Do you stray from your favorite brand?

Don't have a favorite brand. I buy trains that I like no matter who manufactured it.

I run scale sized Trains and I Buy the Brand that has what I am looking for.

Mikey

mikey posted:

…….. I Buy the Brand that has what I am looking for.

Mikey

That is the same reason I buy mostly postwar Lionel, Mikey

I don't have a favorite brand.  I own Williams brass locomotives (4), Lionel (2), and 3rd Rail (1).  All are TMCC controlled.  I don't own any MTH locomotives (they are pretty, but...) because of my experiences with DCS. 

I too, run scale sized locomotives, and I will buy the brand that has what I am looking for (within the limitations indicated above).  For example, I am looking for another 3rd Rail PRR I1s Decapod (short tender).

George  

Any brand rolling stock in the PW  era is fine with me.  When it comes to locomotives I stay away from MTH since I  run conventional and TMCC..

Like others have said "I buy what I like".  I like Pennsy by Lionel, so that is what I buy.

Most purchases are Lionel, some older but most from the last 30 years,  and I have plenty of old K-Line, current Atlas and a smattering of current MTH rolling stock and even older Weaver and Williams.  One 3rd Rail product.  TMCC/LC/LC+ only so I don't buy those pretty MTH locos .

But, of course! Always!

I buy what I like, and I like what I buy.

Do I have favorite brands?  Yes, I probably do.  Will I only buy my favorite brands?  Not a chance!  There's no one single brand that offers everything I want.

I buy locomotives that run with MTH's DCS, so the operating system makes me brand loyal. However, every once in a while Lionel may produce a locomotive that MTH does not, and I must have it. The only case so far is the TMCC NYC S3 Electric, the icon of model railroading. In the future I plan to convert the S3 to PS32 so I can enjoy running it.

MTH Rail King locomotives have been outstanding on my railroad, so I am partial to Rail King.

As for trolley cars, passenger and freight rolling stock, I am not brand loyal.

I'm not brand loyal.  I have and run MTH, Lionel, K- Line, Atlas O, Williams, Kusan, and Industrial Rail products.   I like whatever appeals to me without emphasis on a particular brand.  I don't have any 3rd Rail products only because, although they make exquisite products, their products ( at least the ones I'd like to own )  are not within my budget.... perhaps one day I'll be able to have 3rd Rail in collection ... only time will tell.

Scale only and brand is of little concern. I gather that there are quite a few out there who 'avoid MTH' because of DCS. DCS is terrific and when you consider the features that were available almost 20years ago with it, it's amazing that you've held out so long! Heck, it took Lionel quite a few years with  Legacy to 'sort of catch up' ...

" it's amazing that you've held out so "

Some of us didn't hold out, we just didn't find DCS to be an improvement on what we had,  after giving it a try .  Your mileage and those of many others obviously varied.  No harm, no foul.

My modern engines are all MTH, except for a couple WBB engines. Most of my rolling stock is MTH with a scattering of Atlas, K-line, Weaver, Williams and Lionel thrown in. 

I also collect and run postwar and MPC Lionel. (and one Marx engine that somehow snuck into the collection) 

Only Lionel, and only postwar, conventional style. Mainly because that's what my grandfather's set was, and I've been hesitant to change anything for nostalgic reasons

I buy Lionel TMCC/Legacy, and Atlas O with tmcc. Those are the only Locomotives/Diesels I buy, so brand loyal to those manufacturers. Now on freight cars, Lionel, Atlas O, K-Line, MTH.  great question, Happy Railroading 

Not brand loyal. Hi-Railer, modern stuff, a few older pieces for grins (I have a little Lionel 2-6-4 221 "collection").

I run TMCC and descendants, so the MTH locos are always second choice if Lionel and/or Friends also offer it. I like MTH stuff very much, as models. I have all brands; 3rd Rail and Wms are my least-owned of the in-business majors.

Rolling stock? Any good piece, but it always seems that MTH makes the nicest stuff. K-Line die-cast cars still make me look.

