raising4daughters posted:There are several iterations of the Empire State Express and from what I've read, any set with a PT Tender seems to be advertised as an upgrade. They command a high price when sold alone.
What's the attraction? To me, it's just a big black tender. Is there some history with it in real railroading?
Lionel made the separate sale tender about ten years ago as part of the Century Club II collection. The price may have something to do with the fact that its Century Club and also one of the few separate sale tenders Lionel ever did. At the the time is also came with one of the best Railsounds versions which included 4 (count 'em) baby fatboy speakers.
I don't believe any of the current MTH and Lionel releases that come with the PT tender cost any more than the ones with the original tenders.
Personally I prefer the original streamline tender on the ESE but like the PT on the non streamlined J's.
Pete