Not sure I could pick a favorite as we bought each for its unique qualities. What's your fave?
Peter
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Definitely the 700E scale Hudson.
By far Lionel's best Hudson yet. Love the swinging bell and the smoking whistle, and the sounds are dead on to the prototype locomotive.
I am fortunate to have the ATSF 3000, the challenger and the big boy. each are amazing, but if forced to choose my favorite, I would say the big boy.
By far the UP Challengers.
Mikey
My favorite is the Pennsy CC2 0-8-8-0 Mallet, with swinging Bell, lighted number boards, Whistle Steam effect, Flickering fire box with cover plate for the burning coals, and the smoking blow down under the Cab....It's front and rear operating couplers (although out of scale), is a really cool feature. It's whistle, chuffing sounds is just Amazing....This is the only steamer I have seen with a fire box cover. Last is the voices Lionel used...Neat Locomotive....
mine is the big boy, only one I have.
mikey posted:By far the UP Challengers.
Mikey
+1
Big Boy, although I don't have one.
The NS Genset Switcher. I love the heft of the diecast diesel, and it was and likely will be the only one I can afford!
I have the Vision Challenger and the Canadian Pacific Evolution Hybrid ES44. Love them both, 2 hard to choose a favorite. I also have the PFE refers.
Man this a tough one, the only one that I don't have is the ATSF 3000. But the shame of it is that I have no layout so most of my trains have never been run. So I cannot name just one of them, I'm split on 2 of them. The first one would be the 1st Vision Line steam engine the Pennsy CC2 0-8-8-0 Mallet The main reason that I bought it was the my youngest daughter asked me to buy it. I had both of my daughters at York she was 11 at the time and I took them to one of Lionel's new product demonstrations and no sooner then she saw it in operation she told me to get it. It only has about 10 minutes of run time on it and that was only on about 8 ft. of track but I fell in love with it.
The tied with it is Big Boy, and as you may have it me and my wife were watching a demonstration of it at York. And this time my wife told me to buy 2 of them 1 for each daughter. And I did get a chance to operate it on a public display for about 30 min.
But for some reason my favorite engine even though I have never run it, and that it was never a Vision Line engine would have to be the Milwaukee Road #261 S-3. Which also has a fair amount of features and some new ones.
Hands down it is the Big Boy for me too with my GE Evolution Hybrid coming in a close second. Wait a minute, the 700E Hudson with the swinging bell has me rethinking this........geez, I am so confused, lol.......Guess I love them all equally!
-Pete
The grey Hudson does it for me. If I can find a CC 2 I will get one. I have had the chance to work on a few and they are great runners.
Attachments
Images (1)
Challenger.
Well, I would opt for the GE Evos; I succumbed to getting both the original and CP versions. I think that they are the finest 3 rail model diesels ever made and at the original list price plus early order discount were a bargain. Great operating features and play value. They are what I thought the Vision Line was all about.
My reason for picking these over the Vision steamers is less positive; for years both were trouble free whereas each of the Big Boy, Challenger and ATSF 3000 have had operating/QC issues.
Phoenixx101 posted:The NS Genset Switcher. I love the heft of the diecast diesel, and it was and likely will be the only one I can afford!
The one feature that amazes me about this locomotive that no one ever seems to highlight, is it's incredible super-low speed operation capability. I had it on a parallel track next to my Premier Mohawk, with the Mohawk at 1 smph and the Switcher was absolutely crawling in comparison.
