Take a look at the back cover of the new Lionel Christmas Catalog. When I saw it my eyes about fell out of my head.
Lionel is making an O-gauge Hogwarts Express Train!!!
After a few exciting minutes, I realized this was Lionel saying this. I said to the man behind the counter at my LHS, “Wow, a Hogwarts Express. Watch it be a Mikado or Atlantic and a few 0-27 streamliners painted as the Hogwarts Express”.
“No”, came the reply, “The last time I spoke to Lionel about this they said the engine and cars would be based on the movie train, an ex-Hall Class 4-6-0 and a few Mk1 Coaches”.
By then I was teeming with excitment, and I boguth the catalog, which actually was free, I just bought an Atlas catalog so he threw it in for free.
Not only that, but the G-scale line has been expanded. Yes, I know they are Battery Powered, but hey, its a major movement with Lionel, a Polar Express set with a 2-8-2 (Shame its not a Berk), and 2 Passenger Cars, and a 4-4-0 and 2 cars.
I’d like to get the 4-4-0 set and re-paint the engine as “The General”, but thats another story.
This catalog can be viewed on Lionel’s website at www.lionel.com
I predict the Hogwarts set will do very well…probably almost as good as POLAR EXPRESS. Hopefully the next Harry potter movie figures in some more scenes involving the train. Neat for a Halloween layout methinks.
is this the prototype/preproduction model? and does it have hook and chain couplers like British trains or the American knuckle? i can’t tell. either way it does look nice. wonder how much it’ll be.
This is a pic from the NY city toy fair. It had regular couplers on the cars. This was a prototype I pre ordered mine from trainz with no tax and free delivery for $229.99.
Almost as good. There are alot more Harry Potter fans than there are Polar Express Fans. I can almost guarantee that the Potter set will surpass the Polar Express set. Heck, if the sales are strong enough, it might even replace it!
I remember reading in Britain’s “Railway Magazine” that when the first HP movie was being made, there was a big uproar in the British railfan (oops!! I mean “railway enthusiast”) community about taking a Great Western engine and changing the paint from GWR malachite green to London Midland and Scottish red - kinda like a taking a Pennsy K4 and painting it in New York Central gray!! [swg]
I am not impressed. I feel that this is just another way to merchandise these books, which are not really about trains at all. It was fine with the Polar Express, because the book was really about a train. I feel that Lionel should be more focused on making prototypical models of actual trains, rather than making a big deal about this one. But I wouldn’t be a bit suprised if this train makes the cover of Lionel’s “2007 Volume II” catalog. Sadly, this is one major reason why I prefer MTH trains over Lionel; they just don’t seem to make any trains I really want nowadays…though MTH always does, at one time or another. [2c]
Ummm…Bob…this is a model of a prototypical locomotive. The real engine ran in several of the highest grossing movies of all time. They ran on real tracks, in a real place, using real water and real fuel.
The purchaser can choose to use their set as they choose. They can run it under the tree, on a recreated British landscape, or as part of a movie premiere tour on their layout. As many British cars (trucks) and an engine came to the states for a tour at the end of WWII, any prototypical example you choose can be justified.
I do have to say that although I am mainly a postwar collector, didn’t really get into the Harry Potter thing and believe that current products are more stupid merchandizing of fads, I think that this is one VERY attractive train set. If I had the money I might consider purchasing one. It suprises me to say that but it is true, it is based on a REAL loco. And as far as prototypical goes, The Hogwart rail line is not the first ficticious railroad to be modeled in O gauge. Find me a prototypical “Lionel Lines” and we’ll talk.
Oops. Poor choice of words. What I meant to say was I feel that Lionel should be more focused on making prototypical models of actual railroad’s trains, rather than making a big deal about this one. Sorry if I got some of you confused. [:D]
The train they used for the Hogwart’s Express is actually a working tourist train and BTW was a working train before that. FYI it was vandalized after the last movie, but I think I read they were fixing it back up.
Probably a really hissed off fan who missed out on a movie ticket or something equally stupid an over the top religious nut there have been a few of those rabbiting on about how evil the books are.
Yes they are restoring the loco I hope it remains as the Hogwarts loco but it will probably eventually return to proper GWR livery.
For those contemplating a UK holiday make it the steam season and go to the North Yorkshire Moor Railway who knows what mysteries await you you never know you might see the real train
I hope Lionel eventually do what they have done with the polar express and produce a G one
Any comments on the probable quality of the G polar express would be welcome.
Just to keep more or less on topic any train from a popular children’s movie should be produced as a toy or even as a serious model its what gets a lot of the kids interested in trains to start with.
It also returns the big kids to a second or third or??? childhood who said we should stop playing with our toys.
