What's your go to locomotive?

Having about 25 engines, when push comes to shove, I get the greatest pleasure from the 2035 I received on my first Christmas in '49. After thet it's the Santa Fe 2383 Mom and Dad bought for me several years later.

Probably some Alco RS1 variation....   could be Mike's or Atlas.

My MTH PRR Mountain.   It was my first "real" command control loco and I'll run it until it stops and then it will get repaired or go on a shelf.

--Greg

I HAVE NO GO TO ENGINE, THEY EACH SATISFY A DIFFERENT AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT NEED, LOVE EM ALL

Every year i convince myself that I'm going to sell that RK Allegheny because its too big and doesn't fit my layout... and every year I put it on the layout one last time... and then it never leaves   Part of it is the fact that it's so big and heavy, but I must confess to being captivated by it's inherent goodness.

I guess my stalwart is the RK K4 passenger set - it was my first command engine and it's running regardless of what else is.   

Everything else is subject to changing layout demands as determined by the operating partners (me and the kids...).

When I can't decide what to run I always seem to get out my Lionel NYC consolidation.  It looks good with either a couple of coaches or a short freight consist.  Plus my 2 year old loves to plow it's whistle.

I agree. My favorites are often my "broken wing birds" as someone used to call them. They are the ones that came to me in the worst state of neglect, and was am able to breathe new lives into them. Just like Frankenstein.

"Go to engines"... well, I'm gonna have to say either my 2046 and 2046w which will pull the world off of its axis and looks pretty good doing it, or my little Lionel Lines Alco FA. It's small, cute, was really cheap, my first locomotive and after putting two rolls of nickles in the cab over the powered truck, will almost out-pull the old steamer it's also much quieter.

and... if the world's been crashing down me all day, I come home and run some tin. The noisy clattering makes me a pretty calm guy after, and it's just smiles all around,

 MTH... Anyone!

Any one of my (9) Atlas SW9's.

MTH "I Love Toy Trains"

dockside locomotive.

she smokes like a champ!!!

HAY STEAMWOLF!  I dare you to post a straight on side view of that little FA. 

Pete

Aaaaaaand then??

Laugh at it all you want, it only cost me $20.

LOL!

My K-Line Mikado...always

For me its my MTH Railking Boston and Maine GP 7.  Straight out of the box it worked flawlessly, pulls great, has nice sound and features, and looks good with passenger or freight cars.  It was the first locomotive I purchased when I got into O gauge a little more than a year ago, and it helped to sell me on this gauge of model railroading.  

It has also turned me into a Geep lover as i have two more geeps on the way from a fellow forum member, plus an SD 24 (Geep close relative).

I have two favorites:  An MTH Premier Boston and Maine GP9 that I had upgraded to PS2, and my only Lionel Engine: a Boston and Maine Mogul.  Both work flawlessly.

.....and yet I can't go very long without slapping on a set of Lionel Best & Only Budd cars...right outta the '57 - '58 catalog !    Budds have a mystique like U wouldn't believe with the lights off at night time.

Gotta go with the Imperial Railking Big Boy.

Here is a Link to it Pulling 52 cars Note, This is not on utube, it's on my website and takes a minute to download.

Ya, a scale one would be nice but I have not had the room...Yet.

Well, it used to be a MTH Bantam S2 Pennsy Turbine with Locosounds. I ran across a gentleman that wanted it more than I did. It would pull anything, smoked like crazy and never let us down on the club modular layout.

Now it's one of four WbB engines on my roster. No fuss, no muss. Toss them on the tracks and they just flat run.

Gilly