Faithful to Lionel since my first set in ‘55.  It’s a childhood thing, the best I can tell.I do pick up MTH more often these days when they make something I like. Example in the upcoming RailKing Gold Bonnet ATSF PA ALCOS. 

Still I have new Lionel on order, too.

Nah. If it's something scale sized, lettered for the Santa Fe or Southern Pacific, and fits in the 1948-1951 timeframe I'll buy it. I have DCS and TMCC so it doesn't matter to me what control system the locomotive uses. All my steam locomotives are MTH Premier and DCS. Diesels are Lionel (except one MTH that was converted) and TMCC. It just so happens the models I wanted were manufactured that way. 

My favorite brand is MTH because they are the best bang for your buck in my opinion.  For rolling stock I’ll buy any brand if I like the item and it is priced right.  For Locos, I rarely stray because I run DCS, but there are a few modern non-MTH locos on my roster.  A LionChief plus camelback that was priced too low to resist. And two WBB scale GG1s that GRJ converted to PS3.  I got the WBB GG1s instead of MTH because they will do O42 curves.

Bill T posted:

Don't have a favorite brand. I buy trains that I like no matter who manufactured it.

That's me as well.    My layout can handle TMCC/Legacy, DCS, and LionChief Plus, and of course, conventionally operated equipment.

So when it comes to purchasing new or old stuff, I buy what strikes my fancy.  I don't care how makes it. My roster of power and cars is a hodgepodge of some scale, a ton of non scale, prototype, fantasy, what have you.

I run my Daylight Cab Forward next to my Vision Challenger, next to my Premier U30 C&NW, next to my Beeps...all in the same Yard/Roundhouse area.    I have a Railking PRR S2 Turbine that currently pulls some Lionel Phantom cars on an upper level loop.

I'm into what looks good, to me, what features it has to play with, scale or not, prototypical or not, from whatever company.

Bill T posted:

Don't have a favorite brand. I buy trains that I like no matter who manufactured it.

I used to only buy Lionel, but now I'll buy any brand that makes scale pieces that are fairly accurate to the prototype. So that means Lionel, MTH premier, and Atlas. I even found that the Menards well cars, are made from the old Right of Way tooling, so I bought a four pack. The rest of the Menards line is of no interest to me. Oh yeah, K-line 21" passenger cars, and old Weaver cars.

My focus is the Pennsylvania Railroad.    I look for scale models of real PRR prototypes - not just paint schemes.    Brand does not matter much to me.    the only time I consider it is when I have been burned by a product from one brand, I tend shy away from that brand.     I have Sunset, Lionel, MTH, USH, MG, Gem, Williams, Weaver, NJCB, The Carworks and Quality Craft and Ambroid kits I have built.    

I buy for prototype model and roadname....steam locos, 99%, except for gas electrics and other rail cars. Very little spent over last few years, due to lack of availability. They make it, l will come.  Roadnames l regard as overcommon in three rail production, l won't buy cars, either. Will buy cars for obscure historical roads to run, from west and midwest, examples might be C&IM, C&EI, Mich. UP copper roads, etc.

hello guys and gals....

Do I stray from any brands , NOPE sure don't.  I have favorite train which is a Railking Imperial Challenger and 13 traditional size Lionel freight cars and a Williams N5c caboose with MTH trucks w/pick ups, Ready Made Toys coupler from the Beep. 

"You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection.

Psalm 91:1 ERV. (Easy to read version)

I'm totally staying away from the Chinese Lionel, too many problems with the high tech engines. No longer worth parting with my hard earned money.

No brand loyalty here.  My layout has both DCS and Legacy, and can also run conventional so control system doesn’t mean much.  I buy what I like as long as it is within my budget.  Scale locomotives (MTH, K-Line, Atlas, Lionel, Weaver) as well as several Lion Chief Plus steam and diesel.  Rolling stock comes from everywhere, and is both scale and traditional.

