Passenger Train Collector got me thinking in his thread about "who only runs 100% passenger trains?" While few apparently do it occurred to me that if I were able to run only one train it would indeed be the SP Daylight Special. There is no more beautiful train that was ever run.
If I had to run one train that would be the one.
In freight trains I would choose a Chessie System double-header with two SD40-2's and a string of assorted '40 foot boxcars.
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While I run all eras of trains, my favorite passenger set is my Lionel 252 in Olive Green, and my favorite freight train is my Lionel 262E with the Ives Transition Cars (still searching for an Ives 1708 Cattle Car for it though).
On my small 12x12 layout:
My Williams 2-8-2:
And my MTH RailKing Imperial 0-6-0:
If I had a large layout, my 3rd Rail E7 pulling the Silver Meteor (that I wish I had):
My Big Boy Pulling a monster string of Freight.
Reading Iron Horse Ramble
Recently it is my converted ATSF 2900 Northern: the chassis from a Legacy 3751 Northern with the longer MTH 2900 body and rear truck grafted onto it. A near tie is my Legacy Berkshire ATSF 4199 - just a really nice little loco.
No brainer on this question, at least for me. Soon to be even better.......TMCC.
Steve, Lady and Tex
For passenger trains it is my California Zephyr comprised of K-Line 21" cars pulled by Lionel Western Pacific F-3's.
For freight it's my UP coal train with Atlas Nebraska Public Power hoppers pulled by UP & SP Dash-8's.
Art
Having had a ride in the Turbo Train years ago, it has always been a favorite. This train MTH made is one of my best runners.
No brainer on this question, at least for me. Soon to be even better.......TMCC.
Steve, Lady and Tex
My 1954 2245 A-C TS TX or Williams 1988 UP Katy Heritage and Williams 15" TX SP cars. Changing car lights to LED's and it makes a BIG difference over the old type.
These pictures are wonderful. Thanks. Passenger Train Collector, I LOVE the lighted bridge. (the trains too of course)
Thank you all. I would put up my daylight but it is still in boxes waiting for bigger curves.
I love to run my Lionel Legacy Southern Crescent and Southern Pacific Daylight, as well as my beloved Rail Chief set with my conventional scale Hudson. The Hudson especially is a nostalgic favorite.
But I love all my Lionel SD40-2's too, they see plenty of run time.
Sorry no pic, but my GN passenger set!
You didn't say engine, but train, So how about my three car Lionel Budd car set!
Yup, she's the Service Station Special from, what, 1977 or so. The cars were re-equipped with all the correct Post War parts long ago, so they mimic the ones from the late '50s. Even got an electric horn. The tough part was the window coloring which MPC didn't provide in the window stripping. Did it with thin electrical tape in a blue/ gray tint. Looks good and runs great. Nothing beats a Lionel PW Budd car for lights out running mystique!
While I run all eras of trains, my favorite passenger set is my Lionel 252 in Olive Green...
Spot on! My 252 and its three passenger cars was my father's when he was a kid, and I restored it to running order a couple of years back. It's not the one I run most often, but it's definitely the one with the most personal meaning.
4-8-8-4 Bigboy pulling 40 coal porters.
All my Locomotive 
My std gauge LCT PS2 American Flyer 4694 from the Iron Monarch set, no matter what it's pulling. BIG, sounds great and smokes like crazy. My 392 is right behind it.
Steve
My favorite train set to run is my Lionel Milwaukee Road 261 with matching passenger cars. It sounds great with its 3 different whistles and when I added the matching passenger cars a few months ago, it makes wonderful & beautiful train to run. Ken
My favorite train to run is The Daylite and UP 844 Passenger set
OK, here's the locomotive hauled chooch! A big fat N&W Y6b (take yer pick of builders, but I'll take the JLC for sound) and an endless string of Southern Rwy. Big John hoppers...just like the photo in the BLI catalog ! HOOT-HOOT ! Bringing up the markers is an Atlas N&W C3 cabin in red.
My FAVORITE train to run is the: NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN (because I have rode on the REAL TRAIN a dozen times!!
FREDSTRAINS
Good topic and great photos. For me it would be the Lionel
Pennsylvania GG1 with four Lionel Madison Cars behind it. It
just looks great (I am a big Art Deco fan) no wonder I have four
of these babies.
Many thanks,
Billy C
Always enjoy running the MTH Y3 in local coal mine service.
My GE's
This one. It is the WWII Army Troop Train from the 2000 catalog. My Mother gave it to my oldest son for his first Christmas. I built the Christmas layout a year later, and it has been our official Christmas train ever since. The set included the passenger coach and observation car, as well as a tank car and a flat car with two Jeep MBs on it. I added a search light car, a flat car with boat and the operating mail car. My younger son has a Santa Fe freight set, which is nice set and includes Railsounds, but this one was our first, and O.D. green is just cool.
Its gotta be the Milwaukee Road! These trains are magic. Just check out the video 1:30 in....
Like to run my WEAVER brass steamers from the eighties every now and then.
My favorite train to run is my MTH Premier Southern Railway Royal Hudson with MTh Southern smoothside passenger set in Pullman green.My first train ride was back in 1979 on the real version of this train (the cars were actually modernized and open window heavyweight cars.) I would post a photo but my trains are in storage now.
This one. It is the WWII Army Troop Train from the 2000 catalog. My Mother gave it to my oldest son for his first Christmas. I built the Christmas layout a year later, and it has been our official Christmas train ever since. The set included the passenger coach and observation car, as well as a tank car and a flat car with two Jeep MBs on it. I added a search light car, a flat car with boat and the operating mail car. My younger son has a Santa Fe freight set, which is nice set and includes Railsounds, but this one was our first, and O.D. green is just cool.
I really like your Army set. I have been looking for the set for some time. A great Christmas train to run.
Steve, Lady and Tex
Well right now it's now it is my Reading Crusader with a MTH Railking Crusader engine upgraded to PS2 and the K Line Crusader aluminum passenger cars. It looks great. I will try to get a movie posted in next few days.
Having had a ride in the Turbo Train years ago, it has always been a favorite. This train MTH made is one of my best runners.
Just saw one of these for the first time the other day in an Eric's Trains review. Absolutely fantastic looking set.
Fred
Mine is the much maligned Lionel Lackawanna Northern. Once the bugs got repaired out of it, I added Electric RR sounds and a new smoke unit. Runs well and is a beauty. And it has magnetraction! How does one put TMCC in something like this?
My favorite locomotives to run are my 1951 Lionel 2046 hudson and my 2012 mth imperial hudson. I always have a hard time deciding to run my trains with my DCS command system or my Lionel ZW.
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