EDIT and Update: Are you mostly into just one brand of trains?

No particular favorite.

When I got back into O gauge 12 years ago,My locomotives  mix was 100% MTH,now I am about 60% MTH,30% Lionel with Third Rail,K-Line,Atlas and Williams round out the remaining 10%.I run DCS and Legacy.My main area of focus is modern superpower steam locomotives,heavy electrics and 1st generation diesels(1935-1955). My rolling stock mix is completely different.60% Atlas,25% MTH,10% Lionel and the balance K-Line.Everything is post 1993 production except for a dozen or so childhood postwar and MPC pieces.Presently,I have no exact idea of what I have or if I have duplicates.I just buy what I like within the criteria above.

I got back into trains when my wife got me a Lionel train set for Christmas in 1989. I truly believe if she had to do it again, I would have received a Red Ryder BB gun.

 

The next year for Christmas I got my first steam engine, the Lionel L-3 Mohawk. It was my dream engine. 28 inches long, 8 drive wheels, sound...I was in Heaven. After getting it, I decided to just buy scale engines.

 

The problem was, at that time, there wasn't a whole lot to pick from and they were expensive. You had the die-cast engines that Mike was having made for Lionel by Samhongsa and the brass engines being made for Weaver, Williams and ROW.

 

Then you had the Williams brass engine meltdown followed by the ROW EMD FT debacle.

 

In 1995 I bought my first MTH engine, the beautiful scale 2912 Santa Fe Northern and I was hooked on MTH engines.

 

For about 5 years I bought mostly MTH engines because they were releasing engines I wanted plus they looked and ran great.

 

When Lionel finally got off of their duff and starting making some great looking scale engines I started buying those also.

 

Then came the Lionel/Korea Brass setback.

 

 

My engines are about 45% Lionel and 45% MTH with the remaining 10% K-line and Williams.

 

My rolling stock is about 75% MTH with the other 25% Lionel and K-line.

 

Early this year I picked up a number of engines before I retired (both Lionel and MTH) that were still on my "wish list".

 

The way I look at it now, my train buying days are just about over. I have almost every type of engine that I put on my "wish list" over 20 years ago.

 

Instead of trying to figure out what I'm going to buy next, I'm just going enjoy what I have.

 

45 MTH PS 2 locos 12 MTH PS 1 locos 18 Williams locos 153 postwar Lionel locos 0 post 1969 Lionel locos

Locomotive power(3) 100% Mikes Train House Premier Proto-Sound 2.

Rolling Stock (60) 100% Mikes Train House Premier.

Track 100% Lionel FasTrack.

Transformers Z4000 and Z1000 MTH.

I like the scale look of the rolling stock and with MTH it's easy to spot the difference.  Purple box and stock numbers begin 20-.  Lionel makes it hard you have to examin each boc and guess.

I use pretty much everyone's rolling stock -- MTH, Atlas, Weaver, K-Line, and Lionel. My recent locomotive purchases have been MTH, not per se because of a brand preference, but more that MTH is offering locomotives in road names and configurations I like at a price I can afford. The recent big attraction is scale-wheeled locomotives w/fixed pilots that I can run on 2 or 3-rail track. I currently own 10 Atlas locomotives running under TMCC which I've been very happy with that will eventually get their pilots fixed, but I won't be converting to scale wheels.

MTH is the enemy.

 

Stupid .... I know.

 

A big part of it is the memories ...... the aromas and sounds of that old postwar 2046 Hudson set running around the Christmas tree. I'm glad to see that Lionel is still with us and going strong after its checkered past.

 

Lionel means trains to me.

 

I only buy Lionel engines .... but also some rolling stock from Atlas and Weaver because of the varied selection/availability they have for my small, northeastern railroad layout.

 

Of course, what I say means nothing. We're all in this to enjoy these wonderful little mechanical devices that we all share this crazy genetic predisposition for.

