Review of Lionel R-27 Subway Set

I like the Lionel R27 set even though I have had a lot of issues with it, mainly with doors that  did not open. With all of the issues I have had, Lionel repaired all at no charge and even paid shipping both ways while the set was under warranty. Since the repairs I have not had any additional problems, although I mostly use my MTH subways now. There were never any problems with windows falling out like on later Lionel subway sets that came out. This subway set did not come with any passengers even though it was stated that they were included in the 2007 Lionel catalog at the time. The details on the R27's are superb as are the sound effects. Since I only own this set I cannot comment on the other Lionel subways for a comparison.

This was the first Lionel set i bought, i went for the 2 car add on set as well for a decent 6 car set, i have yet to have any issues with this set and have been lucky with the doors always working, this set has a lot of power draw so you need a decent transformer up to the task, the windows were never a problem with this first run,it was the silver paint on the r-16s that did that. There are some different design details such as the single third rail rollers on each truck, unlike the r16s with a pair of rollers on each truck because of switch issues. with the r 16 to compare,the castings on the underbody are not as crisp with the r 27s, the r 16s are clean and sharp. here are some parting shots of a detailed r 27 car i did.

I have all 3 sets. R16 R27 and the R30 as well as the two car add ons for each. They are great train sets. You will need a good power supply for them as they do draw current. If you don't you can switch off the lights to cut down on the current draw. The windows on the silver train did fall out and I glued them back in with out a problem. If you do get any problems you can do a reset from the remote controller. I hope we have answerd your questions.

Glenn

Thanks guys for all the helpful reviews!!