Lionel's Battery-Powered General and its Christmas Trains

One of the most reliable battery-powered locomotives Lionel has made represents the 4-4-0 locomotives that dominated North American railroads around the time of the Civil War. One such is featured in the excellent Buster Keaton silent film The General, and Lionel fans have dubbed Lionel's 4-4-0s "the General" since the first O gauge version came out.

This article reviews Lionel's battery-powered 4-4-0 "Generals" that run on G gauge track (about 1 3/4) or 2" track (which Lionel calls "Ready to Play).

These locomotives are called 4-4-0s because they have four little "pilot" wheels that (on the real trains) steer the locomotive around curves. Then they have four "drivers," the big wheels that are hooked up to the pistons and move the train. The "0" at the end is because there are no wheels under the firebox (those came later).

By the way, the "official" name for this wheel arrangement is "American," so called, because adding the pilot wheels was an American improvement over the earlier locomotives that had only drivers, which were still being used in Britain at the time.

Many versions of the Lionel "G gauge" and "Ready to Play" "General" have been offered. All are sturdy enough for children as young as five to operate with the included remote (though big people need to put the track together and get the trains on the track. (We let 3-year-olds run them with supervision.)

The photo to the right is shown in black and white so you can better see the comparison between Lionel's battery-powered 4-4-0 and the real one in the photo above.

You'll see that the overall details are similar except that the locomotive is about 30% shorter lengthwise than it "should be." Also, the drivers are smaller and they're solid rather than truly spoked (a Lionel tradition).

Because this is made for children to handle, Lionel has "ruggedized" the handrails, the stanchions (standoffs) that hold them, and the bell assembly. These are the bits that break or break off most often on model trains, so as far as I'm concerned, that's good planning, considering its likely use (and abuse).

Scale

That in-between scale has allowed some folks to use them with their Christmas villages, which also include a variety of scales within a single collection. For example, Lemax buildings started out somewhere around O scale (1:48) or smaller, but many of their figures and accessories scale out larger, as much as 1:24 (the smaller the second number, the larger the piece.) That said, the curves these trains run on require a surface that is about 50" wide, so they won't run on your mantle or most dining room tables.

What About Using with Garden Railroad Accessories? - In the photo below, a "G gauge" General with its train is posed next to some 1:24 building and people, as well as a 1:22.5 water tower. You'll see that it doesn't look too out of place (except maybe compared to the water tower).

The "Ready to Play" version would also seem to fit in, except that it wouldn't run on the "G gauge" 45mm (1.775") track.

"G Gauge" vs "Ready to Play" Trains

The "G gauge" "General" and the "Ready-to-Play" "General" are identical except for the paint job and the wider wheelbase on the latter. That said, some minor features will differ between the "G gauge" and "Ready-To-Play" versions of the same train.

• The "G gauge" General runs very well on most garden railroads that use 45mm track (about 1 3/4"), so that's a plus for folks who are already running LGB-compatible trains.

  It also has "momentum," which means it starts up slowly and stops slowly, like a real train - a feature that longtime model railroaders appreciate, but which confuses children and non-hobbyists. (For a very detailed review/analysis of Lionel's G gauge battery-powered trains, check out our article "Lionel's toy 'G' Trains."

  The following photos show one of the most common G gauge General-drawn trains. Click on each photo for a "blowup."

  The photo to the right is a link to a short video showing the same train running last spring (when I still had my bird feeders out on the railroad. Note: They're larger than my scale buildings).

  The video shows the train running around the loop twice, once with the "chuff" sound, and once with the Christmas carols playing. Neither seems very loud outside (in fact my waterfall just about drowns them out), but they're loud enough inside.

  To see on YouTube, click here. Be certain to check the little gear to make certain you're seeing the HD version.

  If that link doesn't work, click here.

  To see a bigger version of the photo used in the link, click here.

• The "Ready-to-Play" General requires special 2" track, so it won't run on your garden railroad. But it has other features, including the ability to link to its remote so you can run at least three simultaneously without the remotes interfering with each other.

  The following photos show one of the most common Ready-to-Play General-drawn trains. Click on each photo for a "blowup."

  Strangely, two versions of this have been made. One plays announcements when you hit the "music" button on the remote. One plays Christmas carols. That said, the "chuff," "whistle," and "bell" sounds are very nice.

  To record a video of this train running, I couldn't put it on my "big" railroad, because it runs on 2" track, not 45mm (about 1 3/4"). But I put a loop of track on a temporary railroad I use during Christmas open railroads, and ran it there. To see the video, click here.

  Other, more ambitious versions have been built, including a Mickey Mouse version with Mickey and Donald molded into the cars and a Toy Story version with Woody leaning out of the cab.

