In today's video, we're going to take a look at five of my favorite G-scale model trains.
I've got a collection of 26 of these big locomotives...
Running the gamut from the whimsical...
To just plain wonderful.
I've picked out my five favorites...
And I'm going to count 'em down for you, and reveal my all-time favorite.
Which if you've watched many of my model train videos before...
Probably won't come as a very big surprise.
We'll see trains from LGB, Piko, Bachmann, and MTH...
And I'll tell you what each one of of them cost me.
The collection continues to get larger!
With the recent addition of this little guy...
I've now got 26 locomotives in my collection of G-scale model trains.
The question I get asked a lot...
Is which one is my favorite?
And I thought that would be a fun subject or today's video.
Let's count down my five favorites!
This is a very special locomotive in my collection.
It was produced in very limited quantities by LGB...
With tremendous attention to detail.
They only made 399 of these locomotives, so they are very rare...
And highly treasured by model train collectors and train enthusiasts.
Each of these limited-edition locomotives was given a unique production number...
And each one came in a wooden box...
Which is a real indication of the high value and quality of this particular model train.
Yet, Trainworld was able to get me one of these locomotives...
Back in 2017, when they were still for sale...
For only a little over a thousand dollars.
I was really lucky to find one, especially at that price.
The model was based on a real locomotive that ran in Switzerland...
From 1914 until the 1990s.
European trains like that have a distinctive sound to their whistle...
Which is entirely different from the whistle used in American steam trains.
The thing I love the most about this particular model train...
And the reason it's in my top five...
Is the synchronized chuffing and smoke system...
Which simulates the sound and smoke produced by a real steam locomotive.
That's way more advanced and realistic...
Then the smoke generators and sound systems on any of my other locomotives.
I don't know if this is true, but someone told me...
That only some of models of this locomotive were produced...
With that synchronized smoke & sound.
And that later in the production run...
This feature was changed to something simpler.
Now I don't really believe LGB would have done that...
So, I'm not convinced it's true, but...
If it is true, that would make mine even more valuable and rare than I realized.
In fact, that would make it, by far...
The most valuable locomotive in my collection.
Fans of Thomas & Friends certainly recognize this model train.
She is, of course, Emily from Thomas & Friends.
And she is the bargain-priced locomotive in my top five.
Including the tender, G-scale Emily sells for under $300.
And I think she's the only locomotive in my top five that is still produced...
And still for sale at Trainworld.com...
My favorite model train store.
I imagine that you're probably surprised that Emily has placed higher in my top five...
Then the very rare, and very technically advanced LGB locomotive that was at number five.
And I don't exactly know how to explain that, rationally...
It's more an emotional thing for me.
There's something very special about Emily.
She runs very fast...
She's one of the fastest trains in my collection.
And I just love to watch her speed down the tracks!
Her design is so gorgeous...
The curves of her wheel wells...
And that lovely deep green color scheme.
I just love the way she looks!
Emily, the Thomas & Friends character...
Was based on a real locomotive known as a Stirling Single.
This is a photo of one at a museum in the U.K.
And in the world of Thomas & Friends...
Emily is known as a very kind and gentle engine...
Who is always willing to help her friends.
Throughout the series, Emily helps other engines solve problems and complete tasks.
She is well-respected, and loved...
By both the other engines...
And the human characters on the show.
As far as the G-scale model goes...
It's would be a fantastic choice for someone just getting started with model trains.
Because not only is it inexpensive to purchase...
But you also can run it on an inexpensive analog power supply...
Rather than having to pay the big bucks for a DCC power supply and control system.
This very realistic looking model of a BNSF diesel locomotive was made by MTH Trains.
It's very powerful thanks to dual electric motors inside.
And it's got a lot of advanced features, like DCC built right in at the factory...
As well as a really nice sound system that produces very realistic sound effects.
Here in Southeastern Washington, where I live...
There's a big BNSF rail yard just a few miles from me...
And BNSF freight trains are an extremely common sight around here.
I see them quite often when I'm out and about.
And when I'm out in my yard, or sometimes even inside my house...
I can hear their horns off in the distance.
To me, it's a good sound.
