I've never been real familiar with the Lionel or Flyer operating accessories over the years. Which ones on your layout seem to be the most enjoyed by guests?
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The best time was when I sold them, most never worked for any length of time
The ones that get my vote include the AF barrel loader; the Lionel #264 lumber unloader, and the Lionel gantry crane.
The Lionel rotary coal dump is also an entertaining accessory if you have the room for it (and can locate one...).
I would agree with D&H 65 as the AF #779 Oil-drum loader and the Lionel #264 forklift unloader certainly seem to attract a lot of attention from visitors as does the Lionel Saw Mill (mine is the #2301 MPC version).
Bill
My favorite has always been the Lionel #362 Barrel Loader.
...The ones that work as they're supposed to...when those whom you wish to impress are watching!
Ah, well, that notwithstanding, I have the most fun myself with the Gantry Cranes. I have two...one with the ubiquitous magnet, the other with the clamshell bucket. They're not PW originals....they're of much later/recent vintage. And, after rebuilding the drives to replace the #$%@&*!!!! China-'lube' (
), they've worked flawlessly...even after standing idle for weeks/months.
Of course, I never get tired of ye olde milk car/platform and the guy who slings milk cans all over the place. Classic!
Many of the coal-related handling accessories are fun...but always messy! And the grind-grind-grind-grind sound effects as they run......pure O3R symphony!!
The log-handling accessories are about as much fun....and a tad cleaner.
Of course, who can get tired of Mr. Buz, the gateman....who LEAPS out of his house....and LEAPS back in! ...and all of his later variants!
Then there's the Bascule and Lift bridges...awesome! Flawless! (I need to get the ITT Products soundcard to enhance these....thanks for the 'reminder'!)
So many accessories.....so much fun.
KD
Although few, the mth scale accessories such as the gas station, tank car loading platform and mels diner are great too!
For me there are several:
264 Forklift
497 coal loader/unloader, use small round pellets or beans instead of the real coal
362 Barrel Loader
364 Log Loader
464 Saw mill
352 Icing Station
345/346 Culvert Loader/Unloader is great but can be tempermental.
Accessories that are very visual tend to impress visitors.
Most of my visitors do not know the difference between a GP7, FM or a SD40.
Having accesible buttons that they can push ceratinly enhances their experience.
LIONEL 6-24104 HOBO WATER TOWER. Love the harmonica!!!
Lionel log loaders and saw mill.
I like the Flyer log loader.
I like my 97 &397 flinging coal all over the place, the 464 sawmill, the Mill Cars, and the noise noise noise!!
My favorite is the 97 coal loader. Unfortunately, I do not have enough room on my layout for one but I do have a 397 coal loader.
My grandson's favorites, and that is the most important measure, are the 397 coal loader, 464 saw mill (when he says "you mean it isn't really cutting the logs?"), 364 log loader and the 362 barrel loader. The culver loaders are ok when they are tuned in properly.
The one that gets the most replay requests is the 175 rocket launcher.
Originally Posted by dkdkrd:
...The ones that work as they're supposed to...when those whom you wish to impress are watching!
Ah, well, that notwithstanding, I have the most fun myself with the Gantry Cranes. I have two...one with the ubiquitous magnet, the other with the clamshell bucket. They're not PW originals....they're of much later/recent vintage. And, after rebuilding the drives to replace the #$%@&*!!!! China-'lube' (), they've worked flawlessly...even after standing idle for weeks/months.
Of course, I never get tired of ye olde milk car/platform and the guy who slings milk cans all over the place. Classic!
Many of the coal-related handling accessories are fun...but always messy! And the grind-grind-grind-grind sound effects as they run......pure O3R symphony!!
The log-handling accessories are about as much fun....and a tad cleaner.
Of course, who can get tired of Mr. Buz, the gateman....who LEAPS out of his house....and LEAPS back in! ...and all of his later variants!
Then there's the Bascule and Lift bridges...awesome! Flawless! (I need to get the ITT Products soundcard to enhance these....thanks for the 'reminder'!)
So many accessories.....so much fun.
KD
Well put Ken!!!!!
TJ
All of my original American Flyer accessories worked like a dream. Both Log Loaders #751 and #787, both Coal Loaders #752A and #785, #779 Barrel Loader, #23796 Sawmill, #23780 Gabe the Lamp Lighter, #583A Magnetic Crane, #596 Operating Water Tank, #23791 Cow On The Track and #755 Mystic Talking Station. All of my original Flyer accessories worked better then any of the remakes by Lionel or MTH. Not even close.
The most entertaining accessory that I have is the Lionel 6-9224 Churchill Downs operating horse car.I own most of the Lionel accessories,but the one that visitors are most fascinated with is the horse car.The finicky performance of the accessory only seems to add to the interest.
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I think the original postwar Lionel 182 cranes have the most play value. IMHO, their mechanism is superior to the one used on the postwar 282 crane.
(I am not familiar with the Modern era issues)
I would vote for my 182 crane and my 264 lumber unloader.
Visitors always love the 128 Newsstand.
Peter
The 264 forklift is great, and as a bonus, it always seems to work! for interactive value, the kids always love the various missile launchers and the minuteman car paired with the exploding boxcar. For me, the 282R magnetic gantry crane is great. That can keep me occupied for hours!
My AF (now also Lionel) oil drum loader...which I think some may be calling it a barrel loader.
All-time favorite operating accessories:
AF oil drum loader
Lionel gantry crane
Lionel #97 coal elevator
MOST entertaining and relatively trouble-free operation, except trap door occasionally jamming on the 97. 
No one mentioned the arrival board but it is one of my favorites.
Dale H
The Arrival Board is coo. Gomez Addams had one! 
So are the old pre-war "power control boards".
Cranes have the ultimate play value
.(and provide a realistic work around for "missing" loading methods)
The 175 gantry/pad?...come on... its got a rocket
The Newsstand dog putting out fires at the hydrant is a one button giggle the little ones love. Ok
I still grin
The oil derricks for bubble lights, and background rhythms
A timed/talking station! (I love it, just for the timer, no sound needed)
The operating luggage cart station is the best operating of the "vibrating characters" IMO.
The crossing lights, gates, and semaphores?
Overlooked & underrated
From a lighting aspect, even one red light can do a lot. Especially in dark
.
Originally Posted by TrainsRMe:
I've never been real familiar with the Lionel or Flyer operating accessories over the years. Which ones on your layout seem to be the most enjoyed by guests?
I've never met a Lionel accessory I didn't like, but my guests tend to like the Mi-Jack I/M cranes.
They operate the cranes while I have a little extra fun with breaking glass sound effects during the process.
TJ
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The Lionel Madison Hardware or Midtown Hobby shop with the three operating layouts inside.
Steve
Does anyone have this accessory?I would like to see a video of it in action.I have wanted it for a long while,but I would like to see how the animation and sound is.There is nothing on You Tube for this accessory.Please post a video of the duck shooting gallery in action if you have one.
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Originally Posted by Adriatic:
....
The crossing lights, gates, and semaphores?
Overlooked & underrated
From a lighting aspect, even one red light can do a lot. Especially in dark.
Absolutely! This past Christmas I actually spent the time to adjust the track pressure activation things and all the gates, lights, and the semaphores (which I had gotten earlier that year so it was the first time using the semaphores) working which really added a cool touch that was noticed by visitors.
When I "finally" build a permanent layout again, I'm going to use isolated track sections for activation, I hate dealing with those pressure sensors.
A big thank you to all who responded! 
The replies have been interesting.
