Here are some picture of three different brands of 3-rail Birneys (left to right): Lionel 1990s, Corgi, and Bowser.
LIONEL
Pros: close to scale length, reversing bump action.
Cons: Too wide, rides high, lacking detail (more recent ones have better poles and window grills). Ironically, earlier Lionels have the right steps.
CORGI
Pros: close to scale length AND width, great detail, complete interior.
Cons: need to add motor, glossy finish.
BOWSER
Pros: rides nice and low, near scale width.
Cons: too short, leading to narrow windows. Detail not that great (I added the retrievers).
I actually like all three but would give the top ranking to the Corgi, assuming the availability of motorized drives, because of the level of detail.
This is the real 1651 Birney.
