Lionel 6-38055 vs 3rd Rail

The Lionel 6-38055 will probably run forever with little maintenance. The 3rd Rail model will be more maintenance intensive  and doesn't come with TMCC or Legacy if that is important to you. The 3rd Rail model is better detailed and has a round boiler bottom, which the Lionel one does not.

I have a Legacy version of 3759. Honestly when you're running the locomotive on the head of a train you probably won't notice a huge difference between the Lionel and 3rd Rail version.

@Lou1985 posted:

The 3rd Rail model will be more maintenance intensive  

I have to disagree with this statement.  Why would 3rdrail be more maintenance intensive?  Their drive system is the smoothest in the industry, come with a Pittman motor(older ones anyway).  I have 3rdrail engines over twenty years old with no issues.  Lube the gear box, oil the axles and you are good to go.

Both engines can be upgraded, the legacy version you mention would have the best sounds, and cruise control.

@superwarp1 posted:

I have to disagree with this statement.  Why would 3rdrail be more maintenance intensive?  Their drive system is the smoothest in the industry, come with a Pittman motor(older ones anyway).  I have 3rdrail engines over twenty years old with no issues.  Lube the gear box, oil the axles and you are good to go.

Both engines can be upgraded, the legacy version you mention would have the best sounds, and cruise control.

Basically it comes down to operating style. I expect a passenger locomotive to run at passenger speeds for hours on end. That means 75 scale MPH for 3 hours minimum, with stops every 20 minutes or so to refill the smoke unit. A Lionel or MTH locomotive will do that without fuss. However my 3rd Rail locomotives at the end of one of those sessions always seem to have a little issue. Mostly a loose rod bolt, maybe a tweaked vale linkage, etc. The brass rods/valve gear on 3rd Rail stuff is more delicate than the stamped steel Lionel or MTH stuff. I prefer the ruggedness of those two brands for high speed operation.

@Lou1985 posted:

Basically it comes down to operating style. I expect a passenger locomotive to run at passenger speeds for hours on end. That means 75 scale MPH for 3 hours minimum, with stops every 20 minutes or so to refill the smoke unit. A Lionel or MTH locomotive will do that without fuss. However my 3rd Rail locomotives at the end of one of those sessions always seem to have a little issue. Mostly a loose rod bolt, maybe a tweaked vale linkage, etc. The brass rods/valve gear on 3rd Rail stuff is more delicate than the stamped steel Lionel or MTH stuff. I prefer the ruggedness of those two brands for high speed operation.

Just my 2 cents but I have to agree with the operating style comment, and more generally that it depends what you want in the way of what I think of as play value.

I don’t have this particular 3rd Rail engine but a couple of others of the same generation. AFAIK, 3751 was conventional operation only, with QSI sound and a Seuthe smoke unit. So no command control unless there was a later version with TMCC - but that would probably have “generic” sounds that 3rd Rail used at that stage.

With brass models you get much finer detail than die cast but they are easily damaged and a quick check of auction sites indicates that there are instances of that in the 3751 models up for sale. Used Lionel/MTH versions might be subject to some wear and tear but if the control system is OK, you get more operating features if that matters to you.