Full disclosure - I don’t have that many locomotives, but I do believe I have some nice ones and the majority is steamers.
My first 2 scale models were the MTH Premier N&W J and the NYC Mohawk, with the latter being my fave for a while due to amazing smoke production, elephant ears and graceful running gear detail. At some point, I decided to try Lionel because of the whistle steam, and my first such engine was the Legacy Southern Crescent. Love the variable glow firebox and glowing ash pan, but was completely entranced by the whistle steam! To me, the two fundamental charms of a real steamer are its running gear and that it seems to billow steam from every orifice. When buying a realistic scale model, the closer in realism to the real thing, the better for me. For clarity, I don’t mean “realism” in terms of number of bolt heads or every last physical detail. I mean operating features that emulate those of the real thing, which have the effect of putting a smile firmly on my face. In any event, I have been enjoying my VLBB and for the past two weeks have been convinced it is my favorite as the most realistic in terms of features. But last night, I put my VL Challenger on the track with the VLBB and, all things considered, I must say that the VL Challenger is still my favorite in terms of realism. At idle, it just sits there with steam billowing out of the bottom rear, shooting up out of the dynamo and smoldering from the 2 stacks – without having to lift a finger to trigger any effects! And, of course, it too has whistle steam, the glowing ash pan, etc. To me, this is about as close in appearance to a real steamer (even at idle) as you can get.
Peter
....................Brandy! 
