Suggestion for a command Diesel Switcher

If you're set on Lionel, the S-2 is not a bad way to go. Too bad the NW-2's announced a few years ago was cancelled.

MTH makes a slew of switchers that are very nice. Their Premier S-2 is very nice. The Railking line has SW1's, SW8/9's, NW2's, and the MP15AC. The MP15AC in particular is a real nice looking model.

If you want to make the leap to a road switcher, I don't think there is a better bang-for-your-buck model than the Railking RS-1. It has scale size and detail at a Railking price.

The Lionel genset will run the slowest of any engine out there, great for switching. 

Atlas SW 8/9's. These units have early TMCC with no speed control.  An excellent single horizontal motor and decent detail.  Mike.

Yes, in conventional mode with a Lionel TPC. (Track Power Controller) Note pages 17 through 19 of the Track Power Controller owners manual.  Click on the underlined phrase to link.  

The Lionel Legacy S2 has a single motor but is a very smooth runner and will easily pull ten cars. The Legacy GP-7s are dual motored and the early ones have an enhanced sound set that was downgraded in later versions. While you can run MTH engines with a cab one you only get a fraction of the functions that those engines are capable of.

Atlas engines are nicely detailed. The ones made in the middle of the last decade have TAS EOB which is a little funky. The latest offerings have ERR Cruise which is very smooth.

Pete

I have a PS-2 MTH RailKing VO-1000 and am very pleased with it.

Gilly

I have the Lionel S-2 in NYC and like it a lot. Looks and runs great.

I've an Atlas switcher which is really nice.  Very smooth operation and good looks as well.

I have an MTH SW9 with proto 3. It is a Railking Scale model. It crawls around my layout at 2 to 3 scale mph. I use it for switching and it does it just like the real thing!

Thanks for all the replies.  I feel based on my current command equipment that the Legacy S-2 is the best deal with 359 on one in 'Southern' markings.

I like the MTH Locos but theirs a limit to what spend can be since more control equipment would be required to get full functionality.  I've looked at the Vo1000 before and like that one in particular.

Pete is there a model number for the early model GP-7's with improved sound that I could look for?

I have the NYC version made in 2008. Its number is 6-28568. There were few more made around that time but am not sure what the road names are. The additional sounds include rail squeal that were eliminated on later models. Sound quality though is limited by speaker size so earlier ones won't sound better just have more variety of sounds.

Pete

Atlas also did a GP7.  This was an undecorated unit that was custom painted.

Click on the image to access a video.  SW9's and the GP7 as a consist.

Mike you have enough switchers to make a train with locos alone.

I'm leaning more towards the S-2 size as the GP-7 is larger.

When I was a young guy we had a pw layout with one Lionel Mikado and later got a NW-2 style switcher in UP colors(yellow/grey).  The NW-2 was a poor runner.  Not sure whether it was a Marx or Lionel.  

It was nice to look at but awful to listen to.  Couldn't pull squat.  But I like the looks and size.  When I think switcher I think of the NW-2/S-2 style/size.