Lionel or MTH

[bulletstreamliner]

Hey guys, so I've recently been planning to start a new layout, and I just wanted to get your guys input on the pros and cons of Lionel or MTH trains, track, and accessories

Thanks!

[Last Chance]

 Why not both?

I converted a Lionel I 12 caboose to two rail and plan a purchase of a MTH building to suit.

Everyone is going to get a little bit of my money.

I have been given ideas for many different buildings for different uses; it matters not which maker.

Now engines? hmm. O gauge is quite nice these days.

[sir james I]

Thats a question that will get more arguements than answers. Both have good and bad points. Lionels Fastrack seems to be favored but from there it's buyers choice. Go out and look at both (and others) then decide.

[Joe Hohmann]

I think the engines are "equal", but I prefer MTH semi-scale passenger cars and MTH animated freight cars. I elected to go with Lionel's TMCC because I'm a "electrical dunce", and TMCC gives me a more simple system. For my small layouts, I use FasTrack (Gargraves for my show modules).

[magicman710]

They are one in the same. Both make fantastic engines, and both make fantastic cars. There is no true answer to the question. It is all up to personal preference. Go to your hobby shop, look at some models by each one and decide. Check out MTH's DCS and Lionel's Legacy system. Look at the features and decide which one is best for you.

By your post it seems to me like your looking to build a traditional layout with accessories and non scale engines and cars. Really, in that case, unless your looking at operating them with a remote control system like DCS or TMCC/Legacy, you should buy trains from both manufacturers.. Theres no reason not too.

For example, I am a hi-rail scale modeler. I have Lionel, MTH, and Atlas scale cars. But, I only have Lionel engines. Why? Because I use Legacy, and I can't control MTH's scale locomotives that have DCS with it. I have seen and love some of MTH's scale engines, but I don't buy them because I can't control them unless I buy DCS (which I am planning to do sometime).

 Buy both and be happy.

[Seayakbill]

If you are looking at conventional electric trains you should also take a look at Williams by Bachmann electric trains. For conventional operation just as good as any other manufacture with a lot of variety for locos.

[rtraincollector]

Greyson good to see you again

Now on the topic you may also want to look at a few other companies which offer both TMCC and conventional engines and thats Atlas and Weaver.

 

[billbarman]

In my opinion, it all depends on what engines you want. Im more a lionel guy myself, but that dosent mean I only buy lionel. Im a big fan of the Long Island Railroad and lionel does a few engines and cars, but MTH has a better selection and I jump on any oppurtunity to own MTH LIRR stuff. I think its top of the line. the point is, its about the trains, not who makes them.

[Hudson#685]

Bulletstreamliner,

It is all personal preference. I have engines, cars and assessories from just about every manufacturer. I have Lionel TMCC, but I prefer running coventional transformer controled. I have a DCS MTH engine, the Aero Train, that I run in conventional mode and the LHS is trying to convice me to switch over to DCS. He said that DCS will control everything. Thinking real quick I have engines from: Lionel, K-Line, MTH, Atlas and Bachman. I have nothing negative to say about any of them. The only problem I have and it is in the shop now is a coupler that keeps releasing on an older A5 K-Line w/TMCC.

Track: I prefer the old Lionel style tube track. I like the retro look. I have a combination of Lionel and K-Line. I do have an outside loop of Fast Track. I needed the curve diameter to run an Atlas Raritan River Switcher that requires a 36" diameter. I had to have the engine. I grew up behind a Raritan River mainline.

Tip: Make sure the cars and engines you buy are compatable with the min. curve diameter o you will be doing what I did with the Atlas engine.

John

[Boyd]

Thats like the old question: Ginger or Maryann.

2nd question: which fit together better:

Lionel=Ginger...... MTH=Maryann

Lionel=Maryann........ MTH=Ginger

[trainfan504]

In my opinion its all comes down to personal choices I'm personally a fan of everything Lionel and will use nothing else but,that's just me I would say that your best option is too go to your local hobby store that carry's both Lionel and MTH and see which one you like the best and start there and as you move on you could start too mix the 2 as you go on again its all up too you each company has its pros and cons its just up too you what you want to go with.

[LL675]

It all depends on what you like. I have 90+% Lionel,MPC,Post,and Prewar. I have one MTH Rail King  Steamer, a PRR M1a, simply because Lionel doesn't make one i can hope to afford.I have allson been starting to pick up more Marx tinplate. I have a few K Line cars as well.

[fredswain]

If I see a product I like and that I want, I buy it. It doesn't matter who made it.

[bulletstreamliner]

thanx everybody for your suggestions! i recently visiyed my hobby shop and i do love MTH's protosmoke and station sounds. but also, i enjoy Lionel's durability and the majority of their engines being made of die-cast. i will make sure to incorporate all of your ideas into my layout! happy railroading to all!

