Test Track: Lionel Acela -1

The Cadillac of my collection, an Acela Express by Lionel takes center stage with the full 6-coach trainset.

This train is noteworthy for being the *first* O scale model of a high speed passenger train. Other HST's have been modeled before, in HO or N scales, but as far as I know, this is the first time one has been done in O scale.

This train chock-full of little electric motors, giving it the ability to raise and retract its pantographs, open and close the passenger doors and tilt the coaches in curves at speeds over 25 scale MPH. I turned all of that off to avoid blowing the 6-amp breaker on my transformer (which happened after running with the passenger car lighting turned on), and to avoid tempting fate (like the real Acela, this train is highly sophisticated and has a matching penchant for electrical/mechanical gremlins).

I also did not try to simulate the speed of the real thing, as a derailment with this train's hook/loop couplers would be messy and expensive.

In Part Two of this video, you can see a low-speed runby close-up where the interior details of the passenger cars are fairly easy to see.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• model
• train
• O-Gauge
• Lionel
• Amtrak
• Acela

[t3subde]

i have 3 issues with it. 1)the real acela tilts in curves 2) it doesnt have the ditch lights like the real acela 3) unless they already do the doors should open/close. otherwise awesome model

[RailRide]

@t3subde

(1) It does, at speeds over 30SMPH. I disabled the feature owing to transformer amperage restrictions at the time The 6-car Lionel Acela can draw in excess of 6 amps with all features active.

(2) it does, I didn't have command control to operate them separately at the time

(3) The doors do open. I disabled them because of issues related to operating them without proper lubrication, which I had not done at the time.

[TheRailwaytrains]

nice train whare do you get it???????????????????? sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ooooooooocooooooooool

[RailRide]

@TheRailwaytrains

The set's three years old---the place where I got it closed down before it was shipped.

[mcrrocks80]

how did you get all those sounds? i don`t got when i got it.

[RailRide]

@mcrrocks80

They're built in and play automatically.. If you have the LIONEL Acela, that is.

[Roboman2121]

I wouldn't call it "The Cadillac of your collection." Instead, I'd call it, "The Bugatti of your collection." Let me explain why. 1. Your model and the Bugatti Veyron are both very fast. 2. They're both very stylish. 3. They're both very expensive. (In real life, an adult ticket goes for around $200, and w/ the model, you paid a few thousand for it, and a Veyron goes for over $1 million!) and 4. They both are very impressive in all of the videos on YouTube that they're in.

[MacAirRc]

@TheRailwaytrains lionel has them

[Zman2603]

@RailRide ohhhh man that is stupid