What Is The Most Beautiful Passenger Set Ever Made By Lionel?

DL&W Pete posted:

Lionel has not made it yet.....

The Phoebe Snow 21" 8 car set with 2 E8 A units..... T

Amen to that. Wait I could of sworn Lionel made two Erie Lackawanna diesels right? It seems to me that Lionel stays away from roads like the Lackawanna. Even the Reading is seldom made, but I have to give credit with the new steam engines. The DL&W E8's might of been made by Atlas. I go to Atlas for all my NJ shortline needs as Lionel doesn't produce shortlines..... Until this year when they introduced Reading & Northern diesels and one caboose. Not to mention the LionChief R&N 425. So I give them credit for that.

A UP yellow passenger set is nice.  With SMOOTH sided cars!

It's a tie between the State Set and the Blue Comet, both in Standard Gauge.

Rusty Traque posted:

My choice:

Rusty

If only Lionel had produced that offset Vista Dome from day 1!!

My vote goes to Santa Fe 1991 passenger set then 1948 GG 1 with Heavyweight Passenger cars.

Mikey

About time someone mentioned a GG1 set.  You got my vote (along with the Empire Builder).

I'm surprised to see so many silhouette cars and no mention of the early 2000's Superliners.  I'm partial the F3 ABBA sets pulling a string of Superliners myself.

I know the post says Lionel but the MTH Premiere Blue Goose set was amazing IMHO.

Standard Gauge -  Old #7

O gauge -  IC City of New Orleans

027 - 1978 Blue Comet

Prewar Set #241E

and for Postwar, Set #2140WS

For sheer beauty my vote is cast for the Great Northern Empire Builder but for smooth looking exquisite class I cast my ballot for the 612 Norfolk & Western with the matching burgundy and black Powhatan Arrow Passenger cars. 

I've always liked the Lionel Amtrak HHP-8 set. The real thing didn't run well or for very long but they do look very modern and fast. The name HHP-8 even sounds a bit like the old GG1. H is after G in the alphabet so makes sence as a name for a streamlined Electric engine. 

The set really shines in the quality of the cars. The cars are not scale but they look very long and convincing. The add on cars and cab/tail car are great to complete the set. I really wish Lionel would rerun these moods in different paint schemes. They are Amfleet 1s so they could release them in all of Amtraks various paint schemes and remain realistic.

Using the cab car as a start for a Metroliner set seems like a real missed opportunity as well.

This is a no-brainer for me. IMO the prewar SG Blue Comet is the best-looking toy passenger train ever.

You know something, I have several of the sets mentioned and I think they are all beautiful.  I run them all and love them all!!!  My thanks go to the very clever and talented people at Lionel who designed them.

Jim

No one liked the modern era scale Congressional or scale Canadian?

The Century Club 2 Empire State Express

RS 5 equipped J3A Dreyfus Hudson finished in beautiful detail pulling 7 18 inch aluminum passenger cars complete with full detailed interiors with figures and a StationSounds Diner, can't beat that!

Sorry guys... NOTHING beats the Daylight for beauty.  

Lionel didn't build it, but they own the company that did.

Yep...I guess Lionel owns K-Line, who made their several different sets of 21" aluminum cars, with some fo the road names cited above.

  No way I could pick just one. I keep changing my mind even as I consider them, but its narrowed to a few anyhow.

 Tin- There were two shelves of tinplate trains, that I only saw from the finger smudged side of the glass on Gramp's locked showcase. I forget the number so maybe somebody can help? It was kept right next to the 241e blue set, and was similar, but was a red/gold or tan paint with cream doors & trim, the windows were arched, and I think it had a brass observation deck. I find the cream trimmed passenger cars very elegant.

  Shiny things with domes! - The road name hardly matters, but the less paint the better. Lionel channeled metal cars cant be ignored, especially in the dayli....(Homer voice)...Ooooo Daylighter! 

    I really like gold/red version of the Western & Atl. old west cars made for the MPC RI&P General. Not the grandest cars, but I think they are the nicest of that car type, which I have a soft spot for.

Big John Henry posted:

No one liked the modern era scale Congressional or scale Canadian?

Yes, I do.  I have my MPC era set with my Elliot Welz repainted GG1.  It's a thing of beauty.