Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Kato. there models have pure great detail and they run smooth and by smooth i mean...

SMOOTH

I don't really have a favorite manufacturer right now.

However for signal manufacturers, my favorites are:

1) Tomar Industries, even though they are very expensive.
2) NJ International, although I need to test their newest products more.
3) Walthers, although I need to get their cantilever signals.

Trainmanalex2 wrote:Kato. there models have pure great detail and they run smooth and by smooth i mean...

SMOOTH

HATE to agree with trainmanalex2 but hes right
kato
Atlas
Athearn
Bachmann
Mth
Lionel
Overland
American Z line
Intermountain
Walthers THE MEAN TRAIN PEOPLE ugg

Smjh1979 wrote:I don't really have a favorite manufacturer right now.

However for signal manufacturers, my favorites are:

1) Tomar Industries, even though they are very expensive.
2) NJ International, although I need to test their newest products more.
3) Walthers, although I need to get their cantilever signals.

Walthers needs to make Older safetran cantilevers

Walthers needs to make more signals period.

I think an option that isn't there - Hornby. But Bachmann 'Branchline', the British range, are good too.

Walthers does make the old truss-arm cantilevers which were from Safetran and, earlier, RACo.

Kato is good, but they are too expensive for me right now.

Athearn is my favorite. Some people think their "blue box" locomotives run poorly but I've had nothing but good luck with mine. They last a long time, too. The Milwaukee Road GP7 I got in 1990 or so still runs quite smoothly. They also make the most RTR models of WSOR equipment.

I also like Walthers, the engines I have from them are all smooth runners. They're also based in Milwaukee. Trainmankight, why do you consider them "mean"?

The worst runners I've ever seen are the Bachmann and Like-Like train set locomotives. Life-Like's Proto 2000 series has been quite good for me, too, though.