I remember hearing that Joshua Cowen used to patrol the showroom and would become quite angry if the trains weren’t displayed properly. The trains had to be on the track at all times.
Did anyone catch the fact that the G Gauge Polar Express Locomotive in the Ready to Run Catalog has its pony truck off the track?
Who looks at the G gauge stuff? [(-D]
Jim
Lots of folks on CTT and all the Garden guys.
Chief,
You must have missed the smiley face. Use less of the smoke drops.
Jack
Well, when I stop in at the Train Station this weekend, I’m going to refuse to take a copy of the catalog because of this.
I have Collecting Lionel for over 35 years, but operate “G” gauge outdoors. (have to buy both Classic and Garden)
Heck, back in the 70’s and 80’s there seemed to ALWAYS be a car or engine off the track somewhere in the catalog!
Jon [8D]
Some rail photographers have used this as a “signature” in the past.
Also in the same catalog, the Seaboard Boxcar has one of its trucks turned around so the coupler is under the car.
I liked the Oval wheels and “selective compression” on the Hudsons on Page 33 in the Signature catalog…
Roland
EDIT: doesn’t show up on the online catalog, but it’s the above locos in the printed catalog that are annoyingly distorted.
And the first passenger car of the “John Bull” set on the cover is off the track, too.
I noticed that also. But I thought I was just seeing things! Thanks for saving me a trip to the eye doctor.
Regards,
John
Yeah I saw this stuff. LOL!! Is it that hard to put a G SCALE TRAIN on the track? [(-D][(-D] I also noticed the interesting oval wheels on two of the steam engines.
Going along with the subject of mistakes, in the Signature catalog, Lionel’s BNSF SD70ACe picture had forest green on it, which is inaccurate for that paint scheme (Heritage III). I recently looked back on Lionel’s website and they fixed it to black like it should be. Good thing, I was getting worried…[:D]
Good Grief Charlie Brown !
First it was the dreaded Rivet Counter,
Now it’s photo critiques.
[banghead]
Thanks for pointing it out. I saw it but it looked normal to me…Just like the engines on my layout. [;)]
You read comments where people involved with Lionel today believe JLC would be proud of the company. That’s a subjective thought though. Yeah, I think he’d be impressed with Railsounds. I don’t know about Legacy/TMCC… he sure wouldn’t be impressed with the defect rates.
But from what I’ve read about JLC, one thing is clear: he set about to make and market trains that would be enjoyed by children and would appeal to their fathers and build a bonding experience between them. And the vast majority of those products were aimed at that audience, as well as nearly all of the advertising and catalogs. Back then, the trains were toys and children were children.
Today, the trains are aimed at the adults who were once those children, and in some cases today, act worse than children in their demands, nit-picking and expectations. The difference between what the hobby once was and what it has become might make JLC roll in his grave more so than a mistake in a photo.
I think JLC would be proud of the toy trains still made today. I think he’d be proud of the basic decent starter sets. I think he’d admire the products RMT and Industrial Rail is making and wonder why his own company is doing more like that?
Saw it but have to give you New Englanders a hard time. [:-^]
Lionel just put out their Ready to Run catalog aimed at family bonds. It features basic starter sets, add ons, the Hogwart and Polar express, and a section with Thomas the Tank stuff.
Things were really no different then than they are today when it comes to adults. Lionel’s expensive $75 and $100 sets of the 50’s (Trainmasters, F3’s 773, etc) were aimed at serious adults and often times, kids. Today kids are enjoying $1000 engines with dad.
Uhhh, not in my house they aren’t!
Squeek, squeek. [:-^]