Lionel Vintage vs CC vs PWC vs TMCC vs Legacy vs Lionchief+?

Whichever has the item I want at a price I'll pay when I'm ready to buy.  Thus far it's been mostly MTH PS-1 equipped locomotives that have met that for me.

Thats interesting Sinclair, as I used to have some awesome MTH LocoSound engines.

I have never had PS1, but I see them for sale sometimes at a great price and look awesome.

I assume you must keep the battery charged or the board will scramble though?

You really only need to worry about the battery charge if you are trying to program the locomotive, but yes, I make sure the battery is good before running a locomotive.  Being I only have a loop of O27 right now, I cycle them.  I do have some I plan on converting to TMCC, but I generally buy with the body in mind, not the guts as the body is what I see, and the guts are replaceable/upgradable.

I'm a non-collector, only in it for the fun and relaxation of the hobby and my grandson, as long as his interests holds up. I don't purchase any train items as investments or with the expectation of increased value, I just enjoy them while I can. I prefer Legacy. For me, command control was the attraction that got me back into the hobby. If it were still all conventional, I would possibly have not even gotten back into the hobby?

 

While the PWC items may be appreciating now, I think that may not hold true if we are successful (the manufacturers that is) in getting the younger folks to join the hobby. I think the coming trend is toward controlling trains with your phone, ipad, watch or whatever electronic device we have next. As more of the older folks that had the PW and PWC stuff as kids leave us, I think the demand will diminish on those items and the electronic items will be the thing to have. There could possibly be a few PW/PWC around then, but I think they will have a lot available from all the existing collections their previous owners have left behind.

 

As for Lion Chief and LC+, I think that's a good idea for first time buyers that want to get their kids a train or try it for themselves and don't plan to go any further. If they do decide to go further in the hobby, I think they will end up with Legacy or DCS and the phone and ipad apps and not so much LC or LC+. I understand the thinking behind the Lion Chief lines, but personally I think it would have been much better if there was a path to upgrade to a full blown Legacy system. OTOH, the LC line seems to be popular with some Legacy users as well, so maybe having all those remotes is acceptable for some. Who knows, I may even come around to the idea? I didn't think LC was a good idea at all at first and I've changed my mind completely on that.

Legacy and DCS.  I love the technology.

I like Legacy best, even though I run conventional, because they are scale, run nicely at low speeds, and have great sound.  i won't buy TMCC unless it is just for display (example, the 3rd Rail ToT which I have ordered) because it does not run that well in conventional compared to Legacy. 

 

LC+ is a great bargain, though, and a lot of fun, and the scale GP-7 makes up for in price what its sound, not up to legacy quality- lacks.

 

I have no interest in any other new Lionel product lines than these two lines, but there is probably some great stuff there for those who do. 

Lee, have you ever run those PWC TMCC locos in command and control (non conventional mode)?

Just curious, as I have the Legacy 990 control system and I recently purchased a MIB Lionel PWC Southern ABA set, and also have teh FatBoy speaker B-Unit.

I have not opened the box yet, but my concern is that I will not like the combination of the Pullmor Motors with TMCC, both from a performance stand point and also the "Pullmor Grow" fighting the TMCC (RS) Diesel sounds, even though I am running C&C with a Legacy 990, albiet a TMCC loco.

If a train catches my eye, has good features, and it's at a good price, I'll take it.