Without MTH, Lionel'd still be charging premium prices to trot out the same old, same old.  Mike Wolfe did for Lionel what Toyota did to Detroit.

MTH is the enemy.  ...Lionel means trains to me.

 

Remember, MTH makes Lionel-branded tinplate - and has since the 1980's, with the single exception of the Standard Gauge Hiawatha and Commodore Vanderbilt in 2001. Mike Wolf started out in trains with Williams reproductions of Lionel Standard Gauge.

I run TMCC conv., so control is not an issue.  However, I could run TMCC command if I wanted to.

 

So, most of my stuff is:

 

1.  Lionel:  MPC

2.  Lionel:  PW

4.  Lionel:  LTI and LLC

3.  Marx

4.  Waever, all express boxcars

5.  W/WBB

6.  MTH, both RK and P/

There was a time when I thought MTH would replace Lionel as the leader. When they fist started producing high quality scale engines they were better than what Lionel was producing at the time. I have 6 or 7 MTH engines.

 

However, I have returned to buying only Lionel for the following reasons:

 

• Legacy - it's a great system - much more than what it seems to be on the surface - using dynamic ICONS on a keypad was ingenious.
• Features - Whistle Steam, swinging bell, cylinder steam, Rule 17 lighting, etc.
• Service - Mike Regan and his team deliver superior service at a fair price. MTH makes you go to a dealer - bad news
• Parts - I can order just about any part for anything produced in the past 5 years from Lionel on-line. MTH does not have an on-line parts department and won't sell you the electronics

 

The one exception is track - Lionel Fastrack and MTH Realtrax are both ugly. I use Atlas O and have been very happy with it. I have 30 switches and have not had any problems. I use their electronics - very happy.

I own many brands of locomotives, but by choice do not own any by MTH. 

Rolling stock wise I don't really have a preference.  I just get what I like.

 

Locomotives are mainly Lionel, with some K-Line/Lionel, RMT and Williams thrown in.  Haven't broken down and added any MTH loco's yet.

I don't have as many trains as most of you have. I have postwar and some new Lionel engines. Most of my passenger cars and most of my animated freight cars are MTH. Everything I have is semi-scale. I also have Flyer postwar.

My big wish is that MTH starts making "S" buildings, etc.

I'm pretty much MTH as far as motive power goes. I worked at a LHS several years ago when I was first getting back into the hobby. I was initially attracted to Lionel because that was what I had as a kid. But after working there for awhile, I saw too much Lionel either coming back for repair or what we called "doobies", Dead Out Of Box in comparison to MTH. The only thing I really like and use from Lionel is Fastrack. I do have 2 Lionel locomotives that I was able to to buy dirt cheap from the store. One sits on a shelf because I have never been able to get it to run right (thinking about converting it to PS2) while the other fried itself and had to be rebuilt. I bought a third Lionel loco, a Seaboard Alco C-420 with TMCC and Odessey 1 off eBay because I love Alco's and that model isn't offered by MTH. So far it runs great. All of my engines are command control and I run DCS and TMCC.

When your married with kids and a mortgage, one can only afford so many toys.  For the value I have leaned toward MTH Imperial models, with DCS they are very easy to operate.  I also tend to collect Reading and Pennsylvania models, due to my love of the Reading railroad and growing up a short distance from the City of Reading.  I like many of the Lionel and Atlas engines but I have yet to master TMCC.  I am sure if someone walked me through it I can get the hang of it, but for now it's easier and more affordable to concentrate on one manufacturer and one or two road names.  Just my thoughts.

 

Jim Gress

Bethlehem, pa

 

All Lionel.....and some Atlas-O engines.  No MTH.

I started my layout from the get-go wired for both MTH/DCS and TMCC but have not added Legacy.  I now only have MTH engines but am not against buying a Lionel if it is some road or engine I want.  Guests have brought their TMCC engines to run on my layout and they are perfectly compatible on the same track and even at the same time.

