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Post by ptc on May 3, 2020 13:56:31 GMT
I am a big long-time fan of K-Line passenger cars, so no surprise that this would include my favorite. For me, the Hi-Levels are the best in O-Gauge and within this catagory, the K-LIne 21" Sante Fe set is simply the best. GGD did a beautiful set of these cars, but the finish is painted and does not have the gleam of the K-Lines.
So my very favorite of all passenger cars are the K-Line 21" Sante Fe High-Levels.
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Post by laz57 on May 3, 2020 14:09:44 GMT
For me right now is the MTH 18inch platted side Santa Fe’s. I have 0-72 inch curves and although I can run 21 inch cars they don’t look real good on the curves.
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Post by ptc on May 3, 2020 14:51:58 GMT
Good choice, Laz.
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Post by 4dogsinjersey on May 3, 2020 15:02:54 GMT
I am all over the place when it comes to passenger cars. Most of my sets are MTH Madison cars. Jersey Central, PRR, and Milwaukee Road. I also have MTH Amfleet set and a set of SNCF cars. The only non MTH stuff I have is a small set of K-Line NYC heavyweights that I am restoring.
I don’t really have a favorite yet, as I don’t have a layout to run them on.
Someday....
Tom
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2020 15:06:52 GMT
Such a timely topic. Last night 4 trains were running on the layout. 2 big freights and 2 beautiful passenger sets. The passenger sets were the Lionel Amtrak Superliners pulled by an MTH Genesis and the K-line Amtrak Bombardier passenger set pulled by a Lionel F40. My favorite is not one of these. I am so fortunate to have 5 beautiful consists. The NYC Superliners, Amtrak Superliners, CP K-Line Amtrak passenger set and the Lionel Super Chief. The set I love is the Lionel Super Chief set, made in 1992 with the silhouette images. It is beautiful and very well detailed. The silhouettes just glow in the dark.    |
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Post by Yellowstone Special on May 3, 2020 16:03:31 GMT
Because my layout has only 036 radius curves, I have to stick with the 15" passenger cars and the shorter locomotives. But I don't see this as a problem, since I prefer the 15-inchers anyway with 4-axle diesel locos pulling them. I've seen 21-inch passenger cars on layouts and to me, they just look too long and massive for O scale, not to mention the huge amount of space they take up. A matter of personal preference, I guess. I've had aluminum passenger car sets by Williams (Santa Fe), Lionel (Santa Fe and Union Pacific), and K-Line (Santa Fe). By far, my favorite is the Lionel Santa Fe set with the polished aluminum finish, LED overhead lighting, furnished interiors, painted passenger figures, and realistic pivoting vestibule ends. The observation car has the lighted Super Chief drumhead. This set is pulled by my Lionel Santa Fe ABA F7s. Evidently, these cars were made only one year, in the early 2000s, and came in a 4-car set with a 2-car add-on. They are rather scarce and hard to find. But I, along with another forum member a short time ago, was able to snag the full set on eBay, new and reasonably-priced. They've been the best-looking and best-performing aluminum passenger cars I've ever had. Coincidentally, the full, 6-car set is on eBay right now, new and reasonably priced.    |
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Post by ptc on May 3, 2020 17:09:00 GMT
Excellent choices Wood and Vern. They are both terrific passenger train sets.
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Post by Country Joe on May 3, 2020 17:10:49 GMT
Like Vern, I have O36 curves on the lower main and O31 curves on the upper so I run 15" passenger cars. The curves limit what I can run but it so happens that I prefer traditional sized trains so it not really a limitation. My layout is a modern version of the post-war trains I had as a kid. My favorite passenger cars are Railking 15" cars. They are very well made, have interiors that can be filled with people, and they look and run good on my layout. Thus far, all my passenger cars are New York Central.
I have the silver streamline set:
The 20th Century Limited set:
And the Aerotrain:
I'm not sure which of these is my favorite so I'll just say that Railking passenger cars are my favorites.
