Lionel 30087 Area 51 Spaceship Recovery Set

Click the Video to see this set in Action!

Suggested Retail Price:  $229.99

Trainz.com Price:   $154.99  Super Sale!!!

        Background:  The Area 51 is a unique set born in the imaginations of Lionel's design team.  It is an interesting set that harkens back to Lionel's space-themed train sets of the 1960s. The locomotive is an 0-8-0 steam locomotive decorated for the Groom Lake Mining Company.  It features smoke and a headlight, and the smoke is synchronized so that it provides one puff of smoke per revolution. The engine shell is die cast metal and the frame of the engine is plastic. The locomotive also has an non-operating coupler on the front end.

        The tender has an air whistle and an operating coupler on the back. The whistle is activated by a button on the transformer. The tender shell is plastic and the wheels are metal.

        The cars in the set include a Groom Lake boxcar with sliding doors, a flatcar carrying two removable flying saucers, a lighted caboose, and a unique transparent tank car with 'alien fluid' inside. As the car moves down the track the goo swirls around inside of the car.  The cars all have plastic bodies, metal wheels and operating couplers, which can be operated by hand or by using a remote control uncoupling section (available separately).

        The set includes the standard 40" by 60" loop of Fastrack, consisting of eight 36-inch diameter curved sections, three 10-inch straight sections, and  10" terminal track section.  The transformer is a 30-watt Powermax transformer.   The set also includes a half-dozen alien figures who apparently are planning to take over the world by rail.

        Overview:    The Area 51 set is fun, different, and full of neat features.  The engine is the reliable 0-8-0 design and the cars all provide additional excitement to the set. If you are looking for something other than a basic freight or passenger train, this could be the set for you.  The 0-8-0 type locomotive is a nice runner that tracks well and is easy to place and keep on the track.  The engine has a traction tire on it, and it can pull around 10 to 12 cars.

    The only drawback to this set is the small 30-watt transformer.  If you ever decide to expand the set, you may need to upgrade to a larger transformer pretty quickly.   Lionel has made matching add-on cars for this set, which are also available at Trainz.

Also, be sure to check out these and other fun additions to the Area 51 Set!