Lionel locomotives, any brand of rolling stock

So far, I have only O gauge Lionel locomotives and rolling stock.  I have 3 conventional and one LC+.  I have had no exposure to other control systems or brands.  I have seen many wonderful pieces on the forum but so far, it's "go with what you know."

Bill

At one time I was highly loyal to Lionel (with a few Marx and K-Line pieces).  I have lost any interest in buying new production, however, and so that partiality doesn't really matter anymore. 

I bought 4 Atlas O Diesels last winter. I only Like 1 of them and don't plan on buying any more. I kept hoping they would be better runners.  2 have ERR cruise control and one of them is ok, one is not ok. The other 2 just have TMCC and they are both erratic runners. Plus they are tight inside and difficult to work on.

I'd have to give them away or spend more money to upgrade them. I rarely have this kind of trouble with Lionel Products. I'd be ashamed to sell them on Ebay so I'm stuck w/ them. They just sit on a shelf collecting dust.

Also LOUD Rail-Sounds can't be beat.

That's Just My Say. I'm Hoping Others have had better results w/them.

I run Legacy - TMCC locs only (Lionel-Atlas-3rd Rail + converted WBB).  DCS is something that I never incorporated into my layouts for several reasons so I no longer have any MTH locs & I divested two Z-4000s in favor of the Lionel ZW-L.

Right decisions - for me.

I have rolling stock from Lionel + Atlas + MTH.

My fav. brand, then, has the Lionel control system & I'm "loyal" to it.  

My favorite brand is O gauge and I never stray from it. 

I'm a conventional guy as well and I focus on Lionel Postwar as it's always been easy to work on.  When I first got into the hobby my father and I were buying K-line as well as a little MTH/Railking as it was what was affordable.

Now I stick mostly to Lionel, but a few years back I had the chance to buy a Williams by Bachmann Canadian Pacific passenger set lead by a pair of F3s.  I figured I would never afford the postwar version, so I took a chance.  I have been very happy with my decision.  While I'm not a fan of some of the blocky graphics on Williams freight cars and the glossy finish that seems to be on much of the older Williams stuff, I am keeping my eye on some other engines as affordable substitutions for Lionel Postwar.

I always have a favorite brand, but I am never totally one-tracked. I like Lionel best, but I have locos and rolling stock from other brands as well, because they appealed to me. Too much of a good thing is bad, need to change things up now and then. 

AXP889 posted:

…. While I'm not a fan of some of the blocky graphics on Williams freight cars and the glossy finish that seems to be on much of the older Williams stuff, …..

AXP889,

If you don't like the glossy finish (I don't either), I suggest that you strip the details and "windows" off the body and give it a coat of Testors "DullCoat".

I've done this on a couple LTI products that had a shine that I didn't care for, and I am very happy with the results. Easy and a postwar Lionel looking finish

Tom Williams posted:

I bought 4 Atlas O Diesels last winter. I only Like 1 of them and don't plan on buying any more. I kept hoping they would be better runners.  2 have ERR cruise control and one of them is ok, one is not ok. The other 2 just have TMCC and they are both erratic runners. Plus they are tight inside and difficult to work on.

I'd have to give them away or spend more money to upgrade them. I rarely have this kind of trouble with Lionel Products. I'd be ashamed to sell them on Ebay so I'm stuck w/ them. They just sit on a shelf collecting dust.

Also LOUD Rail-Sounds can't be beat.

That's Just My Say. I'm Hoping Others have had better results w/them.

Interesting. which Atlas units do you have? The newer ERR/TMCC units run well. Have had some issues with the EOB from Train America Studios, friends have that in early Sunset steam also. Folks bring everything to run from PreWar to current. Seems all have a few funky pieces. (Was interesting to see a bunch of new Lionel ALCo's all start up as engine 1 and crash.)

PW/conventional operator so that means Lionel and that’s the vast majority of my trains.

