I'm in a tough place on this. I still think that MTH hardware build quality is better. By that, I mean the motor trucks- especially on a diesel, the gearing, the materials have been proven. PS3 is still reliable as any other PS3 engine you might own. Of key point, I think MTH smoke units are better, still diecast metal parts, and flat out they just work.
Yeah, sure, I had recent problems with BOTH brands, Lionel and MTH. Example one had a headlight LED polarity incorrect. One had a broken LED class lamp. Conversely, my Legacy GP30 had a wire solder joint failure and that caused a bunch of the lights to not work. Still fighting the MTH sound file issue on the Heavy Pacifics just released. Oh and my Legacy AF engine tha 30 minutes out of the box that just died and I got the RMA yesterday to send it back to Lionel.
Again, there was a discussion a while back specific to recent Lionel truck gearing and my opinion is- I'm not buying any more legacy diesels with that gearing just waiting for it to wear out. I'm trying to find my pictures as I remember being in a topic specifically about the Lionel current motor druck design that allows the wheels and thus gears to have lots of side to side motion. This in turn changed the tooth mesh contact width with the other gears. Again my bigger fear is long term, I'm probably buying spare Lionel motor trucks- oh wait- the other problem, recent Lionel you cannot even buy parts!!!
So my take is, if you buy a Lionel, my bet is within the first year, if you run it much- probably going need warranty support and maybe driveline or wiring related. Also seen my fair share of Lionel incorrect programming. The plus side on Lionel, recent engines really are nice and loud sounds. I think they have a slight edge on that front. Again, I'm honestly worried that the driveline in these recent Lionels is going to wear out the gears. Obviously it take time to prove that and real wold evidence, but my gut instinct is the gear material is wrong, the finish on the teeth is questionable the overall design is not yet proven, and last it just looks sloppy.
Example of the all flanged wheel set Lionel trucks that slide the axles back and forth with minimal drive gear contact patch. Yep, that gap is intentional.
I think with MTH, you probably get a better paint scheme and color match, better proven driveline, better value for the $ spent. They either seem to have problem new out of he box or just flat out work. As long as you test immediately upon arrival, and immediately return to dealer if there is a problem.
Again, my take is both companies suck right now. Lionel is banking on the name, while mechanically selling you an inferior product that does have nice electronics. MTH is selling the same product they produced in the past, with a slight uptick in wiring or QC issues, but overall, they either work out on day one, or they need to go back. Point being, MTH you neither have nor likely need warranty support. Lionel you have warranty support with a darn high chance you probably will need it. The bigger problem, what does year 2-5 look like? Again, MTH I'm not worried, Lionel I'm probably looking to buy spare parts as soon as I can.
I've easily spent a few grand with both companies in the last 6 months. The big regrets were the Lionels because I said never again, then gave them a chance, and then was immediately angry again. They make attractive models, then really good sounds, and then I get smacked in the face with smoke unit failures, various other failures and sending them back and playing the waiting game.
Conversely, one recent purchase was a 2018 Catalog Lionel Halloween engine, that has been flawless. The message there is products from 2018 are built better IMO than this lack fo QC in 2020-2021.
All that to say you definitely are not wrong for asking.
Again, my take is, 2020-2021 are unlikely to be known as the best years of trains to buy. I half expect that many of my recent Lionel diesels (GP30, SD70MAC, Veranda Turbine) all potentially subject to gear wear in the motor trucks long term.
