I d have to go with the postwar Santa fe f units. The locomotive was made for the santa fe paint scheme.
I would have to go with the prewar Hiawatha. The train just looked great with matching passenger cars.
Accually I didnt think of the hiawatha, its a sharpe looking loco.
My favorite a pre-war 258. I dont own one but am always checking to see whats available.
Either the General or 2037 - neither sexy but they were my first engines…well the 2037 ws my brother’s but HE never ran it and I now have owned it ever since!
Take your pick:
although the 726 is my favorite, I know Jim A. really likes the Santa Fe F3’s.
Even though I love Standard gauge, I would have to go with the 1937 700E Hudson. An amazing model for its time that still holds up well against modern O gauge steamers.
- Clint
I have both post and pre war favorites.
My favorite post war has to be the 2332 GG-1, followed by the 671 S2, then the 2343 F3’s.
My favorite pre war are the gunmetal 262e, 263e, and 258. The 258 looks especially good pulling the 4 wheel 800 series freight cars, and the 529 and 530 4 wheel pullmans.
Although I don’t currently own any modern equipment (yet), I’d also add to the list the bb1’s by either MTH or Lionel (In PRR livery) as I’m partial to PRR electrics.
Cheers.
Jakeoregano (aka Dwayne)
p.s. Here’s a pic of my favs:
For me it is tied between the 400E, the very first F units, and the postwar J Class.
Coming soon to your Lionel dealer. The UP Big Boy. [;)]
As I see it, there is no BEST Lionel locomotive, just as there is no BEST of anything else in the hobby. You may have a personal FAVORITE, but that’s not to be confused with BEST.
Don’t know too much about the “best” but I run my ‘New Haven EP5 #2350’ the most. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My favorite engines would be the 1950 773, followed by the 746, any of the early Postwar F-3’s, and the early 736’s.
Jim
736,675,671,1666, and their varients because they are still afordable, and run forever.
Hello All! This is a tough question to answer as Lionel has made many fine running & looking Engines over the years. My personal favorite is their prewar 1688 Torpedo & I have others that are also excellent runners(pre-postwar, & modern) Too many varieties to choose from as far as best engine is concerned. Take Care.
I’m partial to the Flying Yankee and Pioneer Zephyr. Oops I almost forgot the Hiawatha. You gotta love those streamliners.
Mitch
Mitch- You forgot to mention the 1688 as one of your favorites.[;)][:P][;)] Take Care.
My Lionel steam favorites are PRR M1a and K4s. My favorite Lionel diesels would be the Santa Fe F3s and I would probably opt for the most current production as opposed to the older release so I could run them with TMCC with the sound and other features.
Well, I’ll be. How could I forget? My brains have turned to grits.
Mitch
My favorite Lionel diesels are all the ALCo’s, with a few EMD’s thrown in. They all have to be Eastern roads though, such as the Reading, LV, B&O, C&O, PRR, NYC, WM, and the N&W.
My favorite Lionel steamer is the N&W Class A. It is an awesome piece of engineering.