and look for one that you’ve done I love listening to what you have to say even though I do not have a layout I am hooked on your videos
Great review Eric, this exact set has been on my list for a new layout I am planning in England, so I was thrilled to see this new video appear. If I can figure out the difficulties of running Legacy Command on the UK power supply I am definitely getting these PAs.
anthony vileta thanks - I must admit I’m struggling to get clear recommendations. The problem is the difference in frequencies of the supply - US 60hz vs UK 50hz. I’ve contacted more people today so hopefully someone can tell me. I haven’t yet found anyone online whose actually done it with Legacy Command! It’s such a shame there isn’t a UK distributor either. I’ve had that confirmed too, so I’ll be importing everything myself. Fun times ahead.
It's a great set and really captures the essence of an old passenger locomotive but I'd really like to get my sd40-2s soon. I'm hoping that they are taking so long because Lionel is taking their time to put out a great top of the line product with amazing attention to detail.
a very handsome unit.. the horn is nice..I thought for sure your fav feature would have been the lighted number boards on the side. I really enjoyed watching this train run on your layout.
The very story you told about ALCO's PA-1s problem with the engines proves my point EXACTLY. Those first locomotives should have been tested right off the production line for defects. EMD's SD-45 had huge problems with the crankshaft right off the line.
Great review. If I haven't ordered a set, I will certainly look for one. The passenger car that jumps probably has a bad wheel set. You may want to change the wheels. Thanks for the bloopers. It's great to see that you're human like the rest of us.
Another excellent video Eric. And that modal is just beautiful. Mistakes will happen like you said. But they aren't charging to fix the mistake. People need to look at that as well. So and like you said it's all how it's handled. And it looks like Lionel handled it with professionalism.
I had to take my S1 to get the locomotive repaired the chugging sounds weren't working and it was not programming to the legacy remote and I think i accidentally pushed the smoke on and off switch up into the locomotive despite having to take it to my local repair shop it's a beautiful locomotive.
Alco tried to repower the units with a 567C? I believe you meant EMD tried the repower option and only the ATSF went for it. MK (Morrison Knudsen) later rebuilt some ATSF PA's with Alco 251 series engines. These for D&H units are the for that survive today (2 in Mexico and 2 here in the states) Doyle McCormack is rebuilding one of the US units into an operational replica of a NKP PA.
Whatever happened to just buying a model train and running it because its fun. I agree with you Eric on its not if you make a mistake its how the mistake is handled and corrected.
Eric your awesome, I would love to do this but right now I don't have the space or financial means, but I am getting ready for the future of my model railroading with a expert like you. 😀
Let's be honest the mistakes made in the prewar and post-war were much easier to fix than they are today. Back then as long as it ran, everyone loved it. I'm 26, back when I was growing up playing with H.O. Gauge trains the fancy features on the model trains didn't really develops until I was I think 3'rd or 4 'th grade. As long as the train ran good I loved it. I'm still That way today. Now with all the fancy features, it's hard to satisfy some. Oh well.
FYI If you buy a set from someone on eBay who is not an authorized dealer (I did) and it has the defect from the factory (it does), they will not cover the defect under warranty as stated here in their email to me. "Do you by chance happen to have the receipt and seller name for this product? If it was purchased off eBay from a non-authorized dealer then it wouldn’t be covered under warranty." (I don't qualify) Great looking Denver & Rio Grande silver PA-1s with the super bass PB unit (no defect) that runs and sounds great on Bluetooth.
I understand completely what you mean. I have one of the new Visionline Challengers, and the net has been flooded with negativity toward those engines. Out of the box, it looks good, sounds good, and pulls well. I'm happy. Are you going to do a video on one of the new Challengers? Oooo...I see 3949 in there... :D
Besides the electronics issue, one glaring issue with these Alco PAs from Lionel is that they don't have unique numbers for each AA set. Although it's neat that the Santa Fe versions of them have the lit number boards on the side.
This is a bit off topic but these units really caught my attention and I'm thinking that I want to buy them. It would have been an instant sale if there had been D&H but those war bonnets are something to take the credit card out. They look expensive but in checking the inflation calculator and locating the original prices in the early 1950, the prices then to now are comparable to now in inflated dollars. I am starting to think the sacrifices our parents made to buy those train sets and locomotives for us. I wish that I appreciated them more. In 2019 if you get these units for $899US then that was like $84 in 1950s money -- keeping in mind you have two powered units which would be $42 apiece. In one post from the past there was a photo from a Sear's catalogue from 1952 with two FA units with a train set for $57.50 which $556 in 2019 dollar. That would have been one powered unit and one dummy. The high-end Lionel equipment wasn't cheap and it probably why a lot of them are still around seventy years later. Some people might find better numbers than the ones I posted and will disagree with this post but this was just a couple of Google searches of research so please be kind.
