I ordered the gateman before Christmas. I received an e-mail from the dealer that Lionel decided not to make this item. Does anyone have any additional information?
I had heard it was just delayed. According to my LHS cancelling any Thomas Item would be a big mistake. Are you sure they cancelled it?
As of today on Lionel’s website, the item is still listed to be shipped (in December!?!) Not yet cancelled.
Mel Hazen; Jax, FL
I ordered the item before Christmas. I was then told that it was pushed back to Jan. Yesterday, I received an e-mail that Lionel decided not to make the gateman and my account will be credited.
You know, this sure is funny. I swear I saw one in the window of our LHS - I asked about its action as I was thinking of buying it too.
Wouldn’t that be somewhat of a demotion for Sir Topham?
Too bad, I was going to buy it!
Got to thinking about this relatively “old” post, remembered seeing Sir Topham Gateman in the new Lionel catalog. Checked the shipping schedule-now aiming for July 2008.
Mel Hazen; Jax, FL
Thanks, Mel! I missed seeing the date although I saw him again. I’m not that thrilled with the extensions of Diesel too - Bert and Harry; hope we get another steamer someday.
Don’t know if we’ll order the gateman but I’d like to see Lionel follow-up with some accessories such as Cranky the Crane, the railbus(Clarisse ?), and Toby. What about Gordon and Henry with their coaches ?
Doug, I wish Lionel would consider some of the items that Bachmann puts out in HO. There’s a wealth of engines, rolling stock and accessories.
Yeah, I’d love to have Toby especially!
So much confusion and delay…
I have just one thing to say and I hope and pray Lionel is listening… Break down train… Make it and I will buy. Make it real cool and I will buy engine to pull it… would Harvey be to much to ask???
Lionel seems to be basing the Thomas characters on what will fit on 4 and 6 wheel motor platforms. Toby would be a good bet to one of the next made. I want Gordon to reach production, have a die cast shell, smoke unit, and good sounding whistle. I’m repainting some Amtrack streamliners cream and red to look like Thomas-line coaches. Why wait?
Jim
According to the print versions of the book and the Rev. W. Audrey’s History of the Island of Sodor, Gordon was an early prototype for the Gresley A1 Pacifics.
The A1 Pacifics, of course, led the way to the A3 class, the best known of which is The Flying Scottsman.
Thus, a properly done Gordon could also be carried over into a reasonable model of the Flying Scottsman.
Interstingly enough, most of the locomotives from the Railways Series(especially the ones introduced later) did in fact have a real prototype. Thus, well done Thomas models could also carry over to the regular lines.
Or maybe a Flying Scotsman could be made into Gordon. Isn’t MTH planning one? Maybe Lionel will try one too.
I think Jim is right. That’s probably why James looks so funny on this small wheels and short-wheelbase, although he runs fine. Toby would be nice.
Something else, too-
The rebuilt Henry(after the Flying Kipper accident) was based on the BR Standard 5MT. The design isn’t exactly the same, but it’s at least passibly close enough to the GWR Hall Class. If nothing else, at least the wheel arrangement and the Belpaire firebox are correct, although the front bufferbeam is fairly different.
In any case, though, the already existing Hall class tooling(from the Hogwarts Express) could probably be used to make a passable representation of Henry.
Ben, that is a nifty idea. Though isn’t the Hall a bit small in relation to Lionel’s Thomas. I enjoy browsing a website called ‘The Real Lives of Thomas the Tank Engine’ that has all sorts of interesting things about the engines that the good Rev. may have used for his prototypes. And links to his modeling.
Doug,
I’ve never seen Lionel’s Thomas in person, so can’t say. The Hall-class model, however, is close to scale, for what that’s worth.
The Rev. Auwdrey went to great lengths to make things as prototypical as possible, with of course all of the locomotives and rolling stock having at least some sort of prototype. So, while on one hand it seems ludicrous to talk about scale models of completely fictional locomotives, it’s also possible to do so since things were made so realistic.
In any case, there’s also a lot of good information on Wikipedia on the Island of Sodor. Having grown up watching Thomas videos as well as Shining Time station, as well as later acquiring a nice hardbound single-volume collection of the Rev.'s 26 original Railway Series books, I find it all quite fascinating. I also blame this for the interest in British steam that I have today.
By the way, since this thread has sort of drifted off track, let me also mention that I’m glad to hear that the “Fat Controller” hasn’t been cut, although I wasn’t planning on buying it myself.