The City of Miami was a vibrant orange and palm green streamliner of the Illinois Central Railroad. Operating between 1940 and 1971, the train provided service from Chicago to Miami, and was powered by a single EMD E6 diesel locomotive.
The first jaw-dropping feature of Lionel’s latest rendition of the set isn’t the locomotive itself, but its incredible artwork on the box to match the tropical theme of this train. Once I saw it, I knew that this was something special. Upon removal of the top portion of the box, the locomotive and four passenger cars were packed so tightly that I needed to be careful about which item to remove first.
If 96 inches of the standard set isn’t long enough, Lionel also offers a 2-car expansion pack and a separate StationSounds dine. Needless to say, I unboxed these items as well. I also ordered a custom run SuperBass B-unit from Mr. Muffin’s Trains to go with the set. It’s what a gorgeous train like this deserves!
The surprise feature is the fact that the 21” passenger cars, with the exception of the observation car, come equipped with figures. Passenger figures inside these cars are a feature we have not seen in years by Lionel. I am perplexed though on why figures were excluded from the observation car.
Each passenger car of the standard set is uniquely named:
- Combine No. 900 Bougainvellia
- Coach No. 2601 Cemellia
- Coach No. 2602 Japonica
- Observation No. 3300 Bamboo Grove
The most captivating characteristic of the E6 is the unique paint job at the front. The way the green lines swoop back from the nose and provide the perfect accent on the rest of the passenger cars makes this train appear to be in motion while at rest. The overall paint scheme on this set is a work of art.
Naturally, the locomotive features the standard Legacy features with controls hidden neatly underneath a roof panel. In addition, the E6 features number boards, a headlight and Mars light, all illuminated with bright LEDs.
With the attention-grabbing box artwork, tropical paint scheme, and reasonable minimum curve of O-54, the Illinois Central’s City of Miami is the sleeper collectible of the 2024 Vol. 1 Catalog. Now that this set has been delivered, the eye-catching colors are causing it to fly off the shelves! You should grab one while you still can.
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Lionel’s City of Miami Set No. 2422090
Features: Able to run in Legacy control mode, TrainMaster control mode, or conventional mode with standard transformer, Bluetooth control, Lionel Voice Control, IR Transmitter for SensorTrack, fan-driven smoke unit, O-54 operation
MSRP: $1499.99
Website: lionelstore.com
Add on items:
City of Miami 12” StationSounds diner No. 2427340, $449.99
City of Miami 21” passenger car 2-car set No. 2427330, $499.99
E6 B unit, custom run for Mr. Muffin’s Trains, No. 2422098F, $1099.98, mrmuffinstrains.com
