GG1 SIDE-BY-SIDE MTH OR LIONEL??

Classic Toy Trains Forum
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Finally got to see both versions side-by-side. I took photos that I will put up shortly;

Here’s MY impressions:

Visual:

I had seen the Lionel GG1 earlier, but my dealer, had both in a display case. When I walked by, my first impression was that the Lionel version is the more striking of the two, with better larger overall graphics; so mentally, at first glance, I picked the LIONEL one over the MTH. The MTH’s version doesnt have the shiney wheel rims like LIONELs instead MTH’s wheel rims, like the overall appearance, it is slightly more subdued or subtle than flashy

The windows are more to scale on the LIONEL. The front and side windows in the cab are large on the LIONEL and more portholes-like on the MTH front cab windows; the actual photos of the GG1 are a bit different than either but I’ll give this to Lionel. There is greater detail inside the LIONEL cab too. You can see the control panel of the GG1 near the engineer.

Detail: viewing up closer, you see great detail on both models. I found myself saying that I wish I could pull this off of the MTH and put it on the LIONEL and vis versa. The detail that is best on the MTH is that the grill work is transparent, you can see thru it to the other side. Lionel’s is solid;

I like the pantographs on the LIONEL; better detailing but maybe the insulators are too big; the pantograph operation is smooth and noisy… I liked the noise as the LIONEL pantographs move up and down as compared to the silent MTH ones. The MTH pantographs are closer to the earlier GG1s and the engine can draw power from them unlike the LIONEL.

The front doors on the MTH don’t open; only one of the LIONEL front doors open but MTH I think has better detailing on the door barriers than LIONEL
The Lionel has red and yellow marker lights whereas MTH’s are all clear.

I liked the front trucks and couplers on the LIONEL in that they are separate pieces, the MTH front coupler assembly is one p

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Great review

Here is a pic of the one at the NYC Museum

tom

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SB aka Tom

note the size of the cab windows in your photo; I think LIONEL captures this better than MTH.

The noise you hear as you raise the LIONEL pantographs IS the sound of the raising pantograph;a sort of clinking clanking metal against metal sound.

Also as the LIONEL engine moves you hear a ping that is the sound of the pantographs hitting the catenary wire… COOL

My review did not take into account the price;
Retail LIONEL $900
RETAIL MTH$700;
so MTH wins the price war.

Alan

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lionel recomends a minamum radius of 0-72 … im very intrested in purchasing one of the two in the future, but unfortunatly i really dont have the room to work with anything bigger than 0-54… and clue how these GG1’s would handle on O-54???

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I honestly dont know yet
The Lionel GG1 has a two part coupler and front truck; instead of MTH’s one piece unit.

That two piece may allow the Lionel GG1 to handle a slighly smaller radius say 66 as opposed to 72; but remember that this is not an articulated engine.

But my GUESS is that 54 is too small.

Alan

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sorry, im new to all this stuff … what do you mean by an articulated engine???

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A steam loco, like a BigBoy, Its bends in the middle, This GG1, doesnt.

Whatcha got that a 92 Hatch? Stang?

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^^^ meaning like on a big boy or something the two middle sets (6-6 or 8-8) they pivot right??? and the gg1 wheels do not???

stang??? naw … u used to make stangs look silly… it a civic hatch … but hence it is slow since it was stolen 2 years ago and my motor as well as most of the rest of the car was stripped

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Yes the 8-8 on the BigBoy pivot anjd GG1 dont.

Civics are fine, as long as your not rice… Cuase my Bowtie loves to eat rice :wink:

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hmmm … kinda sucks… i really do want my next purchase, really my first puschace besides a cheapo $160 stater O gause engine , to be a gg1 i think … really odd considering the first time i saw it i was pretty repeled by it, but it has grown on me alot … now my only probalem is of course A, money, and B, not being able to run it on a tighter radius… :slight_smile:

haha, i hate rice … no more fast cars for me for a while though … i sold my 350z cause i had a baby boy… so im hoping in the future i will be fortunit (sp) to be able to save up and own what i really want … a new vette :slight_smile:

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I really like my K-line GG-1. Now stop laughing but this GG-1 has guts that will put alot. I had the GG-1 pull 30 cars on the pike. Now I just use it to pull 10 passenger cars not too bad for a $150.00 engime? Doesn’t have the best sounds but what the hey?
Laz57

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Alan, good review and comparison. Some sidenotes:

I know MSRP can be beat to death, but my Lionel Gs are coming from IT at $765@. I don’t know what the discount is on the MTH G.

While the side see-through screens may be a nice touch, they are not prototypically see-through. It has been posted elsewhere that the side vents should not be see-through. The PRR had black mesh filters behind the screens.

Like the comparisans with the PRR S-1s, it’s a give and take scenario. Each a little different - but both basically the same. I look forward to the photos.

By the way, my recently acquired Lionel PWC 2360 G is the best Lionel foreshortened G ever. (and I have versions of all the Gs Lionel has made)

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Love my two K-Line KCC GG-1s. Not scale, but I don’t care a whit. They can haul and the price sure was right.

92hatchattack
If you really want a GG-1 but don’t have the dough for the new Lionel or MTH, you can still find K-line models on eBay and Williams has one out now that’s not bad either.

bigwally

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Love my Scale Williams GG-1
Pulled 20 cars, for 6 hours a day, for two straight weeks and didn’t even get warm.

Got to love it.

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dough is not the problem … my problem is not having the spave to run 0-72… if anyone finds out that the lionel can make its way around 0-54 im all in!!! i was thinking about the williams, but then i saw it and there was something about it i didnt like … i think it was the gap between the base and the body of the train, look kinda high, where as from what i see the lionel and mth sit lower