My next locomotive- another Legacy or TMCC?

The big difference will be 200 speed steps vs 32 speed steps for TMCC.  Lower starting speeds, better speed control, and of course, much better sound as a rule.

Unless it's REALLY a good deal, I hold out for Legacy, but I do have a lot of TMCC stuff.  I frequently "improve" my TMCC equipment to give it more Legacy like features.

Raven,

Yeah, what John said.

By the way he's VERY good at adding more Legacy-like features to make old-fashioned TMCC more modern.  Follow his posts closely and you'll learn a lot about how.

Mike

Thanks John and Mike. I definitely love the sounds and speed control of the Legacy units.

Unless you're price sensitive, the Legacy is my choice.   Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my many TMCC locomotives, but It's like picking from the base model trim to the top of the line with all the whistles & bells.  Others will have a differing view, that's why they make 70 flavors.

I definitely agree about the Legacy features John.  Love everything about them.

Concur with all of the above comments...

But this is my "golden rule" for a TMCC or Legacy purchase. If I think Lionel will not repeat a particular diesel in Legacy, I will buy the TMCC counterpart (example - AEC glow in the dark Gp-9 with TMCC).

The feature set on SOME TMCC models is better than Legacy, IMHO, but that’s the exception. The examples that stick out in my mind are the AC-12 cab forward and the Burlington Zephyr - for different reasons. In both cases Lionel “recycled” the original tooling but the Zephyr has a better finish (chrome) and the AC-12 somewhat better sound - if you like crew talk, that is.

If you are interested mainly in diesels, and leaving out of account those cases where Lionel has messed up sound sets/software, I think Legacy is better by far in the speed control department, and TMCC Railsounds on many diesels is pretty limited - even in classics like Warbonnet F3s.

Is it primarily about the huge speed control difference or are the sounds that musc better in the legacy units as well?
How about scale/size? I looked at a TMCC SD90MAC vs the Legacy unit I have and it was an inch shorter. Is that the case generally - that the TMCC units are slightly smaller?

It really comes down to what features are important to YOU and how much they are worth to you.

Yes sound and slow speed is better with Legacy. For me the only advantage of Legacy is the ability to double head with other Legacy engines. Otherwise give me a good horn or whistle and I am good with TMCC. Smoke is OK but I usually turn it off. How much time do you run your trains at 1 scale MPH. I run 25-55 MPH.

Most TMCC diesels have old china drive with a gear on the motor. legacy uses Liondrive and sit about 1/8" higher for that high water look. Some detail was eliminated on Legacy engines to allow removal of trucks. For me detail trumps most features. If I can find a TMCC engine for a third or half what a Legacy engine costs its no contest.

Anyway its all up to you.

Pete

My favorite feature of the legacy engine is the very slow starting speed. Is the TMCC starting out and slowest speed that much faster than the legacy?

Like you, I do not use the smoke feature but it is nice to have it available if I did. The horn sound is very important to me but that obviously differs between legacy units. The most important feature to me is slow to moderate speed control.

I have found a few TMCC units at a very good price and that are essentially new. That’s why I am seriously considering picking up at least one of them.