If you could only keep one engine.

My all Nation F unit.

AG.

My Legacy UP 105, GP7...Always sounds great, smokes great and runs great...also nice to look at. I see someone on the forum has one for sale; I'm so tempted to buy as a backup because eventually I will wear mine out.

 Wow that would be a tough decision,but probably my late father's Lionel 6220 Santa-Fe switcher.It was his first Lionel set as a kid.

 It's been proudly displayed along with the rest of the set in my display case since he gave it to me years ago.

 The set is displayed by my first  Lionel set, with the blue Santa-Fe 8351.

My newest addition...Lionel Legacy SD70ACe Rio Grande Heritage unit.  Smooth runner, great smoker and it looks beautiful!

AG,

I'm not a photographer...so how do you zoom in so close and get all that detail?  Very cool!

Golly - What an awful question!

If pushed really hard it would probably have to be between the MR S3 or our Legacy C&O Berkshire.

Although its 13 years old by now, Lionel's N&W Class A is a keeper too. But then, how can you do without a Hudson? Our K-Line No 5344 with PS2 and MTH smoke is  a keeper as well.

You said only one?

For sheer 'presence in the room' I guess it will have to be our Gauge One Virginain Tri-Plex then....

I guess it would be the Lionel UP H7 since I run it the most!

I know the parameters say one locomotive only.  But I have both my mother's Lionel #1700 streamliner and my father's #252 Lionel electric with tin passenger cars.  They're on adjacent shelves, so I'd scoop them both up in my arms and consider it all one load.

Honestly I used my iPhone app camera plus...

thank for the nice comment.

Andre.

I sure hope I'm never put in a position where I have to make that decision!  Be one of the toughest that I'd ever made.  But, sorting them all down to just one, (I must have about 100)  there are some I wouldn't miss, much, but I'd hafta say my last hope would be my Lionel Legacy Milwaukee S-3.  But maybe the reason for that choice is that it is also my newest engine.  I still love a whole bunch of the older ones!

Paul Fischer

My late father's Lionel 2025 he bought himself new when he was 12 years old with his paper route money.  Eventually it passed down to me when I was two or three.  I have so many fond memories playing with that set with him usually around Thanksgiving until New Years.  I'm not sure how it survived so well and still looks and operates great, but now my kids and I play with it.  It's called "Grandpa's Train".

1946 version of the 726 Berkshire, with the original smoke bulb unit.

For me there is only one answer my dad's 253 electric. Without that set I probably would not be here on OGR and most likely there would be no trains in my house.

It probably would be (in O scale) my MTH ABA B&O F3.  In G scale it would be USA Trains ABA B&O F3.  Yep.

Rick

If I absolutely had to liquidate, for whatever reason, I'd keep my first set, a 1061 freight (Christmas '66) AND the 626 (Christmas '67).  These are a package deal, NON-NEGOTIABLE.  Oh, I'd also keep the little farm set that Santa gave me with the 626.  Also, my replacement transformer for the one that came with the 1061 that burned out.  Let's see, I'd also keep.....

Sorry, guess I can't play this game. 

I'm in the process of thinning  my collection now. letting go of each item is

difficult as I remember how I acguired them but if I ever got down to one,

it would be the 2033 silver Alcos I got for Christmas in 1954.

It would have to be my fathers UP M10000, I have cherished it for years.

My postwar Lionel K4. Nostalgial and imagination hides any lack of details or scale proportions. Best of all, it will probably be running longer than I am.

Probably my Erie Triplex.....

Alan

Attn Grampstrains

I'm in the process of thinning  my collection now. letting go of each item is

difficult as I remember how I acguired them but if I ever got down to one,

it would be the 2033 silver Alcos I got for Christmas in 1954.

When or how are you thinning out the collection,  I could have some varried interest in somethings

thanks

One of childhood engines which I still have either a Marx 897, Lionel 2046 or Lionel 2321 FM.  Would be a hard choice but down to three is the best I can do

Tom

My Marx 21 Santa Fe A-B-B-A that I built and powerd with Williams drive systems. They make me smile whenever I run them.

This one. I believe that it is the best steam engine Lionel has ever produced. It is also special as my Bride gave this to me for our first Christmas together.

I would have to keep one of my prewar 226E engines.  It was my first and they are suburb runners.

Al

My CD Models S Scale 4-6-0.  A wood, card and metal locomotive from the 1940's:

Rusty

At the moment, I don't have a specific list of items but if you tell me what you might

be looking for perhaps I can help you.

Unanswerable.

I'd move to a different country.

Too hard to choose, just cannot do it.

Lionel 746 N&W "J" set with the culverts from 1958.

The reason I would keep my CSS & SB Little Joe is that is the last thing my father bought me before he passed away.  I would keep that over my 1957 Santa Fe F-3 set he bought me for Christmas. 

That would be my first engine, Lionel 2025 that Santa brought Christmas 1947.

I'd have to say your bride's a keeper...

No contest!  It would be my Lionel 6-11127 Legacy Scale GS-4 SP Daylight!

Why would I keep just one?  That's like asking how I would react if abducted by aliens.

What, me worry?

The question was if you could only keep one.  You would probably react to being abducted better than having to choose one engine....