I have owned all the visionline engines besides the genset and centipedes . From what I think the best is. 1st is the Bigboy the sound and options make this engine awesome .The only down side is the poor smoke quality witch some of us fixed. The Santa Fe 2-10-10-2 is second what a beast. The swinging bell the smoke blow down and whistle are admazing. What a smoker this engine is. 3rd the visionline challenger love the dyanimo smoke the sound is great the negitive on mine is I don't think the whistle is 100 correct . The main duel smoke unit sucks .. 4th to me is the visionline Hudson .. The main reason is the lack of detail this engine should be flat black and have builder plates and high detail . What a great puller and love the swinging bell press aux 1 and watch it crawl is a site to see..The cc2 is probley one of the neatest engine has all the features. The whistle is awesome to me but this engine has to be the worst engine I have ever worked on .Change the traction tires and tell me if you love this engine after that. Why the visionline es44s are great and I have both of the evos .The sounds and features on the steamers get me .. To be fair the evos have enough issiues between the bearings In the trucks and the spinning fans and rear lights. As for the handrails why they are fragile I have never had a problem with them if you handle these engines correctly it's a non Issiue . Though I fixed enough of them. This is a 2 hand engine i cant figure out why you try picking it up with one .
The Big Boy.
I'll have to wait for my VL GG-1 to make that determination.
MartyE posted:I'll have to wait for my VL GG-1 to make that determination.
MartyE - a very sound answer. And, given all your experience and being the man who often comes to my rescue when I have a Legacy issue, far be it from me to ever debate a Lionel point with you. But I can't help thinking that, given all the amazing operating features on prior Vision products (e.g. Amazing steam effects, operating bells and coal loads, genset switcher's simulated 3 engine smoke effects and cab detail, speakers in loco and tender that emulate the echoing boom of a real steam monster. etc. etc.) a GG1 with a simulated sparking pantograph is no different than, well, a GG1 with a simulated sparking pantograph. Heehee.
People overlook the other features. For some reason focus on the sparking pantographs.
Dual speakers, 200 speed steps, floating pantagraphs, Legacy sound.
I think it's because the LED-sparking pantographs are like the depleting coal load on the Vision Big Boy - something no one has ever really done before. Nonetheless, I'm sure it'll dazzle me.
That's easy... the Santa Fe 2-10-10-2.... The sound, whistle, unique tender, and attention to detail is simply bar none the best. If you see one in person, you will be on the quest to find one! This engine raised the bar on VL products - barely achieved by the latest VL Big Boy.
Attachments
Images (3)
Just to add a bit of information to Marty’s comment about the GG1.
While at Trainfest in Milwaukee Lionel displayed the GG1 with rivets and I for one am very impressed with how fine the rivets came out.
I really was expecting the rivet detail to be overly thick, but that is not the case. Not quite to the level of the brass effort from 3rd Rail from a few years ago, but much better than expected.
Add in the other details that Marty mentioned and I think the new GG1 will be very nice.
Charlie
Anyone have a vid clip of the CC2 running through all its operating features?
JDaddy, I have one on the bench now and have to comment about how great the insides are laid out. Very easy to work on and a great running locomotive.
I have the big boy and the Hudson 700E. In my engines, the BB has better sound and a lot more smoke, so today I would choose the BB.
Brent
Marty Fitzhenry posted:JDaddy, I have one on the bench now and have to comment about how great the insides are laid out. Very easy to work on and a great running locomotive.
Change the second steamchest on it! It's so much fun.All the electronics have to be removed. The duel smoke unit is awesome.
PJB posted:Anyone have a vid clip of the CC2 running through all its operating features?
https://youtu.be/UUkXCk2MifE My video of it.
J Daddy posted:That's easy... the Santa Fe 2-10-10-2.... The sound, whistle, unique tender, and attention to detail is simply bar none the best. If you see one in person, you will be on the quest to find one! This engine raised the bar on VL products - barely achieved by the latest VL Big Boy.
Looks like the number lights on the headlight are out check it. It's common on this engine.
jojofry posted:PJB posted:Anyone have a vid clip of the CC2 running through all its operating features?
https://youtu.be/UUkXCk2MifE My video of it.
Nice locomotive! Swinging bell, whistle and smoke stack steam AND blowdown. Very cool. I need one.
All of them. There excellent runners, smooth as silk. I have 7 of them.