However, I do have rolling stock from Lionel, MTH, and Kline. I also dipped into the Menard’s pool with some of their rolling stock. All was good for several orders but I hit a bad streak where my last four orders arrived with all sorts of problems with the trucks. I stopped buying Menards but maybe will re-visit.

Lastly, I own a handful of Williams diesel locos. Really enjoy them especially some of the great items they made years ago from the Golden Memories series.

Lionelski posted:

AXP889 posted:

…. While I'm not a fan of some of the blocky graphics on Williams freight cars and the glossy finish that seems to be on much of the older Williams stuff, …..

AXP889,

If you don't like the glossy finish (I don't either), I suggest that you strip the details and "windows" off the body and give it a coat of Testors "DullCoat".

I've done this on a couple LTI products that had a shine that I didn't care for, and I am very happy with the results. Easy and a postwar Lionel looking finish

I shall have to give that a try, thanks.  I had definitely hesitated buying certain items because of it.

If I see something I don't already have that's the Strasburg or New Hope Railroads I buy it irregardless of manufacturer or scale. I'm that dedicated to those two local short lines.

Since I also enjoy quirky, whimsical, and unusual items I'll buy those too if they appeal to me and fit my budget at the time. Unfortunately I'd categorize some of those as impulse buys for which I had buyer's remorse afterwards but I've never regretted purchasing Strasburg and New Hope Ivyland RR items. 

I enjoy affordable O gauge stuff from the past 65 years.  Postwar Lionel is good, but I don't focus on it.  I run conventional (and always will), so I buy what I like when I see it, by mostly Lionel or MTH.   I have seen a couple of newer Lionel sets w/ the LionelChief systems, but am reluctant to get involved with any of that as I feel the added electronics will only be an eventual hassle.

I buy what I like, that I can also afford. Probably why Marx is the best represented brand in my O gauge goodies.

Have a bit of K-Line, a few post and pre war Lionel items, some pre war Flyer and a smattering of MPC. But mostly I buy Marx. It's dirt cheap and it usually runs when I get it home, or shortly thereafter.

c.sam posted:

Scale only and brand is of little concern. I gather that there are quite a few out there who 'avoid MTH' because of DCS. DCS is terrific and when you consider the features that were available almost 20years ago with it, it's amazing that you've held out so long! Heck, it took Lionel quite a few years with  Legacy to 'sort of catch up' ...

Remember that it took MTH years to "catch up" with Lionel's TMCC preferring instead to sell an incredibly miserable PS system.  

rthomps posted:

c.sam posted:

Scale only and brand is of little concern. I gather that there are quite a few out there who 'avoid MTH' because of DCS. DCS is terrific and when you consider the features that were available almost 20years ago with it, it's amazing that you've held out so long! Heck, it took Lionel quite a few years with  Legacy to 'sort of catch up' ...

Remember that it took MTH years to "catch up" with Lionel's TMCC preferring instead to sell an incredibly miserable PS system.  

Funny, that's not how I remember the PS 1 days.

I thought PS 1 was great, it was designed to work with the transformers that we all had at the time.

I didn't have to buy anything extra, my KW and ZW worked great and they had very good sound especially the articulated locos and let's not forget all the new tooling MTH was doing back then.

Tom

After acquiring more than 50 Lionel engines, we got the feeling that they had kinda left us. We are now buying primarily MTH and Sunset. Hope that the overall QC improves as it is still hard to say, “No orange.”

I usually buy Athearn models for my layout, but I sometimes stray to Walthers or Scaletrains.

I have fallen hard for UK tinplate, especially trains from Bassett Lowke(both vintage and reissued from Corgi/Hornby).  I also have a few pieces from ACE trains of London, who are doing some really beautiful tinplate/scaleplate trains.   I lost interest in Lionel after the postwar era for the most part.  But the sounds of tinplate and the sparkle they have under the Christmas tree is a joy to behold.  So I dont stray to far, keeping to a couple brands these days.     Mike the Aspie

Not really. My favorite brands are 3rd Rail, MTH, and Lionel. My deciding factor is "do they offer a N&W engine that I want"?