I also have this set of Williams Madison cars but, while they can negotiate my curves, they don't see much run time because they are 18" cars and are just too long for my layout.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2020 18:49:49 GMT
Because my layout has only 036 radius curves, I have to stick with the 15" passenger cars and the shorter locomotives. But I don't see this as a problem, since I prefer the 15-inchers anyway with 4-axle diesel locos pulling them. I've seen 21-inch passenger cars on layouts and to me, they just look too long and massive for O scale, not to mention the huge amount of space they take up. A matter of personal preference, I guess. I've had aluminum passenger car sets by Williams (Santa Fe), Lionel (Santa Fe and Union Pacific), and K-Line (Santa Fe). By far, my favorite is the Lionel Santa Fe set with the polished aluminum finish, LED overhead lighting, furnished interiors, painted passenger figures, and realistic pivoting vestibule ends. The observation car has the lighted Super Chief drumhead. This set is pulled by my Lionel Santa Fe ABA F7s. Evidently, these cars were made only one year, in the early 2000s, and came in a 4-car set with a 2-car add-on. They are rather scarce and hard to find. But I, along with another forum member a short time ago, was able to snag the full set on eBay, new and reasonably-priced. They've been the best-looking and best-performing aluminum passenger cars I've ever had. Coincidentally, the full, 6-car set is on eBay right now, new and reasonably priced. Vern, I agree on the car length. The Superliners are all 18" and manage my curves, (042), very well. The rest are 15-16" and look great. They blend well in the overall appearance of a running train in its relationship to the surrounding scenery. My set is not 1959 it is late 1990's, I will correct the post. They were offered just before yours. I looked up your set on eBay and it is beautiful. It was tough not to push "Buy Now". I still love mine because of the silhouettes and because when Brian was clearing out his old equipment he gave them to me and I have a real attachment to the set.. Lionel was making some nice products back then.
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Post by ptc on May 3, 2020 19:01:07 GMT
1992, I think Wood.
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Post by Yellowstone Special on May 3, 2020 19:04:38 GMT
Very interesting, Wood. But as I recall, it seems that you have several Lionel Santa Fe F3 engine sets. Why not get another nice Lionel passenger car set for one of them to pull? It's still on Ebay.  Hee hee. |
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2020 19:12:36 GMT
Very interesting, Wood. But as I recall, it seems that you have several Lionel Santa Fe F3 engine sets. Why not get another nice Lionel passenger car set for one of them to pull? It's still on Ebay. Hee hee. Don't push me Vern, I started watching it and, and, and .... I don't know.... 
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Post by Yellowstone Special on May 3, 2020 19:14:25 GMT
Very interesting, Wood. But as I recall, it seems that you have several Lionel Santa Fe F3 engine sets. Why not get another nice Lionel passenger car set for one of them to pull? It's still on Ebay. Hee hee. Don't push me Vern, I started watching it and, and, and .... I don't know.... Ha ha. I think it has your name on it, Wood. Keep us informed. 
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2020 21:26:52 GMT
We don't have any K-LINE Passenger Cars but, I would have to say the are the nicest we have seen!! 3RD RAIL would run a very close second!
Gary and Cheryl.
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Post by harborbelt70 on May 4, 2020 14:22:47 GMT
Good topic, Brian, or at least for me as I can now wonder out loud about something. I'd have difficulty singling out one set of cars and anyway the K-Line Santa Fe hi-levels are practically impossible to beat. However, I think that most of the cars I run and admire most are aluminum, not ABS plastic, and actually say " Lionel" on the box - although think that they are in fact originally K-Line products. A couple of cases in point: My two favorite complete sets are the Shasta Daylight 18" cars from 2010 and the Texas Special 21" cars from 2007-08. These were never advertised as "K-Line by Lionel" (as a few scale cars were) but they are definitely made from K-Line components. I don't think that K-Line ever made 21" aluminum cars in either livery but I recognize everything about them, from plastic interior assemblies to trucks to the window placements punched through the metal shells, as K-Line. These 18" cars are nicely made and have interiors that are exactly like cars K-Line made some years earlier:  I also got an SP Daylight StationSounds Diner from a different run of cars. K-Line did not make sound-equipped diners but otherwise this has both K-Line interior and shell:  I have done so much work on these 21" Texas Special cars, inside and out, that it would be hard to call them Lionel any more but all the components were based on K-Line models of a few years earlier:   What did Lionel do in the way of original fine aluminum cars? Vern has already mentioned that he and I both have the polished aluminum Santa Fe cars made something like 20 years ago. I'm very partial to these but I think another Lionel original, and probably the best passenger cars they have ever made, were the aluminum Superliners. These are different from K-Line hi-levels and they are shorter than scale size but beautiful inside and out. I don't have better pictures (Wood does of his):  Honorable Mention must go to these K-Line interurbans, which were later sold as K-Line by Lionel. They are conventional only and scoot around the track with random station announcements that are very authentic:  |
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Hee hee. 
