Anybody have one and if you do how does it run, detail and sound. I have a chance to pick one up.
I know Lionel produced this in 2004 along with a UP grey challenger. Then left the Ho scene.
Worth getting at the right price?
I have one, and it seems to suffer from the problem everyone has reported, cracked axle gears, which cause a thumping when it moves. NWSL sells replacement gears, but I haven’t gotten a set. The Athearn is a much better choice.
The Athearn one will certainly be plastic, and if the Lionel Veranda is anything like my Greyhound Challenger, it is all metal and can pull extremely long trains. I don’t have either, so I can’t comment on the details between the two, but my Challenger is a wee bit light compared to modern plastic detailing. It runs like a top, though.
If you can get the Lionel for less than $350, I would advise that you go with that version and improve the gearing…IF…the gearing is defective.
One caveat (if it is NIB or otherwise unaltered): it will have an early QSI decoder with no/poor BEMF control for smooth starts and low speed crawling. Even so, mine does well enough at start-out and during slow speed running…just nothing compared to LokSound, TCS, and the Paragon.