I love to hear it.
And the G-scale model sounds very much like the real thing.
I think these MTH-brand diesel locomotives are a very good value.
They sell for about $800...
Which is quite a bit less expensive than a dual-motor DCC locomotive by LGB would sell for.
And LGB doesn't really offer any American-style diesel locomotive models of this type anyway.
Neither does Piko.
The only one that offers something like this in G scale is Bachmann...
But they don't come with DCC built in at the factory, and these MTH trains do.
So, that's why you might want to get one, if you're in to G-scale.
As far as why it ranks so high on my list of favorite locomotives...
It's all about the way it's so realistic...
So very much like the real BNSF freight trains I see running here in my area all the time.
That makes it a pretty great addition to my backyard...
Anytime I set up tracks and have it do the grand tour...
The full loop around the cement path that circles my lawn.
At #2 on my list is my White Pass steam train.
This locomotive was made by Piko...
And it's a special part of my collection because...
Back in 2014, I took a cruise to Alaska and visited Skagway...
Where the White Pass railway is located...
And I rode one of the White Pass trains up the mountain, in to Canada.
It was a very memorable ride, and I'd love to do it again sometime...
And having this model of a White Pass steam train...
Just brings back a lot of good memories for me.
I have a lot of White Pass rail cars in my collection...
So, I can run my White Pass locomotive with matching freight cars...
Or I can have it pull passenger cars...
Just like the real White Pass railway does up in Alaska these days...
For tourists who arrive by cruise ship.
Look how much my White Pass model pulling passenger cars...
Looks like the real thing up in Alaska!
The model is based on White Pass locomotive #52...
Which wasn't in very good shape when this photo was taken back in 2013...
But they did some restoration, and it looks better these days...
And you can see it on display at the White Pass railway in Skagway if you ever take a cruise there.
The G-scale version in my collection is very well equipped...
With DCC built in at the factory, and really great realistic sound effects.
In fact, the main reason that this train ranks so high on my list...
Is the beautiful sound of her steam whistle.
I bought this locomotive from Trainworld.com about four years ago...
Unfortunately, Piko doesn't actually make this particular model train any longer...
At least not with the White Pass branding.
But you can get basically the same thing with a different paint scheme...
For under $600...
And that's with factory installed DCC, full sound effects, and a smoke generator.
Now, coming in at #1 on my list...
My all-time favorite G-scale model train...
Is the Santa Fe Super Chief.
I think it's the greatest model train of all time.
And the model is based, of course...
On a real passenger train that was considered...
The epitome of luxurious travel back in the 1950s...
When people crossed the country by train, not airplanes.
The beauty of the Super Chief's design...
Is the way that the design of the passenger cars...
Is such a perfect match for the design of the locomotive.
They look so amazing together as a matched set.
I just love seeing this train running on a long layout through my backyard...
It just makes me feel like I'm seeing the real Super Chief...
Running out in the countryside somewhere.
And if you've watched a lot of my model train videos on YouTube...
I know you've seen this train before, because...
I've used this over and over again in so many videos...
Ever since I bought it back in 2015.
And that was a very expensive purchase that I could only afford...
Thanks to the money I was making from several viral videos here on YouTube.
The cost of the locomotive itself...
Was bad enough at about $1500.
But add on to that the cost of all those matching cars behind it...
And I probably spent $3000 on this entire set.
But I've never regretted it and it's still the crown jewel in my collection.
And the reason I've got such an attachment to this particular model train...
Is that when I was a young boy back in the 1960s...
My family had a Lionel O-gauge version of the Santa Fe Super Chief...
And that was my introduction to the world of model trains.
So, there you have it.
The five model trains in my collection that I love the most.
Each one has something special going for it.
And each one was paid for with advertising revenue I made from my YouTube videos.
Now these days, that ad revenue has really dropped off considerably, so...
Being able to get new model trains to make videos about these days...
Depends on the generosity of my patrons.
For as little as $1 a month, you can help crowdfund this channel.
And for those able to contribute at least $4 a month...
There are perks, like early access to my new videos...
Before they go public on YouTube.
Visit Patreon.com/JimZim to find out more.