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Back in Feb of 2009 we did a breakdown of engines by make amongst OGR forum members at the time. 50 members replied.

The breakdown went like this:

Lionel 38.7 %

MTH 38.5 %

Williams 3.9 %

Weaver 1.7 %

K-Line 3.4 %

Atlas 6.3 %

3rd Rail 1.2 %

Other 6.2 %

I remember being surprised at how close Lionel and MTH came in.

 

A lot has changed in 5 years, and I wonder how a similar survey would stack up today?

I suspect that interest in MTH has waned since they have pursued the HO etc and seem to have been dormant in new O scale stuff. PS-3 is OK, but not really a whole bunch better than PS-2.

Lionel meanwhile has had big hits with such things as Legacy, wireless tether, quilling whistle, steam smoke, better sounds, better speakers, etc.

I have certainly bought way more Lionel in the last 4-5 years than MTH, probably by a factor of 10:1, for all the reasons above.

 

I am NOT trying to stir up yellow/purple versus orange/blue wars here; just wondering how others see it these days?

 

Rod

Original Post

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I re-entered the hobby in 2011, probably getting close to all that I want for a while. What I have so far:

 

  1 Lionel Legacy

15 MTH PS-2 & PS-3

 

All are diesels, no steam.

 

There is 1 Lionel diesel in the new 2014 catalog I will probably order, so that would make it Lionel 2. No idea what the MTH catalog will have, so can't say there yet. I like them both (as well as Atlas) and agree that Lionel has the best sound by my ear anyway. However, MTH has had many more offerings in my chosen road name than Lionel since I got back in the hobby.

Last edited by rtr12
Originally Posted by AGHRMatt:

 

I now have retro-active sticker shock. Thank you very much.

The solution, I have discovered, is to buy a nice new model locomotive.  Don't worry about the price: tell yourself it is a bargain, because if you wait, the next time they bring out a PS4 or Vision Plus version of it, it will cost twice as much.  

Rod,

     I have the following all except the 2 MTH are Legacy or TMCC:

 

          Lionel 8 (47%)

          Kline  6 (36%)

          MTH   2 (11.5%)

          Atlas  1 (5.5%)

 

    The two MTH engines do not have sound only a whistle/horn and bell. I have not purchased any MTH engines for a long time.

 

13 are PRR (77%), 3 NS (17%), 1 Nabisco (6%)

 

JohnB

WOW! I never considered what my roster consisted of and couldn’t have imagined nearly half of it is the Mighty Sound of Steam. Thinking 2 more at the top of my acquisition list are also Mighty Sound of Steam; I’m gonna have one heck of a cheesily annoying display by the end of the year. Maybe it’s time to look at the Lionchief plus offerings.

 

7 Lionel Mighty Sound of Steam =  47%

2 Lionel Steam w/ Railsounds = 13%

2 Lionel Diesels = 13 %

1 MTH PS2 Hiawatha = 7%

1 MTH Bump & Go Trolley = 7%

1 MTH Bump & Go Hand Car = 7%

1 Atlas O Steam engine = 7%

 

Lionel 73%

 

MTH 20%

 

Atlas O 6%

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Includes only locos and trolleys I have now: does not include current pre-orders (2 Lionel, 4 MTH), or those I gave away or junked for spare parts, etc. 

Train table

Wow Lee! I've been back into O Gauge for almost 3 years now with my 6 engines.  I had no idea anyone would have 158 engines! You must really be into it.  Impressive.

 

Vern

I have several older Lionel engines, probably around 12.

 

2 pre war Lionel steam engines

3 post war Lionel steam engines

2 post war Lionel diesel engines

1 modern Lionel

11 Williams(before Bachmann) diesel engines

3 MTH PS-2; one steam and two diesels

1 MTH PS-3 diesel

1 RMT trolley

1 K-Line Interurban set

 

No Atlas or WBB engines as of yet.

 

Lee Fritz

Last edited by phillyreading

Lionel:  (17.5%)

2 PE Berks (currently the only steam engines in collection)

1 Thomas the Tank Engine

2 Post War Diesels

1 MPC era Diesel

3 TMCC Diesels

1 Liontech Diesel

1 Non Powered Diesel

 

Williams:  (6.3%)

4 Diesel (2 are non powered)

 

Atlas:  (1.6%)

1 Non Powered

 

 

MTH:  (74.5%) 

4 PS-1 Diesels

12 Non Powered Diesels

31 PS-2 PS-3 Diesels

 

Larry

Last edited by PSAP2010
Originally Posted by Yellowstone Special:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

Includes only locos and trolleys I have now: does not include current pre-orders (2 Lionel, 4 MTH), or those I gave away or junked for spare parts, etc. 

Train table

Wow Lee! I've been back into O Gauge for almost 3 years now with my 6 engines.  I had no idea anyone would have 158 engines! You must really be into it.  Impressive.

 

Vern

Thank you.  You can never have too much power, or too many locomotives.

 

When I looked at this last night as I was posting it, what jumped out at me is that the single 3rd Rail loco I have (an ATSF 2900 Northern, for which I paid full list price) cost just what all 28 of the RMT BEEPS, BANGS, and BEEFs I have (I don't think I paid close to list for any of them, and many I got for more than half off).   .    But then it hit me: I don't know which I'd choose if I had to pick one or the other: in some sense they are worth about the same to me, so that is as it should be.

Here's my statistics:

 

Atlas (TMCC)          - 2     1.1%

K-line (Conv)         - 5     2.8%

K-Line (TMCC)         - 6     3.4%

Lionel (Conv)         - 68    38.0%

Lionel (TMCC/Leg)  - 27    15.1%

MTH (Proto2/3)      - 63    35.2%

Right of Way (Conv) - 1       0.6%

RMT (Conv)          - 2       1.1%

Williams (Conv)      - 5      2.8%

 

Keep your eyes open in the For Sale forum a few months from now as I plan to sell many of my conventional engines.

Mine are

 

Lionel (Legacy)       58

Lionel (TMCC)         72

Lionel (LionChief)     9

Lionel (Conv)        220

K-Line (TMCC)          1

K-Line (Conv)           8

MTH    (Conv)           4

RMT    (Conv)           3

 

In a few days I will be downsizing some of my Conventional & TMCC.

My O gauge locomotives:

 

Marx   - 1

Lionel  - 6 (2 are dummies, and 1 on preorder.)

MTH    - 9 (All are PS-1 equipped, but thinking of converting some to TMCC.)

K-Line - 3 (All factory RS/TMCC equipped.)

 

Power make up is :

 

Steam    - 9

Diesel    - 7

Electric   - 2

Gasoline - 1

 

I think the only reason I have so many MTH is because I prefer conventional running so I could get PS-1 equipped locomotives cheap secondhand.  Now that I'm starting to consider command, future locomotive purchases will be weighted toward TMCC/Leagcy equipped locomotives.  But in the end, I have no real brand loyalties, I just get whichever I like when I want that's available and in my budget.

Post

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