Do you run your favorite trains a lot?

I find myself always running my Lionel Big Boy with 15-20 boxcars and reefers and my Lionel 3751, three warbonnet Dash 9s for my 1992 Employee Excursion train set. I thought I would like my FEF3 Excursion and MTH Amtrak and K-Line Surfliner more (since I searched hard to find them) but steam engines with boxcars and Santa Fe plated passenger cars are my favorite.

I do tend to run my favorites quite a bit, like my EL Phoebe Snow passenger set, or an EL switcher and way freight. Once in awhile I’ll get the itch to run something I haven’t in a long time, though.

Before we moved and I still had a permanent layout, it seemed like I always ran my MTH Iowa Interstate "Rock Island" Heritage ES44 and my MTH Rock Island Bicentennial E8. 

I love to run my 1 Legacy (NY Central 10 Wheeler steamer), MTH PS 2 and 3 locomotives on DCS (several diesels and several steamers), and the following conventional engines that run quiet: Lionel modern NY Central F3s, Lionel Postwar 773 (1964 version), MTH NY Central Mohawk steamer,  Williams Jersey Central NW2 diesel and Williams NY Central F3s. I also have a very nice quiet running K Line GP38 Chesdue System diesel that is attractive and a fine puller.

I also have several LC+ engines that I love to run using the dedicated LC remotes or universal LC remote.

As I mentioned before, I limit the running of some of the modern engines with circuit boards, eventhough I love to run them. This is particularly true of the Legacy 10 wheeler and an MTH Proto 3 Long Island steam switcher.

The steam switcher, shown in the photo below, like other MTH Proto 3 steamers, has a sometimes problematic tether arrangement between the engine and tether. A connector needs to be fully seated in a socket for the engine to run. I have inserted a piece of clear plastic tubing to keep the connector fully seated.

The Legacy 10 wheeler, shown below, is simply my best engine IMO:

These favorites are my go to locomotives to entertain an audience, and I hope they will last at least as long as me without any need of repairs.

I run the above quiet conventional locomotives so as not to disturb my wife's sleep, and to pull 8 to 10 car trains (my limit because of reverse loops). Its no big deal to me if they break down.

Arnold

While I have my favs, I think that whatever trains I'm running at the time (especially if they are running well) are my favorites at that time.

Amongst 12* other sets on the layout at this time, my 2343 Santa Fe F3 A-B-A pulling 6 PW aluminum passenger cars is on my upper lever. Gotta be one of the most beautiful sets, especially with the extra cars. O42, O54 and O72 curves on that level.

*Most on sidings - I can run 6 sets at one time but I usually get in trouble doing so (I have a 45 degree cross track allowing two separate loops to cross so one has to pay attention or a broadside accident will happen). 4 sets running at one time is fun, however, plenty of Post War "railsounds" from the tracks, motors and e-units.

Sorry Arnold, I know that I went well beyond your question here. I get carried away.

@Lionelski posted:

While I have my favs, I think that whatever trains I'm running at the time (especially if they are running well) are my favorites at that time.

Amongst 12* other sets on the layout at this time, my 2343 Santa Fe F3 A-B-A pulling 6 PW aluminum passenger cars is on my upper lever. Gotta be one of the most beautiful sets, especially with the extra cars. O42, O54 and O72 curves on that level.

*Most on sidings - I can run 6 sets at one time but I usually get in trouble doing so (I have a 45 degree cross track allowing two separate loops to cross so one has to pay attention or a broadside accident will happen). 4 sets running at one time is fun, however, plenty of Post War "railsounds" from the tracks, motors and e-units.

Sorry Arnold, I know that I went well beyond your question here. I get carried away.

Excellent post, John.

Arnold, as always, great Questions, of course we love to run our favorites, Lionelski John said right, if the train runs great, it’s a favorite… These are my favorites. Happy Railroading Everyone

I tend to run my favorites.  That train however changes based on the time of day, the alignment of the planets, the weather, what I had for breakfast, etc.... you get the idea.

Right now my favorite three that I have put together but have not run because I have not been to my club in well over a year include the following trains:

• Modern Amtrak train with Viewliners and Amfleet cars.
• A Burlington secondary train with an E5 and a mixed consist of heavyweight cars.
• Santa Fe #7/#8 the Fast Mail.

Prior to that it was my Amtrak Southwest Limited and Santa Fe El Capitan. 

The theme here is passenger trains though!

Yes I tend to run mine nearly daily for at least a few minutes.  Although once it gets this cold out, the outdoor G scale stuff doesn't see much use till spring arrives.  But my indoor O scale British layout gets run quite a bit.   AD

Yeah my two favorites, postwar Lionel New Haven EP5 and Lionel Santa Fe F3, are always on the table. Then the rest is just picked based on what I feel like running.