Lionel is BACK, Baby!

 STOP THE PRESSES!!!

Do my eyes deceive me? Let me just clean my glasses... nope. That's real!

Lionel has announced that they are bringing back their Strasburg Railroad line of O Gauge locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories! And just a year after I built my Little Strasburg Layout! Could the timing of this be any better? I feel as though Lionel did this personally for me, even though that is anything but the case. But the timing of it all is truly shocking and I am so hyped. Lionel is not just bringing the line back, they are redoing all of it as well! New engines, new molds, new accessories. Let's browse through the catalogue and take a look at each piece one by one!

Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

The first thing readers are greeted to on page 86 of the Lionel Volume II 2019 catalogue is the Philadelphia & Reading Observation Car. Now this one is not necessarily Strasburg, but I believe this was an old passenger car Strasburg used to use(?) Unsure, but considering Philly is not far from Strasburg, it is only fitting. It is depicted in that old green paint scheme and seems to be using the mold from Lionel's earlier Strasburg line of passenger cars. This would look great sitting on the siding on my layout but I do not consider it a "must buy."

Groff's Cove

This is also a great addition to the line, although I personally will not be buying it for my layout. My layout is mostly Strasburg yard and does not go all the way to Groff's Cove so the reality of me using this in any way is slim. It is just Lionel's "go-to" station mold that they have used for everything. Polar Express, Coca-Cola, etc etc. Very cute to see though, I do like the little signs on the platform. The price is very good, too!


Billboards

So of it isn't clear yet, Lionel are just reusing molds of previously released items and slapping the Strasburg license all over it. This is typical of the "charm" of Lionel - reusing assets, toy-like designs that look plausible on a model train layout. I've seen the billboards before. I don't believe Strasburg even has billboards laying around their yard but... I kind of want these? Honestly, why not? For $20 you get three billboards I can place on my layout near the modeled parking lot section. It's cute! And honestly, what's $20?


The Show Stealer

Of course, this is the real head turner of the whole announcement. A BRAND NEW O GAUGE STRASBURG MODEL LOCOMOTIVE. Thank you Lionel! This is exactly what I was asking for! It's one thing to have a new Strasburg model, but to have it be Lionchief (which is what I designed my entire layout around)? It is perfect! Well, almost. 

There is no beating around the bush here... #90? Really...? I can not deny the laziness of this release. Not only is this just their Strasburg #475 they made years ago (which that too was inaccurate), but they slapped the #90 road number on it? Why? This thing isn't even close to Strasburg #90! The shape is wrong, the wheel arrangement is completely wrong, the tender is wrong - nothing about this is correct!
BUT THEN I REMEMBERED

This is not a Legacy model. This is not a Vision Line model. This isn't even Lionchief 2.0. This is simply a ready to run, entry level model designed to be affordable and easily operated by those who are new to the hobby or kids. Suddenly, the design makes total sense. Lionel's "go-to" starter set (if not the Polar Express or Thomas & Friends) is ALWAYS an 0-8-0. They've made a John Deere 0-8-0. A Hersey's 0-8-0. A New York Central 0-8-0. And yes, even a Polar Express 0-8-0. Lionel's 0-8-0 is their personal "blank canvas" to slap whatever license or brand they have on a model and sell it as an entry level model train set. This model is not trying to be a scale Strasburg #90. It's just trying to be a cute, fictional little Strasburg model that any modeler can buy. The charm of it is the fact that it is an official Strasburg piece of merchandise. We do not get that often! So if that were the case, they should have just made up their own fictitious road number (or sold the 0-6-0T dockside switcher with #16 printed on it). Making it #90 is very confusing. But hey, I now have a new model to look forward to!


The Icing on the Cake

Honestly, if you are not quite sold on the idea of a purposely incorrect Strasburg #90, you may just still be interested in buying the set yet. As it comes included with three Strasburg passenger cars. These are a real treat because what is a Strasburg loco without it's consist? Not to mention these passenger cars actually look more accurate than Lionel's original Strasburg passenger car release. I would say the set is worth buying just for these alone.


Final Thoughts

I do not believe I have ever been this excited for a model train release. New models have certainly caught my eye, and I have even grabbed a few just out of sheer interest. But this entire announcement feels so integral to my craft and my personal relation to the entire hobby of model railroading. I can already envision half of these items on my layout and the amount of fun I will have (not just running, but sharing them with all of you!) Some items in this are certainly oddities, but I am willing to take anything. In my opinion, I can only imagine that if these items sell well, it will convince Lionel to make more Strasburg stuff in future. And if they sell really well, make more "accurate" Strasburg stuff in future. But only time will tell. At the very least, it can be assured that they've got a sale out of me!

My Day at Strasburg

 

The Annual Strasburg Visit!

Ever since the year 2016, I have made it an annual thing to visit the Strasburg Railroad. It gives me something to look forward to every year and serves as a celebration between my friends and I. I usually make videos to showcase how we spent the day, but I felt it would be fun to make a blog and run through all that happened that day. 

There is always a sense of excitement when you get closer to the station and you see those clouds of steam in the distance. Always wondering "Which engine is running today?" Well, as soon as we stepped foot on site, we were greeted to the loud and booming whistle of Strasburg #90. Such a powerful locomotive, you really get to hear it's sighs of breath as it enters and exits the yard. 

When one engine leaves, another comes in. I turned my head for one moment and looked back to see a giant crowd of people rushing towards the crossing where Percy was coming in from his trip to Cherry Hill. 

To this day, I have still never visited the Railroad Museum across the street from Strasburg Railroad but I took this picture and was captivated. Look at those size of those metal beasts. So interesting to think these iron horses once ruled the tracks not many decades ago but are now a mere memory. I must take a look at the museum sometime, I've heard they have a GG1 there and that would be pretty cool to see.

Always great to see 8618. An often overlooked member of the Strasburg fleet but a hard working and interesting one regardless. I really like the hazard striping on the front. I must model this diesel someday but I am trying to find the perfect base to start with. 

I think this was easily one of the best shots I got that day. Doesn't this image just evoke what Strasburg is all about? Perfect days, blue skies, clouds of steam, beautiful Amish countrysides, and engines running back and forth. 

I snuck around the back to get a look at the back of the yard, and what are the odds that I'd find Big Blue sitting back there right as #90 came in? I got this photo just in time and I'm glad I did. It's childhood and adulthood side by side. 

And there you have it! It really was a lovely day, another wonderful addition to my vault of memories visiting the Strasburg Railroad. Every year I get more and more used to knowing just what to expect when I visit. And every year I keep leaving surprised as something great happens that day (like that last shot for example!) I am happy to have spent another day at Strasburg and look forward to when I can visit again!

 Hello and Welcome!

Here we are, the first blog post. There is so much to say but I intend to keep this brief. Welcome to Little Strasburg: The short, stylized, modular O Gauge layout based upon the Strasburg Railroad! In my time modeling, I consider this "my" layout. Well, of course it is my layout, I made it. But by that I mean, when anyone sees pictures or videos of this layout whether online or on YouTube, everyone immediately knows it belongs to me. It seems my name and this layout go hand in hand, and that honestly makes me quite happy. The Strasburg Railroad is my favorite place in the world, and to be associated with it in the modeling world makes me feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment. 

What to Expect

There are so many blogs I intend to create for this site. Whether those be layout updates, running sessions, custom build logs, and product reviews. I hope you will stick around for the ride as I am happy to share all of this with you.