[phillyreading]

It all depends on what you like. MTH may make something that Lionel don't make. While they all can run on the same track regardless of who makes it.

The only thing that gets me a little upset is that Lionel & MTH don't have the same command control system compatibility, so you have to buy two different command systems, which at close to $300.00 can get a little pricey. That is why I won't buy something with command control that much.

I still like the old tubular track systems, because I can cut the track to fit, not that easy with plastic roadbed built in!

Lee F.

[Ole Timer]

 Until MTH gets rid of that stupid battery I'll never buy any of their engines . 

[Black Diamond]

Well, I know the question was Lionel or MTH. I dont know how spefic you want to get but K-Line whom is now owned by Lionel, they have good stuff to...If you are looking to run in conventional mode I would think any brand name engine would work, (please correct me if I am wrong) but if you are looking to run in TMCC Mode, I think that is when it comes into play the brand names...I much dont know much about MTH but isnt DCS Ho Scale, thats what I thought anyway...

[phillyreading]

For Black Diamond and others, DCS is MTH's O gauge version of command control. It is true that MTH still uses a battery for sound circuit back-up but it won't be scrambled like the old PS-1 system used to do when the battery got too weak. PS-2 uses a battery that looks more like the portable telephone battery pack than it does a 9 volt battery.

DCC is H.O. scale command control, and you must know something about DCC before attempting to use the system, at least that is what I was told by the owner of the local hobby shop I go to. I have heard that DCC uses AC voltage with DC voltage somehow imposed into the circuit, and what I was told is that if you use the old DC power packs with the new DCC engines is that you can fry a DCC circuit board & disable the new engine.

Lee F.

[willpick]

DCC does use a form of AC voltage-- it's a square waveform, not a sine wave at 60Hz-- it's also a variable pulse width-- the variable width is how DCC encodes the information that goes to the decoder/driver board in the loco---

[Seayakbill]

 

I have a large collection of locos with something from most of the manufactures but MTH and Lionel both top the list in quanity. Actually just this past month I purchased a MTH Northern Pacific ABA F-3 set and a Lionel Northern Pacific Challenger so I am not bias to purchasing from either company. I typically buy locos with a West Coast heritage. I would not limit myself to one manufacture, by doing so I would have missed out on some great locos and roadnames.

 My layout which is 22 x 22 is command controlled with both TMCC and DCS, I do not have Legacy so cannot comment on its abilities. I purchased both TMCC and DCS when both systems were first released so I have many years of experiance and  problem solving with either system. As far as TMCC compared to DCS locos, I prefer DCS, the DCS system allows you to do so much more compared to TMCC. Actually once you have run both systems TMCC is kind of boring. Through the DCS system I do operate locos that are TMCC controlled and conventional controlled. DCS is more complicated than TMCC but it is much more robust, comes with the territory.

 Since I am retired I do operate my trains quite regularly and keep an operation log on locos and consists

According to my train operation log, I have operated 67 different locos so far this year.

 

There have been 7 service issues, none of the issues prevents the loco from running.

 

MTH - 30 locos, 3 issues = 10%

Lionel - 22 locos, 3 issues = 13.6%

K-Line - 9 locos, 1 issue = 11.1%

Others - 6 locos, 0 issues

 

    Bill

[richhotrain]

magicman710

Go to your hobby shop, look at some models by each one and decide.

When I read this, I thought it must be a very old thread. 

Glad some of you still have hobby shops to visit.  All three in my area closed a couple of years ago.  No local hobby shops are left to visit.

[11th Street]

Neither.  Williams: because of their Lifetime/return to factory Warranty.

Afterall, you do want to keep what you started with and operating forever, if only as a keepsake, right? Buy the other two and you will be owning something obsolete and unrepairable in a number of years.

[bulletstreamliner]

11th Street

Neither.  Williams: because of their Lifetime/return to factory Warranty.

Afterall, you do want to keep what you started with and operating forever, if only as a keepsake, right? Buy the other two and you will be owning something obsolete and unrepairable in a number of years.

woah, thanx, never considered Williams, I checked out some of their products, and I liked what I saw. Will very much think about just a simple trolley to start.

[Train-O]

bulletstreamliner, There is a place in Cali., unless you already know, which has a lot of 'Williams', before and after the buyout by Bachmann, it is 'The Western Depot.' Another forum member, from this forum, suggested 'The Western Depot' to me, when I was looking for original Williams stock, that the present manufacture does not have. Not only did 'The Western Depot' have what I was looking for, which I needed two of, but also, the items were in brandee new condition and they where at reasonable prices. These are 'B' units, with the same numbers, of which I had to change the number on one of them , in order to model the prototype. Good Luck and Happy Railroading. Ralph http://www.westerndepot.com/index.php/cPath/21_503_265 I am having technical difficulties posting the above with a link attachment. I am sorry, but you are going to have to hand type the above link.