Regardless of which you choose, the General-drawn trains run and hold up as well as any other line of battery-powered trains and better than most.

Note: To see a video explaining these differences and more, please click here. Make certain you are using the HD playback setting.

Battery Power

All of the trains in this class so far take six C cells. The remotes for the "G gauge" trains take two AA batteries, and the remotes for the "Ready to Play" trains take 3 AAA batteries.

Always buy alkaline batteries. And if you're going to have these running a while, consider buying multiple sets of the C cells (the batteries in the remotes last longer).

Finally, many of the battery-powered trains I see in non-working condition at flea markets, garage sales, etc. were damaged by leaking batteries. ALWAYS take the batteries out of the train and the remote when you put it away, even if you plan to get it out again in a few days.

Remote Control and Sound

The remotes look much the same between the two generations, but the antenna is hidden in the "Ready to Play" sets. (Probably too many people reported breaking the antenna in the first generation sets.)

The "G gauge" locomotives have an automatic time-out circuit that shuts the train off if the remote has been turned off for ten minutes - a nice battery-saving feature. The "Ready to Play" locomotives will beep loudly if the remote is shut off, reminding you to turn the locomotive off manually.

Range of Operation - When a "G gauge" locomotive gets out of range (15-30 feet in my back yard), it slows, stops, and goes into "blow-down" mode. The "Ready to Play" equivalent might stop running and start beeping. So on a really big loop of track, you have to walk around with the train. If kids are operating the train, they don't mind walking around with it anyway.

Independent Operation - The "G gauge" sets all used the same remote control frequencies and overlapping codes so you couldn't operate two of them within, say 20' of each other. But the "Ready to Play" locomotives link to their remotes, so you can operate two or three sets in the same location. (I've never tried more than three in the same space.)

Sounds - The locomotives have a "white-noise" chuffing sound (similar to Bachmann Big Haulers) that turns into a "blow down" sound when the train stops, not a bad feature. Each remote has at least a bell and whistle button. Some of the trains come with a separate button with notes on it. The sound it makes depends on the train.

Versions Offered

I believe that the earliest version offered looked like this one (sorry I don't have a bigger photo).

As I recall, the 2007 had snowmen in the gondola; most others had packages.

Target stores got into these in a big way, promoting other Christmas versions like the one at the bottom of the photo below. You can set it to "chuff" as it runs or to play Christmas carols. Again, it has been discontinued for several years, but it runs nicely on my garden railroad.

The other train is the "Ready to Play" version, which looks nearly identical except for the paint job. It doesn't actually run on my railroad's track, though, because it needs 2" track.

For comparison to the most popular competitors, refer to the photo on the right. The black and orange locomotive is from New Bright, the other red locomotive is from Scientific Toys/Ez-Tek.

Both the New Bright and Ez-Tek "G gauge" trains have been around since the 1980s with few changes except for the addition of remote control about 15 years ago. In fact, Lionel once commissioned an Ez-Tek set labeled "Lionel" to sell in department stores.

I feel that the New Bright trains are smaller and less rugged than either of the other two, although they are still better than the off-brand copies that have been flooding the stores recently.

The Ez-Tek train is a little bigger than the Lionel train, and it's also pretty rugged. Several "Shoestring" garden railroaders run this on their railroad. But it's a little more toylike. IMHO. This is also the most-copied of all of these trains. Every year a dozen fly-by-night companies offer trains that look just like the Ez-Tek trains but are not made nearly as well. Just a heads up if you're considering trying Ez-Tek. Be absolutely certain you see their name on the box.

"G Gauge" Sets I've Come Across

Also, I am not implying that these are collectibles or collectors' items - as far as I'm concerned the only reason to buy these is to run, or to let kids run. That said, a lot eBay sellers and the like are selling the new "Ready-to-Play" trains as "G Gauge," and I would like to help fellow G-gaugers avoid confusion by publishing the correct information about the ones that are the "real thing." Pay attention to the product numbers, folks!

In addition, lots of folks who think anything labeled Lionel that is hard to find is necessarily a "collectors' item" are claiming their sets are worth up to $600 or individual hard-to-find cars are worth $150. Don't buy their claims and don't buy their merchandise.

"Ready-to-Play" Sets I've Come Across

Once again, the "Ready-to-Play" sets run on 2" track, so they're not compatible with garden railroad trains and track (or even with New Bright or Ez-Tek). Also, at this moment, you can only get 2" track from Lionel, and it costs way more than it should. (That said, if you can get any of these sets for half price after Christmas, it may not cost you THAT much more than the extra track you need would cost.)

They have two distinct advantages over the "G gauge" sets.

• The batteries go into the locomotive, not the tender, which gives the locomotive more traction.

