“Train collectors will be overjoyed to hear this incredible gift has been called our best-ever HO scale electric collectors train. With a nickel silver track (a first for us!), a more authentic locomotive and a die-cast chassis to improve pulling power. This limited edition is sure to go fast, so shop early for a classic holiday gift that will be enjoyed in the family for years to come.”
The flyer says it has RP-25 wheels as well. Can not tell the road name though but does not look very Canadain
Photo
EDIT Dec 9, 2006:
Well, tried to buy one at our local Extra Foods. They are not going to carry it this year so the closest is Kamloops, at 90 km drive one way. But they also noted a high demand locally for it as well, maybe they will bring it in.
They do this every year, and cudos to them for doing it as it helps to promote the hobby here in Canada. I am waiting for them to do a CP Hudson, oh well maybe next year.
Sorry, I do not have one. They have not done a CP unit for awhile but the CN unit from last year was a good looker for sure. I have only heard third hand that they run ok for what they are.
With a shortage of Canadian painted steam locos, these generaly are sought after.
It’s an IHC 2-10-2, with a few items to “Canadianise” it. Plastic shell over a heavy weight, can motor, flywheel, RP-25 wheels, really too long Vanderbilt tender. This is a new engine by IHC
Comes with five ore cars lettered for CN, all different numbers and a caboose. Oval of NS track, rerailer, small power pack. Same engine (US version) was reviewed in the December RMC with good marks. IHC retails the engine alone for around US $129.95 on sale. So getting the whole set for $99.95CAN is a decent price as the engine alone is worth much more than that. I’ll probably be getting one, selling off the rest of the set as I have done in the past.
Set will be sold through Loblaw grocery stores and their affiliates across Canada. It’s the Atlantic Superstore in our area. They are supposed to be on the shelves this weekend, probably Sunday because Saturday is a national holiday (November 11, Remembrance Day).
My guess is that it’s the IHC 2-10-2; historically, the President’s Choice train sets have the latest loco model introduced by IHC - IIRC, last year’s was the Hudson, the year before was the 0-8-0 “Yard Bull”. Given that IHC’s locos are at best “generic”, this one will likely bear little resemblance to anything specific, let alone anything Canadian - however, it looks like they have added a feed-water heater to the front.
Sorry - Bob B. beat me to the punch. I have the CN 4-8-2, the ersatz “Bullet-nose Betty” 4-8-2 and the Hudson from last year. They are all reasonably good runners, relatively easy to convert to DCC, and not too expensive. The track that came with the previous sets was brass, the power packs pretty useless, and the cars (other than the ore cars that came with the 4-8-2) useless except for practicing your air brushing and weathering skills. I added a vestibule cab to the 4-8-2 and lettered it for my home road (Manitoba and Pacific). The 4-8-2 Bullet-nose is on display in a cabinet with the Hudson (I removed the side fairings and will be re-painting it). Incidentally, Bob Boudreau wrote an article appearing in the May/June 2002 Canadian Railway Modeller on improving the Bullet-nose to make it more representative of the prototype. For $100 Canadian, I expect I will be getting this year’s set.
I purchased my President’s Choice 2-10-2 Santa Fe tonight (Friday) at my local Zehr’s Store in St. Catharines. This by far is tha best looking localing IHC Pres. Choice local to date.
The locomotive is numbered 4100 - it is generic - nevertheless it looks great !! The box photo or advertisment photo does not do it justice. The engine has many free standing boiler parts, including the sand liines and the elesco feedwater and its associated piping. The engine is painted a uniform flat black with a white strip along the lateral walkways. Uncoupling levers and the railing along the boiler side are black wire. The drive rods, valve gear and spoked drive wheels are blackened. The elesco pump, cooling pipes, etc are also freestanding. The elesco feed water heater is well proportioned and finely molded.
The vanderbilt tender is the same as what came with 5700 and 6060 - as you know it is oversized and not very prototypical - however, the overall flat black paint of the tender makes it much more palatable than the gaudy green beast than came with 5700 and 6060. The tender has “Canadian National” spelt out is white letters across the aft round body of the tender. A photo, circa 1925, (source CN Lines V. 11, N.3) of 4101 shows a similar tender display. Photos, between 1937 and 1957, of sister locomotives show a more typical red tilted herald . For the fun of it, I placed a tender from my Athearn Genesis Mikado (though it is not a Vanderbilt) behind the 2-10-2, and I thought that it looked very confincing for a generic locomotive.
There is a favorable review of IHC 2-10-2 in the November 2006 issue of Railroad Model Crafstman. This review states that the IHC model comes with a 6 page instruction sheet with a parts list, exploded drawing of the assembly, together with instructions with how to add a DCC decoder. U
there’s already one on ebay … with a ‘buy-it-now’ price of $189 canadian [wow]
i think they’re generally considered a pretty good value despite the brass track in previous years , and the poor quality dc power pack . this year’s edition , a 2-10-2 , 5 ore cars , and a caboose plus the new NS track and the cummy power pack [}:)] seems like a pretty good deal . if it wasn’t completely inappropriate for what i’m planning , i’d rush out and buy a couple
i often see older editions at train shows , unopened box , mint condition , with much larger price tags on them
My wife bought me last years edition for Christmas and I thought it was ok. The cars it came with weren’t anything special but the steam engine looks great. I’ll “remind” her that this years set is out.
I bought a set every year (which are all still sealed )- I’m an N Scaler as you know. The locos are the real prize in any of the sets; and old (even open) sets fetch a good price at Train shows. I know of some guys who have DCC’d them and use them at their respective clubs. Last years set was visually disappointing rolling stock wise so that’s why you can find them in stores for 50.00 CDN right now.
I purchased last year’s Hudson for $49. I have yet to run it though. I was told by someone at a Train Show that the engines included with the set was well worth the price. In fact he told me that these engines were great starters for someone getting into the hobby.
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