Those are fine looking PA's Eric. Lionel did a great job on them. I especially like the close coupling between the units. I agree with your BFIMO though I thought it might have been the lit number boards on the sides. There were two small items that caught my eye. The pilot appears to be a bit too recessed under the nose and all those MU hoses don't belong on the PA's pilot if being modeled in "as built" condition. However they were added to some in later years in order to be able to MU with other diesels without being the lead unit. I would have liked to have seen Lionel offer the cover that hid the front coupler when first delivered. That would have been a neat addition. Do you plan on acquiring a set of streamlined passenger cars to couple behind the pair?
Not having a speaker in the back unit isn’t a big deal when running as an AA. But when I run my Sharknose as an ABBA, the lack of sound coming from the back units is very noticeable.
Hey Eric, for your next video could you please film some run by’s of the train from low angles? It is really immersive and feels like your actually standing there.
checking out pics of the real life versions of this.. did Lionel make a slight miss with the red color? In the pics I'm seeing, there's a little more gloss, and a little more red/less orange to it.
Hey eric how are you so lucky to afford all these amazing locomotives! Im still young and in highschool so i dont have a good concept of Money and i want a layout like yours. But im intimated by price
Eric,without a doubt your videos are exceptional on this hobby. You just don't miss a thing. I always look forward to your videos along with some chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk. However,I severely part company with you on manufactures defects and recalls. For the top end cost of this engine,there should be NO defects whatsoever,I don't want to hear any bullshit either. One,you mean to tell me on a railroad locomotive product,NONE of these locomotives were tested coming off the production line to see if they all ran properly? Unacceptable,sorry. How long did it take Lionel to identify the problem from the time these FA's rolled off the line? Unacceptable,sorry. So,let's say some father bought this engine,and it is a beauty,no doubt,for his son for Christmas. The locomotive doesn't run properly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day....that ruins the whole present and the whole event. Anyone who loves trains knows there is something magical about Christmas and trains,doesn't matter how young or old you are. To have this happen......unacceptable,sorry. I'm not just piling on the Chinese they make great stuff,no doubt. My biggest complaint is with American lack of pride and workmanship. Now....I had a 1989 Ford Bronco,a 302 V-8 that would shut down,lights out from time to time and lock the wheel up. Ford recalled all 1988 and 89 Broncos to fix the problem. Is that acceptable shitty quality control in your world? Is that another,"Oh well mistakes happen can't get too upset about that.?" Unacceptable in my book,I could have gotten into an accident. That 1989 Bronco was hit by a drunk driver and the four wheel drive was destroyed. The insurance company gave me a new 1990 Bronco. The Bronco in 1990 had faulty paint jobs as did the F-150s that year. There was a screw up with the primer and as a result the paint on the roofs and hoods flaked off,some within 6 months. Is that another "mistakes happen oh well?" My Chevy Suburban and my Escalade both had MASSIVE problems with the computers,the gouges went wildly off.....another "mistakes happen"? I made my point,I'm surprised many many more people didn't call you out on this. Finally and therefore thus....I find it TOTALLY REPREHENSIBLE that the American consumer HAS to pay extra for an extended warranty on any vehicle to cover for faulty, inept,lackadaisical,inferior workmanship. Unacceptable. You need to rethink your position,it's retarded.
Sorry, but I stand by what I said in the video. Mistakes happen, that's life, and I care more about the response to the mistake than the mistake itself.
So you mentioned about Lionel fixing this model free of charge, and it works great now. What about the Challengers? Some people are saying they are fixing it, some saying they didn't do anything with them. Do you know the correct answer? Thanks. Also, very nice engine. Sounds great too.
Like the video. If every model doesn't work after a track power on - off - on cycle when in command control mode that's ridicules. Not everybody has high speed internet access to calm their fear of possibly just blown out a $1000 locomotive set the second time they tried to run it. This problem should have shown up in random product sample testing with basic tests being performed, such as the test that it still works the next time it sees track power. People that have a lot of experience with first running lots of expensive models over years can probably tell themselves they've seldomly or never had a catastrophic situation take place when it suddenly doesn't work. Other people don't have that comfort and may think the worst.
@@Ericstrains I wouldn't be surprised if you actually performed a triple header with the new Challengers along with the 3989 that you did a vid on a while back.....not that it's possible to triple head outdated Lionel technology with updated Lionel tech, that is.
