Skip to main content

   Hello everyone I'm a 32 year newlywed old who got back into the O scale hobby about 2 years ago. My wife thought it would be nice to have a train under the tree this year. I have all newer MTH locomotives and thought a postwar lionel steamer would look much better on a tighter radius track around the tree. So what do you suggest I should look for?

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

As SJC said, if you want to turn it on and leave it to run, a cruise control equipped locomotive is awesome.  

 

Postwar stuff does have that Christmas charm about them though, and I'd highly recommend a Lionel 2037 or similar 2-6-4 steamer.  Smooth runner, built for O-27, and they are extremely common meaning low cost.  You can get a good looking loco and tender for around a $100 (less if you look hard).  The locomotives have the headlight, smoke and E-Unit, while the tenders vary on whether they have a whistle or not.

 

The last few years I have been running a PS2 engine around the tree.  I just set the throttle and watched it go.  I have used O-31 tinplate and recently have been using Lionel Fast track which I believe is O-36.  I am thinking about running a PS1 equipped 260E with red 700 series passenger cars which is currently running on my tinplate layout.

 

 

DSC_0216

Attachments

Images (1)
  • DSC_0216

I like the Polar Express starter set.  You can get them for less than $250 if you shop and it has everything you need for a quick loop around the tree.  Extra straight FasTrack sections are nice but not necessary.  Plus you get a transformer so you don't need to pull one off your layout.  I used to box mine back up after Christmas but I haven't done that in the last few years.  I have mine out year round now.

My vote is for the Christmas Special Steam Freight Train Set, Bachmann Williams 00323. You can find it online for less than $300 (complete with Atlas track and transformer). I have the Polar Express. It is what drew me into O Gauge. That said, it is on it's third motor control board and the original CW-80 transformer is a distant memory. For a locomotive to put on the tracks and run "until Christmas" you just can't beat WBB.
 
 
Just my $0.02
 
Gilly
Last edited by Gilly@N&W

I think postwar is a good choice, provided you do not intend it to run all day, every day. But it is perfectly adequate for a couple hours here and there.

 

Cruise control is silly for something that is only going to go in circles, IMHO. Even with the old fashioned open frame motor, a well-maintained loco will settle on a certain speed and stay there, once it has had 10-15 minutes to warm up.

For me ... not only space, but charm and nostalgia, dictate a postwar train. I run a 2046 with some PW rolling stock around the tree. The sights, sounds and aromas ... love it!

 

I also have a very narrow switching layout in the room with modern equipment for some hands-on fun.

 

But, hey ... its all good.

 

 

I can run a Railking 4-8-4 on O-31 but it does not look as good as a smaller engine.

I would go with a 2-8-0 or some similar sized engine.

As far as reliability All my engines have been great except one, and that one had issues from the start but is now fixed and running well.

I have no problem starting up a MTH starter set 2-8-0 and letting it pull a 6 car consist for hours under the tree.

My wife is not enamored with the noise tho....

   Thanks for all the great info so far I've been looking and am leaning toward a lionel 2046 so far. I have a whistling tender that was my dads and his brothers and acouple of post war cars that were their's too. I have a 665 that was they had also but it is in pieces and hopefully I can possibly get her goin for next year. I'm thinkin I'm going to run around the tree then over to the corner of the living room around the hutch and use sum O54 curves that way if I wanted to bring sum of my bigger locomotives up I can run them.  Better to start bigger if I can get away with it. I'll try to get it up and goin and post sum pics ASAP!

We just set up the Lionel Christmas Tinplate train set from a few years ago.  Very colorful, very nostalgic.  Chuffing, whistle, bell...driving Millie and Daisy (Golden Retriever pups) crazy.  Only thing I miss is the smoke...this train had no smoker.  Ergo, no bouquet of 'Chrismas Pine' to complement the artificial tree. 

 

Hmmmmm....  Maybe have to get the O-27 Christmas Train out and run it every so often, too.  It's a good smoker and has that classic Lionel air whistle sound.  I believe it's my wife's favorite train, anyway.   She won it as a door prize at our very first York visit several years ago!

 

Choices, choices, choices....

 

KD

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×