What is your opinion about silhouette windows ?

I never used to mind the silhouettes, but lately they are getting to me.  I've been thinking about removing them and replacing the window strips with frosted acetate.

With the introduction of passenger cars with interiors, I think they have had their day and I won't buy them.

I hate them and won't buy them either!

Much like without the steam effects in a Legacy engine, I'll never buy 'em again.

I agree.  I like full interiors but I think fronst acetate would be just as good if you don't want to go through the trouble adding interiors.

 

Now I wouldn't run a full interior car with one with just frosted acetate.

I agree with Dave. Once I put 100s of MTH figures that I painted into my cars with interiors...that was it for me. Even on my Christmas layouts, postwar Lionels are pulling new MTH cars with figures in them.

I prefer the silhouettes, since that's how the trains of my childhood were equipped.

 

Pete

I have about four sets with silhouette windows. They are sets that I really like (Sante Fe Super Chief & Texas Special) so I really don't mind them. In terms of adding additional sets, no I would not buy them now. But I am happy with the sets I have.

I like the detailed interiors. Simply never seem to get around to running the cars wit silhouettes.

I hate 'em.....I buy them but try and replace them with lightly frosted clear first chance I get.

I don't like them at all, my passenger cars all have full interiors with people.

 

Alex

I am not a fan.  They were fine in the earlier days, but their time has past.

While Silhouette windows aren't my first choice they do have a nostalgic feel to them so the passenger cars I have with silhouettes don't bother me.

I don't like them, it makes great cars look like cheap toys.

they are just ok on semi-scale cars, like the Polar Express or the Hogwarts Express..oh wait no silhouette on that one..they must have saved 50 cents per car by not printing some.

 

But will never, ever buy any passengers cars with them anymore.

 

I never really cared for the silhouettes. They just never looked right to me. I prefer just blank frosted windows. Detailed interiors are not that important to me either. It's hard to get a good look inside while the train is rolling by.

I much prefer the detailed interiors.  And, I sort of find it offensive that companies charge around the same price for cars with silouette windows, given how inexpensive it is to install this frosted liner in comparison to clear windows with an entire detailed interior. 

 

On the other hand, I have to say that there is a certain amount of charm or romance to the  silouettes - like many of the old black-and-white films, where they used shadow images to let your imagination fill in the rest...

 

Peter 

They don't bother me any.  I never gave it a thought.

II have 5 sets I am going to detail the interiors and put in led lighting.  If anyone has interiors for sale I am looking to buy.

They are quite nostalgic and I like 'em.  I just picked up the Highland Falls Pullman car with the silhouettes to add to the fleet.

I think they are fine for the "traditional" sized toy trains, but definitely not for scale trains - they just don't look right in an otherwise highly detailed scale car.

 

Andy

They do not bother me.  While I like cars that do have actual interiors, it is not a requirement when I buy passenger cars.

I definitely like the cars with the interiors & people. But I'll keep my older ones and some of the new ones with the silhouette windows since they are what I started with. I will run those in my Christmas layouts.

I thought they where cool when I was a kid, now will not touch them. We have evolved into better realism.

Agree with what  Andy said.

I am a huge fan of the silhouette windows. I just bought a set of aluminum Williams Lehigh Valley passenger cars at York.  Really nice silhouette windows. Kind of reminds me of watching an old black and white Alfread Hitchcock movie. Very relaxing to watch them roll into the station.

 

I am also a huge fan of detailed inteririors and have them also. Filled with passengers and furniture. 

 

I don't run them at the same time. As the mood strikes me I change them out. I believe the silhouette ones will rule till after Christmas. I do tone down the lighting in them. 

 

I have no problem updating cars to the more modern appearances in many ways but there is just something about the classic look they have . With room lights off and my LED floodlights set dimly to red. The smoke billowing from an appropriate steam engine I can almost hear the conversations and smell the cigars.

It's the only thing I dislike about O gauge trains. I really hate them, they spoil a passenger car.

Since I run freight exclusively, I shouldn't apply my opinion on others.

Hate 'em!

 

It's like Atari vs X-box 360. No debate.

 

Detailed interiors for me! Always wondered how Lionel charged so much for cars without interiors.

 

Gunny

 

I was at Amtrak over the weekend here in Houston.  UP had a special train here, see real trains.

 

From the outside, it is hard to see anything on the inside on either CHALLENGER, CITY OF SALINA, or CHYNENNE, or the Superliner cars on the Saturday WB SUNSET.  Maybe glazing and lighting might be a better approasch, ant least on lower end cars.  Frosted windows by themsleves with no figures might work.  They only exception would be in the dome area of said cars.

I have both silhouette passenger cars that are reproductions of ones from the Lionel postwar era and modern MTH cars with interiors where I have added passengers too. I enjoy them both and could not choose one over the other as they both satisfy me for different reasons. The silhouettes I love for the childhood nostalgia feeling and the modern ones with interiors for realism.

I have to say that the passenger cars with silhouettes just look plain cheap.  While the cars themselves are really nice, the windows look like an afterthought.  I do have a set that has them, but I don't plan on buying any additional sets with them.  That's it for me.  Moving on to the 21st century.

Ditto, I like both for different reasons. What I don't like to see is autos & trucks w/o drivers but that's another topic.

I have both, but prefer the silhouettes or the plain frosted prewar windows. Sorry, I like the toy appearance of them.

What I found worked pretty well on the old extruded aluminum dome cars with silhouettes was to place a piece of white printer (we used to call it typing) paper (slightly wider than the opening so it arches up a little) in the dome.  It helps to diffuse the light and hides "the big empty."

 

Rusty

Personally, I dislike them. I need a detailed interior.

No silhouette windows for me...except for my Polar Express set.

Interesting thread.  This morning I was thinking of listing for sale a couple of sets of passenger cars with silhouettes and upgrading to the newer cars.

 

doug