Cannot Decide on Guage/Company


R

RocketJet

New Member
Hey everyone, Im new here but not to trains. Since my childhood, I have recieved several sets from my parents/grandparents and also puchased a few with my own money. The issue is they are from different companys and on different scales. I feel that once I live on my own and when I have the time and money to really get into this, I will want to have a guage and a company chosen to move forward with. Here is what I have

1) LGB Amtrak Started Set (2 power cars (one actually has a motor), 1 first class cabin, 1 second class cabin, and one dining car)

2) Lionel New York Central Freight Set with Railsounds-complete with track and transformer

3) K-Line (Lionel) Empire Builder (1 locomotive, 1 baggage/first class car, 1 domed car, one streamlined end paasenger car)

And here is the big thing...my Grandfather is a HUGE lionel train collector and is giving away all of his sets...and me one! The problem is...they are Standard Guage...which I probobly wont be able to run. I am getting his Hiawatha set...which is worth a lot of money. It is cool to be able to show but I wont be able to run it.

So what do you guys think? What should I stick with? I have a decent amount of track for both LGB and Lionel. Since LGB has had huge financial problems...should I bet on Lionel expecting it to last a lot longer?

One possiblility I am considering is selling all my LGB products...Trains...transformers...and tracks while they are still worth somethign....AND, maybe even sell my Hiawatha and buy it in O Guage with the metel cars. As long as it is basicly the same train in a different guage, I will still be able to remember my Grandfather with it but if it is only increasing in value both sentimental and financial, maybe I should just keep it for show. So then with all the LGB gone, I can use that money towards buying the Lionel Amtrak Acela Express that I have allways wanted. So give me your thoughts on what you would do if you were me.

Which one should I pick? Should I consider HO or G instead? Is lionel a bad choice? I do consider Garden Railroading would be fun but outdorr sets get old and need to be replaced so it may be impractical for me even with G Guage...

But yes, I would really appreciate your feedback
 
I have zero experience with G or O scale (being an Ho modeler) , but I know lionel stuff is pricey, and that compatibility between manifacturer in O or G scale is headhache inducing (g scale stuff is often 1:29, 1:30, 1:32, while O scale has 2 or 3 rail, and many radius standard from toy-train to scale)

But for that hiawatha set, you could build a display on a wall to show it.
 
I agree. I'd keep the Hiawatha set. Nice #1 gauge stuff is valuable, plus it's a memory of your Grandfather which if you sold it, you might regret it later. I'd display it, and sell the LGB stuff, and go with O, but this is really your decision. What do you like?
 
Ya, I'll keep the Hiawatha on display...Ill just do what my grandfather would do and chisel track lines on the wood so there is less chance of it sliding off. The Hiawatha is a beauty...especially because it is metal and in Standard guage...If my memory serves me, Lionel hasnt made standard guage items since the 20s with the exception of bringing back the Hiawatha and NYC Commodore Vanderbuilt...both of which he owned. When I was at his house I was looking around as he was getting ready to sell all this stuff and he said pick one out....the Hiawatha was a natural choice as it was just a magnificent train.

Anyway, if LGB hadnt gone down the Toilet, or if Marklin looked more promising, I may invest with either of those because I like the idea of Garden railroading. Someday my dream is to have an indoor/ordoor layout but ive heard i can still do this if I use a specific kind of track for the O guage layouts. The trick is finding away to go from the Lionel track to the Atlas outdoor track. Anyway...as I have gorwn upw ith both LGB and Lionel...and as I have always had problems with HO just being to small for me...I think I will go with Lionel...in my opinion, Lionel has some of the best selection of Trains out there...

There are other O guage Lionel trains that I have specifically wanted for a longtime...the Super Chief, The Daylight Limited, and some other cool looking freight sets from the early 2000s. But most of all, I have always really wanted to pick up the Lionel Amtrak Acela....it is such a gorgeous train...I better start saving up!

So what do you guys think? Does Lionel of all the other train companies have a safe future? Where should I look for to get the Acela Express?
 
I have seen the lionel acela goes for over 1k on ebay, but hey, it had electric working doors on all coach !
 
Where I am at

So here is the deal, I have received the Standard Guage Hiawathaand am very excited, it is a beautiful train. So I will probably store it until I move into a house where I can fully build a display long enough for it! It is simply a monster!

So I am still stuck in that old question:

G: I saw a really cool video of a Garden Railroad layout and those feelings from childhood came back. However, now that LGB is in disarray, I feel that G scale may be a bad decision to start investing in. Its products are really costly and take up a lot of space. Also, I have found that the train quality and detail is not all that good

O: I have found this is the most endearing brand of model railroads ever and I feel that the namesake and classical feel of it really appeal to me. My only reservations are the price and the longevity of the Lionel lifespan. If Lionel goes away, any O scale desires go away to. I need to feel pretty good that the company will last. Above all, the Lionel locomotives appeal to me more than any other brand. Sets like the Acela, the Southern Pacific Daylight, the Super Chief...etc. I have also found this to be the most exciting guage as the accesories are full of life where there is something to do after they layout is built.

HO: The size and price are huge here. The affordability and diversity are great. Even though I have no vision problems, HO has always seemed a little too small. Ive also worried I would become bored after I built the layout because nothing moves besides the trains. However, there is still much to like

N: WAY WAY TOO SMALL!

So what do you guys think considering I was raised with Lionel and LGB? The one other thing I didnt mention was that I do like European trains as well so that is another thing for HO.
 
I think Lionel will always have a big following, especially in the secondary market. You will always be able to build on it.
 
I think you summed up where your heart is quite well. You love "O" Gauge. I think the only question you really need to look at at this point is whether you want to go with the toy trains aspect of Lionel, or you want to model with acute realism in "O" Gauge. I think those are very different animals. If you are building it and rebuilding your childhood and passing that experience on to your own kids I think that's wonderful. Once a locomotive starts costing $500.00 and up, handing them to your kids becomes a different experience in realistic "O" Gauge and your response with kids will be different.

(Hint) I know this from experience...
 
You're right, they are too small

I think your thoughts on HO and especially N Scale being too small are spot on. I love HO Scale but lately I've been moving towards S Scale (both American Flyer and scale). Of the choices you mention I'd prefer Lionel to LGB. One question I have is if you decide on G Gauge does it _have_ to be LGB? Some of the G Gauge stuff Bachmann makes looks pretty nice and it has the advantage of being narrow gauge:)

Cheers,
Ken
 
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Ya I mean I'm definately stuck between Lionel and HO (i.e.: Bachman and Marklin). I mean, HO has a MUCH greater diversity of locomotives and rolling stock....especially with modern trains. They are cheaper and smaller so you can have more of them on one layout. But small is good and bad. They are a lot smaller and there isn't much action besides the trains....but they look very realistic if done well. Ive seen many more "great" HO layouts than Lionel.
 
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