A Model Train Review by Papa

I love Lionel trains and I truly enjoy talking about the sets I personally own and play with, every chance I get.  You can see what I have to say about my favorite set, the Polar Express, in my article about it here. But my affection for the Lionel train lines doesn’t end there.

One of my first sets was the Lionel New York Central RS-3 Freight Train Set – O-Gauge.  This set features a dark blue NYC diesel locomotive all trimmed in white. The model railroad set comes with one NYC boxcar in a nice bright green, and a striking red caboose.  Both cars are trimmed in white and black with the oval shaped NYC logo. This set comes with the wall pack power supply, the remote, and enough Lionel FasTrack to make a 40 inch by 60 inch loop.  I have found quite a few NYC railroad cars, and now when I run it, I have a nice long NYC train.

The Patriot Diesel train set is a model train I purchased about a year ago.  I love the red, white and blue paint scheme on the locomotive and caboose. This is a great set to help celebrate the 4th of July, which is a special holiday for our family.  The set comes with a green boxcar celebrating 200 years of our great nation, and a special hopper car with bold red and white stripes.  This set has enough track to make a 40 inch by 50 inch loop, a wall power pack and the remote control.

I even have a train set for Halloween!  The Lionel Peanuts Halloween Train Set is a spooky set according to my six-year old grandson, who does not like the Halloween sound effects. Painted in Peanuts’ themed Halloween style, this train is ready to take you on the hunt for the great pumpkin.  Being a steam engine, the set includes the tender, a boxcar, a tank car and the caboose, a wall power pack, the remote and enough track to make a 40 inch by 50 inch loop.

Here’s a family favorite, Lionel’s DC Comics Batman Phantom Train Set in O-Gauge.  This set features the best sound effects. Batman’s voice sets the stage, talking about fighting crime as train moves smoothly around the track.  The Phantom diesel has two additional cars, the wall power pack, remote control, and the standard 40 inch by 60 inch loop of FasTrack. Heads turn every time this train set goes by.

I’ve been planning on expanding my O scale trains, and have been planning a layout to showcase my favorite trains. Eventually, the layout will have farmland features, so I had to get the Lionel John Deere Steam LionChief Train Set – O-Gauge.

John Deere green is the predominant color of this train set although the steam engine does have a bright metallic nose. The set has a flatbed railroad car with two tractors on board, a gondola car with crated farm equipment, and the caboose. The set includes the remote control, a wall power pack and the standard 40 inch by 60 inch loop of FasTrack.

I’ve purchased farm buildings, grain silos and other accessories to go along with my countryside setting. Part of my farmland layout will be done in older O track so I can incorporate some of my post war era Lionel accessories.  You should see the cows go from the corral to the stock car.

Did I mention that our layout will have a subway level?  We will be running the Lionel MLB Yankees LionChief Subway Set.  It’s a three car, M7 subway train set painted with scenes baseball fans can enjoy. This model railway set comes with a wall power pack, remote control, and enough FasTrack to make a 40 inch by 60 inch loop.  

To expand the subway line, I also have the Batman M7 subway set and I have plans to have it make special runs to the Arkham Insane Asylum from Gotham City.

As an O-scale model railroad collector, I’ve also picked up a few sets that I are no longer find available online but are worth mentioning in case you happen to find them in a model railroad hobby shop, or swap meet.

My Lionel Pennsylvania Railroad Keystone Special features a working searchlight flatcar. I also have a Lionel Union Pacific Scout Hill Freight Train Set.  We met a railroad engineer who told us that Union Pacific’s nickname is “Unkle Pete. I can say with confidence that I love “Uncle Pete!”

In addition to modern railroads, I also have a Rio Grande & Santa Fe Steam Switch Engine Train Set. It was my very first railroad set.

Part of the fun of model railroading is going to different hobby and train stores and train shows.  I like looking for interesting sets to expand my railroad layout. The diligent, knowledgeable shopper can find some good bargains hidden on the back shelf, so it’s absolutely worth getting to know your hobby store staff to find out what they’ve got hiding behind the counter.

I have saved the best for last.  I bought the Lionel BNSF RS-3 Scout Freight Set with Bluetooth Train Set for myself, then I gave it to my grandson who loves BNSF. The BNSF diesel locomotive is a vintage RS-3 painted in the new BNSF road colors. The set includes a green Burlington Northern boxcar, a black BNSF tank car, and a red BNSF caboose. The set has the standard 40 inch by 60 inch oval loop of FasTrack, a wall power pack, and the remote control.

One of the coolest features of the Lionchief systems are the included sounds that come from hidden speakers. You have a bell, a horn, and voice announcements. There are different announcements for when the train is moving and for when it is stopped. Both of these situations switch to a third announcement after 30 seconds of changing from being motion or stopping.