• The remotes link to the individual locomotive, so you can run multiple trains in the same setup without them interfering with each other.

So these are not only great for kids, but they are good for temporary displays where you won't be setting up and running G gauge trains anyway.

As these are still in production, I will certainly be leaving out some that will hit the stores in a few weeks, or including some that have basically sold out and become nearly impossible to find. Again, if you come across a set I don't have listed here, please let me know, and I'll add it.

Again, some sellers claim that they are "G gauge" (they're not), or that - because it says "Lionel" on the box - they're collector's items worth many times the original price. Don't buy their claims and don't reinforce their dishonesty by buying from them.

Product Number	Train Name or Theme	Locomotive	Cars	Accessories	Picture Link	Amazon Link (if available)
7-11729	Holiday Central	"General"	Gondola and Caboose	NA	Image
7-11940-01	Disney's "Frozen"	"General"	Boxcar and Flat Car	NA	Image
7-1498	Toy Story	"General"	Boxcar and Gondola	NA	Image
7-12078	Elf	"General"	Boxcar and Caboose	NA	Image
7-11773	Mickey Mouse	"General"	Boxcar and Caboose	NA	Image
7-12086	Winter Wonderland Express	"General"	Tank Car and Caboose	NA	Image	On Order

Lionel has also made a John Deere-themed RTP set pulled by the General, but it seems to be out of production and mostly off the shelves. A few others that may have been custom runs have come and gone quickly.

My Favorites

To set up a separate "Ready-to-Play" railroad (using the 2" track that comes with these), I have to say that the Mickey Mouse and Toy Story trains are delightful, especially if you're trying to reach little kids (get one of the Thomas sets, too). In 2022, the Frozen set was a big hit with a 4-year-old in the family.

If you want something that looks more like a traditional train set (even if it's in Christmas colors), go for the Holiday Central, which is widely available.

I haven't had my hands on the Winter Wonderland Express yet, but I'll point that the color scheme is based on one of Lionel's most popular O gauge Christmas trains.

Test Early

Whatever you buy. be sure and try it out as soon as you get it. Don't wait until a week before Christmas to learn that you made a mistake. And if you do that, please don't contact me and ask me to "save Christmas" for you. Yes, I get lots of those contacts every year, which explains why I took my phone number off the site.

And after you've tested it, take the batteries out until you plan to set it up for Christmas.

Next Steps

Finally, if you have any questions, testimonials, recommendations, or photographs you'd like to share with other readers, please contact me. In the meantime, may your holidays and all of the days in your life be blessed!

Paul D. Race, Proprietor

For More Information

Note About Video Resolution: Most of the videos were recorded in HD, so when you watch them, Watch them full-screen, and look for the letters HD on the little gear. If "HD" isn't there, click on the gear and select HD. The "default" and "auto settings" are often much lower resolution.

EZ-Tech Christmas Train Articles and Videos

• EZ-Tech Christmas Trains - Overview and locomotive descriptions
• EZ-Tech Christmas Cars - Different cars you might find in different sets
• Video - EZ-Tech Action Cars on a Garden Railroad. I put action cars from different Christmas sets together in one train and ran it on my raised platform railroad, so you could see them in, er, action. 1.5 minutes.
• EZ-Tech Disney World Trains - A fun variant of these sets, including delightful observation coaches.
• Video - Disney World Train on our Garden Railroad. It's short but show how the train looks running on an existing garden railroad. 27 seconds.

Lionel G-Gauge and Ready-to-Play Battery Powered Christmas Trains

• Lionel's Battery-Powered Holiday Trains. An overview.
• Lionel's Battery-Powered General and its Christmas Trains. Reviews one of the most reliable locomotives of this line.
• Video - Lionel's G-gauge General on our Garden Railroad - Pulling a train on our raised platform garden railroad, first with train sounds, then with Christmas songs. 1 minute.
• Video - Lionel's Gauge 2 North Pole Central with Carols - Lionel's Ready-to-Play General pulling a Christmas train on a temporary railroad. 1.5 minutes
• Video - Lionel's Battery-Powered General and its Christmas Trains - A detailed live comparison of both the G-gauge and Ready-to-Play Generals. 32 minutes.
• Video - Lionel Lines' Scientific Toys/Ez-Tec Battery-Powered Christmas Train (1980s) - Before making their own line of battery-powered G gauge trains, Lionel commissioned EZ-Tech to make a Christmas train with Lionel's name on it. 1.4 minutes.
• Lionel's® Toy "G Gauge" Trains. Reviews the Lionel's original line of G-gauge battery-powered trains, now discontinued, but still available on used markets. Though the article focuses on the non-Christmas trains, the information applies to the Christmas trains as well.