Lionel HO Rolling Stock Quality

[PM_Railfan]

I wonder if those 70’s Lionel FAs (not the Railscope thing) were Train Miniature, which later were sold as Walthers Trainline - I have a couple of those and other than lacking fine detail on the shell, they are great runners. Superb slow speed operation, very quiet, and very heavy. The details can be fixed by putting on your own grabs and so forth, detail parts readily available.

I’m just the opposite - I much prefer ALco to EMD - which is why I have like a dozen RS-3s. EMD F units are everywhere - I want to see something different, hence some FAs and Baldwin AS-16s. and all the RS-3s to balance out the F units and GP7s.

–Randy

Randy, i just dont remember. Been so long ago. I dont even think i questioned who made them back then. Im pretty sure i was content with the Lionel name for who they were, and took them as that. I dont mind TM, but im not a real fan of their stuff.

But i need to digress here, ill get off topic easily. So i will just say, yeah, i regret not having those FAs now, not just because they were excellent models, but my fleet could use the diversity of a few AlCos and GEs also. Now that im older, appreciation of others aspects of the hobby have changed.

I will get another Lionel FA if I come across it, just to have. Regret eliminated. Like you said, something different.

Clear Ahead!

Douglas

[danmerkel]

I’ve come across some of their caboose and boxcars for less than twenty bucks! Thanks

Just curious as to where you have seen the cars sold spearately. I wouldn’t mind trying to chase down one of their NKP cabooses that goes with one of their new sets.

dlm

[drgwcs]

I wonder if those 70’s Lionel FAs (not the Railscope thing) were Train Miniature, which later were sold as Walthers Trainline - I have a couple of those and other than lacking fine detail on the shell, they are great runners. Superb slow speed operation, very quiet, and very heavy. The details can be fixed by putting on your own grabs and so forth, detail parts readily available.

I’m just the opposite - I much prefer ALco to EMD - which is why I have like a dozen RS-3s. EMD F units are everywhere - I want to see something different, hence some FAs and Baldwin AS-16s. and all the RS-3s to balance out the F units and GP7s.

–Randy

Actually they were different tooling. The Lionel was from the old hobbyline tooling. Model Railroad News had an article on it- (from their website)

The proportions were way off on the nose.

Compare to the Walthers