What's your favorite engine?

Postwar - 675 / 2025

Modern - Lionel PS-4

LIONEL, VISION LINE --U. P. CHALLENGER. BLACK,COAL BURNER....

My favorite is the 2026 that I got for Christmas in 1951.  Second place would be shared by my father's 252 and my mother's #1700.

 

Apart from those sentimental favorites, I really don't think I could choose.  I run and enjoy them all.

 

Now that is a great question. I have Lionel MTH railking and Williams. I,m old school and I like simple. So I say the Williams Line of Hudsons. They are big many road names to choose from.They do not have all the fancy electonics and that's fine with me. I grow-up in the mid 50's to early 60's. Model and road name NW J model so COOL.

ALL of them!!!!!! IF....and it's a big IF.......one only.......

My favorite is the PRR T1 as built.

Norm

My 783 MPC era Hudson.

 

One smooth runner that maintains a constant speed.

It has not yet been made in three rail. (O scale 2 rail?  Sure)  For now, my child

hood three part collector, spoked driver Marx #999......

Do you have to pick just one? lol

 

AF 336 Challenger

Lionel 2343 F3 A-B-A Classic

#8 Tinplate Lionel

Lionel 671 Turbine..

 

Sorry I could keep going it all depends  If I feel nostalgic or want sounds. I would also pick any newer F3. MTH is my first modern choice..

 

Mine is an old hand me down I received as a child, and my first diesel.

This one:

 

 

The youngest it can be is 55 years and it still runs like a young stallion!  Wish I could say the same about myself.

 

Pete

All of the above....

MTH Erie Triplex!

My favorite runner, by far, is the recent Legacy Berkshire.   I keep in on the layout all the time and it runs every day - a lot.  Mine has been bashed with a different (scale foot higher) cab and a few other tiny changes to look a bit more like the real ATSF 4199, and weathered just a tad.   It is a handsome loco that is just the right size to look good on my layout.

Nice, Lee! It really looks good. So do all the other engines posted.

The hand me down 1666 that I received as a Christmas gift in 1960.  It had been my cousins, still have it, still run it.

This Lionel Pennsy K4 was one of my first major purchases.

My favorite is Southern Kanawha, 2716 .  2nd would be Lionel Legacy Southern Crescent.  

This topic comes up a lot. But it is interesting to see how some of our members choices change with the addition of new equipment. Therefore it is always something new. Mine however has not changed over the past year.

 

 

My beloved Lindy Lou....she's the little engine that could !    

My prewar 226E.  I have 5 since I collect sets.  I have handled maybe 30 -40 over the years and never had one I could not get running in 5 minutes no matter how long it had been stored in a basement. They run really well and pull a lot of cars.

Postwar 2046 and 2046w. Hands down the best locomotive i've ever purchased and even though there's no sounds, it's still a VERY handsome machine and runs quite well for being 60 years old.

Favourite all around locomotive from real life?

PRR T-1. No contest.

The RMT Beep. Strange, simple, short and sweet!

hello guys and gals...........

 

my favorite would be the Sunset 3rd rail Santa Fe #5011.  For a diesel road locomotive has to be a Williams blue/yellow Santa Fe GP-9 #2678.

 

the woman who loves S.F.#5011,#2678

Tiffany

My MTH PRR decapod with ERR.

 

Great question only becuase I've asked myself that time & time again & constanly come up with the same answer. I like all of my locomotives. They're expensive, so I take a lot of care to pick out ONLY the ones I really like a lot. With that being said, if someone was to ask me: "If you could only have one solitary item of everything that you own personally, what would it be?" I would have to answer with my (now, but previously dad's) 1954 Lionel Texas Special F-3. It is the personification of past family tradition, & making new ones with my son. 

 

  I've heard that death finally comes to you in the form of your favorite childhood memory. Some day, if I ever find myself back at home with mom & dad standing there near the Christmas Tree, it's somewhere around 1979, give or take a few years, & that engine is growling it's way around the living room, then I'll know it's time to check my bags & board the Lionel Limited for my last run before the marker lights fade in the distance. 

 

  

My favorite engine is my 2005 Lionel N&W J 4-8-4 number 611 with TMCC.  I got her brand new in a trade.  Best trade I ever made.  She sounds great and runs great and the smoke on high out put is like an MTH smoke unit.  Number 611 is the queen of my fleet.

 

Happy Railroading

Cheers

Patrick W.  

The Free State Junction Railroad " Where the trains always run on time"

lionel nyc e7 aba diesel set-detail is outstanding

I always wanted a texas special f3 aba-got a railking ts f3 aba w/sounds-engineer figures

high gloss-proto 3 sounds

I have two favorite engines:  the Chevy 5.3L 285hp V8 and the Ford 4.0L 205hp SOHC V6. 

 

 

 

What, me worry?

steam would be my Lionel UP FEF

diesel would be any Santa Fe F-3 in Warbonnet

I couldn't pick just one.

Dad's 1684,my Uncle's 2020,my 675, the first Lionel steamer I bought for myself,my junkbox rebuild 225E,my Rail King M1a(because I couldn't afford a Lionel M1a)

Tough to choose just one.

 

Yeah, there's no way I could choose just one.  I have them all because I like them all.

I like all my engines or i wouldn't have bought them.  

LOL!!

 

I prefer the Chevy 350.

 

But as for the rail kind, the UP Big Boys have always been my favorite.  As for the 3-rail kind, find my trinity below.  L-R, 1) My 1st electric train, a Marx that still runs to this day. 2) My 2nd O gauge locomotive, a MTH PS1 Dreyfuss Hudson, and the one that has converted me to the world of 3-rail from N scale, and 3) My K-line Big Boy.  Just had to have my favorite locomotive.  It was a college graduation present to myself.

 

 

Old PW its my 2037, the Magne-traction makes it able to exceed prototypical speeds without fear. For "newer" stuff it is my K-line GG1, Its tuskan, but once I had the fleet of modernism cars too, I finally got over wanting a green, or PW "black/green" one. There is also an underdog worthy of mention. A cheap Rock Island dockside I bashed for my niece to run cab forward.