[Old Robert]

good morning!

i gave my old Lionel set to my grandson. going to train store today if possible

which Lionel set is a good value?

santa fe super chief?

other ideas?

my son and I are making an 8 by 10 foot table, and one extra track that will go a LONG way under a sun room.

He has my 2 old locomotives, one had to be fixed 3 times! so I want to buy a HIGH quality new Lionel set. like a loco and a few cars.
he has my ZW and KW transformers, so we do not need that. we are using fastrack, not my old 1957 tracks.

thanks for ANY advice!

best regards,,

bob

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Truthfully, for a set that you want long life from, I'd seriously consider some of the MTH RailKing sets. I think you'll get a lot more trouble-free mileage from the RailKing than the Lionel LionChief line.

 

[seayakbill]

If this is your first modern train / layout since your Postwar days I would suggest doing some research before opening up the wallet. There are numerous options with modern locos, you will need to know which option best suits you before making a purchase.

Bill

 

[Norton]

When you use the word quality and Lionel together today know that today their relationship is strained. They are still capable of making some good product but more often these days they are cutting corners and using cheaper components and turning off a lot customers.
MTH and Williams are better choices today or Lionel from 15-20 years ago.

Pete

 

[Millstonemike]

When you use the word quality and Lionel together today know that today their relationship is strained. They are still capable of making some good product but more often these days they are cutting corners and using cheaper components and turning off a lot customers.
MTH and Williams are better choices today or Lionel from 15-20 years ago.

Pete

Is Williams (Backmann) still producing O-Scale loco.'s and/or cars? Or are they just selling NOS.

 

[Old Robert]

THANK YOU everyone. I got the Lionel Santa Fe super chief set. comes with I think 3 cars and track and remote control. the store did have a "super chief plus" super looking steam loco and tender for about $400. very heavy and high quality looking.

i WAS disturbed to see "made in China" on the box of my super chief set.

For later purchases i will look into MTH.

please send me any and all your ideas!

best,

bob

 

[seayakbill]

You will see made in China or other countries on most of the train stuff that you will purchase. Lionel does assemble and paint some traditional type rolling stock in the USA. All O gauge locos are manufactured off shore.

Bill

 

[Norton]

Is Williams (Backmann) still producing O-Scale loco.'s and/or cars? Or are they just selling NOS.

They still show O scale product on their website. The are introducing new models like the 44 tonner and their ten wheeler not available pre Bachmann.

Pete

 

[Lehigh74]

Couldn’t wait could ya. I know the feeling.

One thing about Lionchief locos is that they won’t run in conventional. They only run with the remote. You will need to set one of your transformers at around 18 volts and use the remote to control the loco. Lionchief plus will work with the remote or in conventional.

Another thing you should do is go to your local auto parts store and get a fuse holder and some 10A mini fuses. The breakers in your post war transformers are not fast enough to protect the electronics in modern locomotives. When you get tired of replacing fuses, you will probably want to add a magnetic-hydraulic breaker. I use the fuses and breakers (Eaton FAZ B types).

And I agree that MTH Railking and Williams are good choices for reliable quality locomotives.

 

[Old Robert]

thank you everybody! I am still in the learning phase. i think my son and I can fit a good amount of trains on an 8 by 10 foot table, plus a LARGE loop off the table. I DO want to learn about quality trains. I should have called it a “lionchief plus” , not superchief. the loco and tender were about $400. very heavy and looked good.

dumb questions:

1.OK, if i were to buy a high grade MTH loco, which models would i look at.? also, Williams loco. i want trains that will run for years without problems.
2. what do you guys think of the quality of the “lionchief plus” locos for about $400?
3.to Lehigh: I did have the local store refurbish my ZW transformer, and also put a “new type” breaker in it, whatever that means. my question- the 10A mini fuses- does that mean 10 amps? where do they go? in the transformer somewhere? in the loco?

what is a magnetic hydraulic breaker? where does it go? i think i did read about some type of breaker you attach TO THE TRACK. is that right? I want to protect the trains i buy, and also not have my grandson burn the house down! ha!

i am definitely willing to learn, and THANKS!

best,
bob

 

[seayakbill]

Williams loco. i want trains that will run for years without problems.

That would be Williams locomotives, about as bullet proof as can be for modern O Gauge locomotives. They will be running long after Lionel and MTH locomotives have gone to the scrap pile.

Bill

 

[Cousin Eddie]

thank you everybody! I am still in the learning phase. i think my son and I can fit a good amount of trains on an 8 by 10 foot table, plus a LARGE loop off the table. I DO want to learn about quality trains. I should have called it a “lionchief plus” , not superchief. the loco and tender were about $400. very heavy and looked good.

dumb questions:

1.OK, if i were to buy a high grade MTH loco, which models would i look at.? also, Williams loco. i want trains that will run for years without problems.
2. what do you guys think of the quality of the “lionchief plus” locos for about $400?
3.to Lehigh: I did have the local store refurbish my ZW transformer, and also put a “new type” breaker in it, whatever that means. my question- the 10A mini fuses- does that mean 10 amps? where do they go? in the transformer somewhere? in the loco?

what is a magnetic hydraulic breaker? where does it go? i think i did read about some type of breaker you attach TO THE TRACK. is that right? I want to protect the trains i buy, and also not have my grandson burn the house down! ha!

i am definitely willing to learn, and THANKS!

best,
bob

Yes it is a ten amp fuse. You would wire it in the feed wire between the transformer and the track. It’s there in case of a derailment or if something metal falls on the track. It’s there to protect the electronics of the engine. No need to worry about the grandkids burning down the house the circuit breaker in the transformer will prevent that. The fuse just blows faster to protect the engine.

 

[Riggzie]

cant find it now but there was a video of a guy using a 3 amp breaker inbetween his ZW transformer and the track. He laid a wire on the track and showed how the wire would heat up and/or melt... before the ZW tripped. Added the breaker and boom, pretty much immediately tripped. I need to do this too... gotta find that video....

I find that even my new layout (still putting together) on a 10x6.4 layout, isnt quite big enough for a nice sized train. I can run a loco/tender and about 6 cars and it reaches almost end to end!!!!!