.....

Dennis

My railroad is prototype based, and that sets many of my rules on what I buy.

 

My era is 1970 to present, which means no cars with roof walks and no steam (with a couple of exceptions).

 

The locale is Minneapolis - St Paul. Combine that with the era and a lot of road

names fit, even CSX and NS locos turn up.

 

Rolling stock must be scale. I buy mostly Lionel, MTH, Atlas and Weaver. I buy what I like, and I like what I see out on the rails.

 

Locomotives are 100% TMCC, mostly Lionel and Atlas, but I have a Weaver and a couple of converted Williams as well. I like the looks of MTH engines, but I won't buy DCS. If I could ever pick them up at the right price, I would consider converting them to TMCC.

I am RR specific.  I model the Penn Central in 3 rail Hi Rail.  I will run anything as long as it is PC and scale dimensions.  It also has to run on 042 curves as my layout is fairly compact.  I have several Atlas locomotives, a K-Line E8 (in PRR paint), a WBB F3 converted to TMCC and a MTH RS-27 converted to TMCC.  No lionel yet, but they do have a PC RS-11 I'm looking at.  Unfortunetely, I don't model any electric operations.  MTH has issued several motors in PC that look nice.

 

Tom

My engines, rolling stock, track (fastrack), switches (fastrack), 95% of accessories are Lionel.   And yes I have Legacy updated with 1.5.

There are too many nice trains out there made by various manufacturers to want to buy only one "brand".

 

I enjoy and embrace the fact that I have trains from many manufacturers including Lionel, MTH, KLine, Williams, Weaver and Atlas and several others as well.

 

I am set up to run DCS, TMCC & Conventional and will be upgrading to Legacy somewhere down the road.

 

With all of the great products being offered by all of these fine companies why would I want to limit myself to just one company's offerings?

 

Steve Tapper

My heart is with Lionel and always will be but I buy all brands. Most of my engines are Lionel, MTH and K-line. There is just so much great stuff to choose from it is very hard to be brand loyal these days.

 

I did notice at York that the packages people were carrying did not include a lot of Lionel boxes. So much so that my daughter started running counts in her head. She claims only one in five boxes were Lionel. Five years ago I bet it was more like 3 in 5 were Lionel. 

 

I do remember buying my first MTH engine and feeling like I was doing something bad. As it is in life the next purchase came easier then I discovered K-Line and bought a ton of it. Only recently did I start to buy Atlas and Williams. I'd have to say more than 50% of what I have is Lionel. 

By choice only Lionel.   Postwar and new Lionel.  To me Lionel means toy trains.

 

I'm an admitted MTH collector and operator.  That said, I do have a few Lionel and Atlas engines.  In powered and dummy units, I have about 175 MTH, 1 Lionel and 3 Atlas.

 

My rolling stock is not as overwhelmingly one-sided, but it's close.  I'm about 90% MTH, 8% Atlas and 2% Lionel/K-Line/Weaver.

 

Happy as a lark.

I would guess that maybe 45% of mine is Marx, and 30% Lionel.  Many different manufacturers make up the balance.  All the modern stuff is Lionel except for 2 Williams (Jerry).

I have purchased Lionel (postwar and modern),MTH,old K-line,Atlas and Williams and have no brand preferences. I just buy what I like at the moment and if it happens to be at a good price.

yep i only play with electric trains.

I prefer Lionel and Atlas locomotives mainly because I only run TMCC.

The few MTH locos I have are former PS1 that I converted to TMCC.

I dislike most MTH freight cars. The only two that I run are the 60' flats because nobody else makes them.

I dislike most Lionel freight cars too. The only ones I run have been modified in one way or another.

My favorite freight cars come from Atlas and Weaver and a few from K-line.

I only model BNSF, BN, and SF.

You can say that again John! You've got quite the Pennsy collection! Thanks for sharing last weekend.