Operating two or three Lionel LionChief train sets on a big layout gets noisy, but it’s my kind of noisy. We’ve added a few extra BNSF railroad cars, and the train is impressive as it winds around the layout. These trains are powerful enough to easily pull a dozen railroad cars. I intend to obtain another of these sets so that I can have my own, again. Then my grandson and I will have two identical engines to play with. I have not tried that yet!

To me, gaining the ability to operate an O scale train from my tablet or smartphone with bluetooth functionality makes playing with the model trains more like running the engine from the cab. The features of the control panel are excellent.  Having the Bluetooth ability is also be a great way to run the train if the batteries in the standard remote control fail. The Lionel Bluetooth app is a free download available at most app stores.

Once you get started playing with Lionel trains, it’s easy to get enthralled with the charm and excitement of each different set. I know you’ll enjoy run any of these railroad sets! To get started choosing your own Lionel O-Scale railroad set, you can browse their Amazon storefront here.

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Model Railroad Review by Papa

When you collect trains as long as I have, you can’t help but pick your favorites. In my collection, I have about 30 engines, over one hundred different model railroading cars, and enough O scale track and accessories to fill most of the floor space in my house. When I look over at my collection, it’s easy to see that Lionel trains are my favorite.

I prefer Lionel O gauge model trains for a number of reasons.  First, is nostalgia. That’s where it all started with the first Lionel train set that our dad bought for me, my brother, and himself. (You can read more about my first train set in A Love Affair with Model Railroading here.)

I also love the weight and size of the Lionel O scale model railroading engines. Lionel trains are heavy, and you should use both hands when you pick one up. And watch out for little hands – small children will definitely need help moving the engines around the train room.

Many of Lionel’s engines are equipped with working headlights and and sounds. There are illuminated cabooses, and passenger cars with people who move on the cars.  I have model railroad freight cars that carry and dump loads of “wood”, “coal”, and “feed”. Searchlight cars and other operating cars can be quite fun. You would be amazed at how often new models and O scale accessories are added by Lionel!

One of my favorites cars is the Lionel US Army boxcar 3665, which includes an operating plastic missile launcher.  I personally enjoy the wide variety of flat cars and all the different loads you can model. The detail on tank cars for oil and gasoline are amazing.  If you look hard enough you can find models that relate to the history of your town, state and country. We used to have a Reynolds Aluminum plant where I live, and I was able to find two Reynolds bauxite cars for my O scale trains.  One of my newer log dumpers carries the Weyerhaeuser logo, to represent the mill that used to be in our town, too.

Another fun aspect is finding vintage “post war” era railroad cars.  I found a vintage milk can car, Lionel 3472, that can carry 7 “milk cans” and unload them onto a side platform.  I was given a post war era cattle car and unloading side platform, Lionel 6656, with 15 “cows”. Since each car can only hold 5 “cows” I have been looking for more of these vintage stock car and now have two.  (Please note that vintage accessory pieces like the milk can station or the cattle corral were made to work on the track available at that time, Lionel “0-27” three rail metal track and will not work with modern FasTrack without adapter track section and some shimming due to dimension differences.)

You can model specific railroad lines, which adds a lot of color and variety to the model railroading layout.  I have always been a fan of Union Pacific railroad, while my son prefers Burlington Northern. My grandson is up to date and likes BNSF railway.  I also enjoy freight lines like Pennsylvania railroad, NYC, Rio Grande and Santa Fe. With all the real life railroad mergers, you can see some of these road names still operating today on actual railroad systems.

Lionel is my favorite model railroading manufacturer because of the wide availability of sets and accessories, coupled with affordable prices. But that’s not to say that Lionel trains are cheaply made. Their remote control sets can now include Bluetooth ( e.g. Pennsylvania Flyer LionChief Set-with Bluetooth), and for the more discerning model railroader hobbyist, Lionel offers more expensive engines with remote control couplers (Lionel Southern LionChief Plus 4-6-2 Pacific Steam Engine w/Bluetooth), and other options like a wider array of sounds, lighting, and more sturdy construction of the engines.

My favorite thing about Lionel model train layouts is they’re so easy to expand. Combine your favorite engines with add-on sidings that have decoupling sections (like the Lionel FasTrack Siding Track Pack)and you can create a working train yard with multiple sidings for each train line or style of load like freight cars or hopper cars.

For those who want to look beyond Lionel trains, another brand I enjoy is MTH (Railking). I was happy to acquire a vintage NYC docksider set made by MTH.  Although Lionel is still my brand of choice, I also look for Atlas, Menards, and Industrial Rail O scale model railroad sets.

You’ll enjoy Lionel trains because they are fun, full of features and best of all, expandable.  Playing trains with family and friends has created rewarding experiences that I’ve cherished for half a century, and I know they’ll do the same for you and your loved ones, too.

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