The Appreciation of Appreciation

Same here Scrappy,

Mine is one of the best I have. Glad to hear they are going at a premium.

OK,OK, I'll go as high as $499 for either one of them. Both for $750. You pay shipping. Don

It's one of the few legacy locos I didn't buy, and at the price offered at the time obviously was a real bargain,  and while I love Northerns, the Milwaukee Road is not a RR I model or want to get into, so I passed.  Nonetheless, I am intrigued by the self adjusting drawbar (which I expected to see on other locos by now) and I imagine the two speakers make for exceedingly good sound.  Still, it seems unreal that it brings in close to two grand - at that price I think the Vision Challenger is a much better loco. 

Interesting comparison of the S-3 and the Vision Challenger. The Vision Challenger, IMO, is the best model locomotive I have ever seen with the possible exception of the Evolution GE. I have two challengers and the S-3. It is really a bit of apples and oranges but if you are a northern aficionado and like the incredible sounds and sights, the S-3 is wonderful.

 

It remains to be seen where this loco will end up vis a vis the Lionel Hall of Fame.

 

Scrappy

People thought I was crazy for buying two 261's. 

 

This engine is definitely one of my favorites.  For a Milwaukee guy.. this is like our scale Hudson!

Got a picture anyone?

.....

Dennis

Currently Trainworld is selling them for $929.00 if anyone is in the market.

I have the Northern A.T.S.F. Awesome engine.

Not sure how I feel about this. I'm glad it's holding its value, but OTOH I think trains should be for people who love trains, not for going up in price just because they're desirable and artificially "rare."

 

Cheers,

Ken

Great thread Eliot!!!!!!!!!

 

I also love mine, and wouldn't sell it.

 

Dennis here's two video's and one photo, listen to the sounds of this engine

just incredible

 

Alex

 

 

 

 

 

Scher - you also have a couple of ATSF Northerns - 3751 and 3759.  Howe does the S-3 compare to them overall?  Does the self adjusting drawbar really do much for the look of the S-3 on the track?

The Milwaukee S-3 was destined to be a sales success.  People like to buy what they see running in real life.  Decades ago that meant NYC Hudsons, PRR GG-1s and Santa Fe War Bonnet F3s.  Before Lionel made the S-3 the Milwaukee 261 was the most active mainline excursion engine that had not been offered as a diecast O scale model.  The Lionel S-3 is a very good model with great features and was offered at a popular price.  It is one of the best values in O scale steam in recent years.  And it was something new in a market that has seen little investment in tooling for new models in recent years.

 

Given the above MSRP price being paid on the secondary market and the 261s return to the rails I would expect to see the Milwaukee S-3 offered again in the next few years.  There is nothing like a few hundred tons of steel and steam at 79 miles an hour to help sell scale models to the thousands of people who watch every excursion trip. 

>>>I went to Ebay where the only #261 was offered at $1,995. I was immediately taken aback and quickly realized that Lionel had produced something very special that may not have been fully appreciated when it hit the street.<<

 

I'm sure if the engine really did sell at that price, at Lionel the wheels are already in motion to get it reissued.

Joe 

Isn't that the truth!

Yeah, but I bet the price won't be $994.99 any more.

>>>you also have a couple of ATSF Northerns - 3751 and 3759.  Howe does the S-3 compare to them overall?  Does the self adjusting drawbar really do much for the look of the S-3 on the track?<<

 

I have both engines.. Both have great sound but the S-3 is better.  Cylinder blowoff with smoke & sounds at start up on the S3 is spectacular.

With the second whistle & horn sound its about as real as it gets... 

The SF is very close coupled. IMO, really no need for the adjusting drawbar.

Either one is a keeper but I like the S-3 better...

joe

 

I think even on the PRR Texas class the sound is slightly better than the ATSF Northern.  The PRR has a better deeper sound.  The 3751 is best and PRR is better IMO.  I suspect the S-3 is on par with the PRR Texas.

Lee,

The close coupling of the S-3 on straight track is one of the nicest, if not the nicest, features on the S-3. There is a lot to like. The detail is probably better than most of the steamers Lionel has offered for hundreds more, the sounds are absolutely top notch (I have the ATSF Northerns, the Pennsy Texas, and the Challengers), and the feature of blow off is totally cool. The Northerns have whistle steam which is my favorite feature. There are multiple whistle sounds and a horn. Very, very cool.

 

Scrappy