The Lionel 2010 Catalogs are out--Trainz is taking Preorders

Lionel's 2010 catalog was released about a month later than usual, but it was worth the wait. The new catalogs are chock full of exciting new offerings.  The headliner is the Vision Line 700E New York Central Scale Hudson, which combines 21st-century technology with Lionel's most legendary locomotive.

The Heritage Fleet grows, this time with Norfolk Southern engines painted for three NS predecessors--Norfolk and Western, Southern, and Virginian.  Two classic Postwar diesels, the Canadian Pacific and Milwaukee Road F-3s, are back and are given the full-scale-and-Railsounds treatment.

In the Conventional Classics line, the famous Girls' Set is back along with the Virginian Rectifier set form 1958.

Many of the starter sets got a face-lift in 2010 and some other changes were made. The El Capitan passenger set, which seems to have been part of Lionel's set lineup since J.L. Cowen himself was running the place, is out and has been replaced with a neat Rio Grande passenger set.

The K-Line catalog was merged into the regular Lionel catalog this year.  The headliner in the K-Line lineup is the Napa Valley Wine Train, with a pair of Alco FA diesels and 4 matching heavyweight passenger cars.

In the American Flyer line, the famous Defender set from '59 returns, and a nice Western Pacific 2-8-2 is also new for this year.

If you haven't already, be sure to take some time and browse Trainz' preorder site for Lionel's 2010 line at http://store.trainzpreorder.com.  We offer great prices and great service, and as always we stand behind what we sell.

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Trainz also taking Preorders for MTH's 2010 RTR and Lionel Corporation Items

 

At about the same time Lionel's catalog arrived, MTH's 2010 Ready-to-Run Sets Catalog and the 2010 Lionel Corporation Catalogs arrived.  We are also taking preorders for the items in both catalogs.

MTH's Ready-to-Run catalog contains MTH starter sets, track, and accessories in O, HO, and Standard Gauges.  MTH sets are full of great features such as the Protosounds system, and the sets run the gamut from holiday-themed sets to realistic freight sets to whimsical sets like the M&M freight train.  If you are into HO scale, be sure to check out MTH's rapidly growing HO freight car line, which is part of this catalog.

The Lionel Corporation line is a joint MTH/Lionel venture focused on reissuing classic trains from Lionel's Prewar Era (1901-42).  At the top of the list is the 'Super 381' a gigantic Standard Gauge electric that was designed but never mass-produced by Lionel.  Also new for 2010, the O Gauge Hiawatha set makes a comeback, offered both in the original paint scheme and a special 'archive' scheme that Lionel designed but never produced.  The massive Standard Gauge #444 Roundhouse Sections are back, along with the matching #200 turntable.

This is just a sample of what MTH has for us in 2010, and be sure to take a look at http://store.trainzpreorder.com.  It's a great time to be part of the model train hobby.

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Trainz is offering an Extended Warranty Plan on Many New 2010 Items

New for 2010, Trainz is offering an Extended Warranty plan for many new Lionel and MTH releases.

Items covered under Trainz’ Extended Warranty Program are automatically eligible for one additional year of coverage from Trainz.com at no extra charge.

Also, for items covered under the extended warranty plan, customers can purchase extra coverage for up to five years.

An Extended Warranty through Trainz.com offers peace of mind. A circuit board suddenly fails? We’ll take care of it. Smoke unit stops working? We’ll take care of it. Enjoy your trains, and let Trainz’ experienced repair shop worry about the rest.

Trainz is an Authorized Lionel Service Station, and two of our repair technicians have attended Lionel’s classes for servicing and repairing modern command-equipped locomotives. Our repair staff has over 30 years of combined experience repairing electric trains.

And if you purchase an extended warranty and we cannot fix it? We’ll refund the warranty price. Guaranteed.

Be sure to read up on the details of Trainz' extended warranty plan at http://www.trainz.com/t-lionel-warranty.aspx.

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Be Sure to See Us At York!

We will be at the York Show ion April 23-24.  Be sure to stop by the Purple Hall and chat with Scott and Marty.  They will be there to talk with customers and  collectors, demonstrate all of the great features on the Trainz' website, and answer any questions you may have. Also be sure to pick up a surprise to help you save on your next order!

See you there!

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RMT and Aristo-Craft Teaming Up

Photo l/r: Lewis M. Polk, Scott H. Polk, Susie Matuch, Walter M. Matuch

In March RMT (Ready Made Trains) and Aristo-Craft announced a joint effort called 'RMT by Aristo-Craft', in which RMT products will be offered through Aristo-Craft's distribution network.  In other words, RMT will continue to develop its line but will use Aristo-Craft as a means to market its product, and RMT's trains will be seen as an O Gauge component of Aristo-Craft's predominantly G Scale line.

Similar to Williams by Bachmann and the MTH/Lionel joint venture, this announcement shows a growing cooperative trend between train manufacturers.  In the long run, such moves should solidify and steady the model train industry.  Best of luck to RMT and Aristo, and we can't wait to see their first catalog.

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The Rare Item of the Month--
Carlisle & Finch Mining Train Set (1899)

A new feature in our 2010 newsletters, we will feature a rare train, locomotive, car or accessory that passed through Trainz at some point. Sometimes it will be an item currently on the site, while others may be from a while ago. The Rare Item of the Month will not necessarily always be an expensive or well-known piece, just something strange that doesn't show up very often.

In Part Three of this series, meet the oldest train ever sold at Trainz.com--a Carlisle and Finch Mining Train from around 1899.  C&F was founded in Cincinnati in 1894, and the Mining Train was one of their earliest and most popular items.  It runs on 2-rail, 2-inch track and used wet-cell batteries for power.  Electrical components in the engine were insulated from each other using wooden parts, not plastic.  This set passed through Trainz in early 2009.

Carlisle and Finch made its last toy trains around 1917.  The company still exists and today focuses on the production of marine equipment.

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Write a Product Review on Trainz.com, Get $5 Off

We have recently installed product review software on our site, allowing people to write comments. All we need now are some actual written reviews. Help us out, and we'll return the favor.

If you write a product review, we will email you a $5 coupon good for your next purchase at Trainz.com. Please note that the coupon is only applies for the first review written.

It's quick, easy and fun, and can save some money, too. What could be better?

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Like to Write about Trains?
We'd Like to Hear From You

One of the more popular features on Trainz is our free articles section, which contains columns discussing how to build and expand layouts, articles about different model trains made over the years, and other train-related information.

Tommy Feldman, our General Manager, has been writing all of the articles currently on the site. He plans to continue to do so and add several more articles in 2010, but we're also interested in hearing from any train enthusiasts interested in writing articles for our site.

The articles can deal with collecting or operating O or G Scale trains, building a layout, or historic articles about real railroads or train manufacturers.

While we offer the articles for free on our site, we will pay for approved submissions.

Please contact tommy@trainz.com for more information. Please, please, contact us with an idea for an article prior to writing it to see if it meets our current needs.