TN posted:

rthomps posted:

c.sam posted:

Scale only and brand is of little concern. I gather that there are quite a few out there who 'avoid MTH' because of DCS. DCS is terrific and when you consider the features that were available almost 20years ago with it, it's amazing that you've held out so long! Heck, it took Lionel quite a few years with  Legacy to 'sort of catch up' ...

Remember that it took MTH years to "catch up" with Lionel's TMCC preferring instead to sell an incredibly miserable PS system.  

Funny, that's not how I remember the PS 1 days.

I thought PS 1 was great, it was designed to work with the transformers that we all had at the time.

I didn't have to buy anything extra, my KW and ZW worked great and they had very good sound especially the articulated locos and let's not forget all the new tooling MTH was doing back then.

 

Tom

 

Yep.  The new tooling was great.  Gave a variety to the hobby that we had not seen before.

Clink-clang-clunk.  

Yes i buy MTH,Lionel,Atlas and Weaver!!! I also buy K-line and Williams too!!

I like Lionel. Very few Prewar, mostly Postwar and MPC. Nothing after 86, and an occasional Marx set.

I don't have a 'favorite' to stray from. I buy them all. I get a kick out of intermixing brands in the same train. I even MU'ed a diesel consist with TMCC and DCS in command mode and ran it (no video though, I'll have to address that next time I try that stunt).

I didn't get any of the Lionel scale autoracks because I was too heavily invested in the MTH ones--meaning I have over 50 of them (I lost track of how many I had). I did, however buy five of the Lionel mill gondolas, and I think I have 13 of their 86' boxcars. So far as Legacy, I don't have any of those locomotives. I don't have anything against it, just that I already have TMCC+DCS, and by the time Lionel started coming out with Legacy diesels that I might've been interested in enough to invest in a Legacy system, I had already bought their MTH equivalents covering every modern prototype+roadname my heart's ever desired (and then some). 

---PCJ

Atlas, K-line, Lionel, Marx, MTH, Weaver and Williams have continued to manufacture some great O gauge product over the years; it is easy to see if someone becomes brand loyal to just one producer of toy trains.

As for me, it would be Lionel. I had those under the tree at Christmas time; it is one way of mentally keeping a youthful outlook as I grow older with time. There is no stray cat in me when regarding toy trains.

enjoy your trains...

There are so many quality trains on the market that its hard to have a favorite brand. I have trains from Bachman-Williams, Atlas, MTH, Lionel, K-Line and off brands. They are all on the layout.  IMO, presenting value, looking good and having a fit on the layout should be the criteria.  All of the companies mentioned have met this goal.

For me, the control system is the thing. I want PS-3 but can't usually afford it. So I buy used PS-2 and used TMCC. The layout is not set up for conventional so I don't buy any conventional or PS-1. Of course anything can be upgraded to PS-3 for $175. So if you can get a loco cheap enough, buying PS-1 or conventional still works. But usually they are not priced to allow for the upgrade to be added and still get your money back if you ever sell it. 

I wish MTH would open-source their DCS or Lionel would do the same for legacy. That would really blow the market wide open. But that is sheer fantasy. It will never happen. 

Don

Don Merz 070317 posted:

For me, the control system is the thing. I want PS-3 but can't usually afford it. So I buy used PS-2 and used TMCC. The layout is not set up for conventional so I don't buy any conventional or PS-1. Of course anything can be upgraded to PS-3 for $175. So if you can get a loco cheap enough, buying PS-1 or conventional still works. But usually they are not priced to allow for the upgrade to be added and still get your money back if you ever sell it. 

I wish MTH would open-source their DCS or Lionel would do the same for legacy. That would really blow the market wide open. But that is sheer fantasy. It will never happen. 

Don

That wouldn't stop me from spending more money on something than it's worth.  

But then again, my main mantra in life overall has been "buy high, and sell low".