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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

 

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

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.  

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

Last edited by RailRide

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...

 

 

 

 

 

Last edited by das boot

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".  

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