Good Runners!

the following are my good runners.

nkp765 first version

2 lionel sd70's

3 lionel es44's

2 lionel northern 4-8-4

2 lionel dash 9's

lionel f-7's aba

and the 4014 buig boy to name a few.

The most reliable engine I own is an old Weaver brass John Wilkes that I converted to PS/2 using a kit. My first conversion, and it runs great. 

Well, "new" is a subjective term... so I will let you be the judge:

Prewar 224E loco 1938 in gunmetal gray - newer than my old 248:

2333 another 10 years newer:

And, three of the best - 1946 2020, 1977 MPC General, & ~ 1984 Williams FM H-24-66 CP TrainMaster:

I have 30+ Lionels and have only one that is a problem- 726RR  that is noisey and slippery plus had problems with a screw loosening on a side rod. I  think it needs requartered and I have tried. Whenever the screw fell out it would get screwed up again. Other than that, all run and pull good. The 2065s are great, so is a 736, a 646 and the GG1 and f3s.

My good pullers are a 685 (gotta love it's slow speed, specially when little ones are at the throttle), my great uncles 2243 F3's, a 1666 from 1947, and a prewar 258 (2-4-2). I have others, but they are in various degrees of disfavor at the moment 

Williams:

SD90's.

EF4

Lionel:

675

671

726

2245 TX SPECIAL

2353 ATSF.  Runs well, but truly a growler!

Rail King:

2-8-0 PRR 9015

I'll second the Williams EF 4 rectifiers. These things are beasts. Put anything behind them, hit the throttle and off the train goes. They are the best runners I have. They will creep fairly well with about 25 free rolling cars behind them.

Marx 1666 steamer.  Will go on forever.

Hey guys, they said "New" locomotives that are good runners ( and there was no mention of cost effectiveness).  We all know that most of the prewar and postwar engines: run well; are great pullers; require little or no maintenance; rarely throw a tire;  do not need software upgrades;  will not have their electronics package obsoleted by a new type of Cab controller;  will probably not get stuck in neutral;  won't start off at full speed unless asked;  will not honk the horn three times and die; will not fail to run because the ZW handle has turned gooey;  will not need a serial port; rarely have antenna problems; or have a noisy smoke unit.  Their railsounds package is sometimes lacking and they do have that buzz noise.  They also have that ozone aroma that lets you know Christmas is just around the corner.

Nicely said!

The guys with the new stuff didn't seem to have much to say !!

I must admit that even though I've got a lot of TMCC and some legacy engines  my best and most reliable runners have always been both pre-war and post-war engines and not just Lionel because I have to include some Marx as well.   My best runners in order of preference are as follows:

1.  Lionel 226E, 225E, 224E

2.  Lionel 675 and 2025

3.  Lionel 2046 and 2056

4. Lionel 726 and 736

5. Marx 333

6. Marx 666

7. I'll lump all of my TMCC and Legacy engines together.  They all look and sound great but at times they can be problematic.

Lionel Legacy FEF

PSC Bull Moose

Any of my Sofue upgraded locomotives.

I have about 50 locomotives perhaps 30 are MTH the rest are Lionel, Weaver, 3RD Rail, Atlas. and older Kline. Most Run Well. However I have trouble with the Lionel locomotives smoking and the MTH drawbars. I also have trouble with Legacy and its signals to the Locomotive.

I have had really good luck with the MTH RK SD70aces. 

My most reliable is an older premier ps2 gp60.  Found this on the bay and it was well used with around 3k miles.  I have put another 1k on it and it never misses a beat.  

I just bought the WBB scale FA-2 and they run great!  The new sound system is pretty good with a robust horn and bell and adequate prime mover sounds.

Rolland

I have an MTH RK Decapod from about 2002..... It's a beast........ smooth and a great puller......great smoker, too.

Peter