 

That said, I have a fair representation of all manufactures including MTH, Lionel, New and old Williams, K-LIne and Weaver.

 

 

i stick to legacy engines; it is just how i roll.  rolling stock, no preferences.

I have 5 MTH engines and 4 by Lionel. I want some Proto Sound 3!

I COLLECT one brand, from my childhood...but it is finite and I have most of what I

want, which was only a couple of series of a huge variety of items they made (this makes for a huge investment savings) I only ACCUMULATE, from current mgrs., three rail O scale of specific roadnames that operated in a geographic region in the steam era.  These are run, not viewed as "collectible", and may be refinished or modified.  I have no loyalties to any brand, just have to have the correct road names, but try to avoid electronics and adhere to conventional locomotives, such as the recent WBB 4-6-0.  They have to meet my theme of modeling a short line road that serves plains grain, and mountain mining and logging industries.  Freight cars should be as realistic as possible and relevant to a short line, so I have a lot of kit built/scratch built and bashed cars on three rail trucks. (I do get off on tangents such as collecting RPO cars, within that regional roadname restriction, some for streamliners, which would not show up on a prototype of this branch line).  Since little is offered of interest by current mfrs., except for an occasional RPO car from MTH, I am gleefully off on another tangent, building structures.  Actually, if Bachmann built 3 rail O versions of their On30 misguided efforts, I would probably own a lot of them.

1/2 modern, 1/2 pre and postwar. 76% Lionel, 20% MTH, 4% Atlas. All modern converted to TMCC.

I pretty much buy what I like.  Ulnlike most folks, I have very little Lionel (one) and no MTH engines.  I model primarily the Reading and B&O.  The current modern engines on my layout include:

 

Brass engines:

1 SGL

1 3rd Rail

2 Weaver

1 Williams

 

Other:

1 Lionel

3 Atlas

4 original K-Line

 

My toy engines include:

2 prewar Lionel

1 prewar American Flyer

2 modern Marx

 

Jim

Lionel is the sentimental favorite - dad and I had so much fun.  There are still pre/post war Lionel items that I've wanted from way back and am picking those up here and there.  Have a couple of MTH, two ancient Williams Hudsons (the infamous 4000 and 4001 - a two-fer back in the day).  There're some Marx and Flyer (Chicago and Gilbert).  Just reserved what will be my first 3rd Rail.  Frankly, I love all trains, all gauges, but have hands full with O (and a little S... and a little HO.... and a little N.. but no G, yet)...

 

Carlton

 

(ps: wouldn't rule out OO or Z, either.... but I'm probably out on TT)

As long as it's Boston and Albany or NYC I don't care who makes it.  I have 3rdrail, MTH, Kline and some Lionel.

When it comes to Long Island RR and RF&P....MTH hands down. 

 

Sunrise

2 K-line tmcc 0-4-0 shifters 1 K-line tmcc 0-6-0 shifter 1 K-line tmcc 4-6-6t 1 Lionel tmcc Berkshire jr 1 Lionel tmcc Mogul 1-Lionel conv 0-8-0 1 Lionel conv Berkshire 1 Lionel conv 0-6-0 Docksider 3 Lionel conv 0-4-0 switchers 1 K-line conv Plymouth switcher 1 Lionel 60 trolley

Since I buy BNSF engines, it has to be mth. They make pretty much every example of a model and color scheme you will see in a bnsf yard on the past 10 years. They even made that smurfy gp that's out there. Lionel makes less examples of BNSF while atlas mostly ignores their locos. Williams is not even trying to make an un-laughable-looking one. I'll buy any brand of rolling stock if it is 1:48 scale

I buy what I like regardless of manufacture and have a fair mix of locomotives and rolling stock from Lionel, MTH, Atlas and Weaver.

 

I don't get involved in the brand wars as IMHO all the manufactures of O gauge equipment have there good and bad points.