The MTH body "nose tooling" is noticeably inaccurate; I have an MTH GM&O dummy, and it
stands out, to me. The quality of the model is good, however.
The "cheapie" Lionel model has excellent body tooling and truck detail - but the rest of it
is, though tough and durable, very much a good toy. Good "train show" or starter locos; I even painted and weathered one...cheap thrills. The high gearing can be managed with a Cruise Commander.
K-Line/WBB or Weaver modern 2-motor (I have a friend with an old chain-drive Weaver
RS-3 - honestly, it sounds like a cement mixer) were good, too.