I have a set of six Lionel 19 inch NYC Empire State Express passenger cars (four car set 6-29173 and two-car set 6-29178) and will be buying an engine to pull them with. I know the most appropriate engine would be Lionel's 6-38000 Century Club 2nd edition Hudson that came with these cars. But I'm also considering MTH's Empire State Express Hudson MT-3016L, which usually costs a lot less. Does the MTH ESE Hudson match up aesthetically with my Lionel passenger cars? If so, I will probably buy it. Since I run my trains conventionally using an MTH Z4000 transformer, I figure the sound benefits of having the Lionel engine would be negligible.
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