My 3 and 6 year old sons really want an Amtrak train to run with their Lionel 'freight' train. I'm not into the 3-rail world as much as I used to be but get to York most every time. I'd like to find some Amfleet cars that will withstand a couple of young, but somewhat careful railroaders. I saw some MTH cars that looked real nice and weren't very expensive. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm planning on looking for some cars at York but want to be aware of what's out there.
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Lionel came out with a set a couple of years ago which included an HHP-8 locomotive and three Amfleet cars plus a loop of track and a transformer. My son loves that set. They were easy to get at a good price last year. You can search the Lionel website for set number 6-31779 for details.
Mike
I'd also recommend the Am-Fleet cars from the HHP-8 set. I have the two add-on coaches, as well as the cab car Lionel made a couple years ago, and they're very nice cars and pretty tough. They also have the flush-fit windows that make them look more realistic than other models. Each car is about 18" long, so you'll probably need O42 or greater curves to run them. Though they CAN operate on O36, the overhang is pretty severe, but it's not a deal breaker I don't think.
And should you look for and have difficulty finding add-on coaches (there were two add-on coaches plus a cab-control car), just be aware that the MTH ones--while being models of the same car--aren't a visual match as they are wider and taller (different approach to re-sizing than Lionel took). The MTH mail boxcars (MHC's) do however look "right" with the Lionel cars.
---PCJ
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