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!