trains i would buy if i had infinite money
(very incomplete list)
Finland
Dm12
A modern diesel railbus from ČKD Vagonka (a subsidiary of Škoda). Unfortunately it is 1524mm broad gauge so it's only usable in Finland. It would however be great for getting to Kaskinen (which I would need to do as another thing I plan to do if I get infinite money is to restart the Gävle-Kaskinen ferry service). These do also tend to catch fire sometimes so using them during a drought might not be the best idea, but overall they get a 8/10. i mean just look at how cute this thing is i'll take 16
Sm4
CAF's Sm4 EMU is a fucking masterpiece. Somehow the only problem I have with it is that VR uses them on really busy services so you end up having to share the bay of 4 seats with another person which is frankly unacceptable. Now obviously if I had infinite money I would fix this by moving these to where they belong (Österbotten). Once again VR has succeeded in ordering the cutest possible train. Definitely a 9/10.
Sr3
A Siemens Vectron, really not interesting at all, these are everywhere. However, this is exactly why I'd buy it: utility. Sure, it's not the most charming locomotive there is, but it does what it needs to. Vectrons are also common enough that replacement parts are readily availible. It is also the best looking of the Finnish electric locomotives (sorry Sr2). 5/10.
Dm7
Not a railbus i have any personal connection with, but they were so ubiquitous in Finland that it'd be strange not to get one. They're also very similar to the Swedish Y6 series of railbus, so it'd be nice to have some familiarity even between countries. A Dm7 is also the perfect vehicle to use for going to random industrial spurs/harbours. Want to visit Mäntyluoto for some reason? Take the Dm7. I completely forgot I'm supposed to be rating these but this one gets a 6/10. They're very solid, but I have no connection to them.
Another essential one. This is on here mainly because these are so ridiculously common that it wouldn't be difficult in the slightest to acquire one. And you do need a diesel locomotive, an Sr3 just isn't enough, what if you want to go to Kolari? (Fun fact: Kolari means "car crash".) So, for that reason, a Dv12 is an essential purpose, even in the big '25. If you give it the right livery it can even look good too, which is impressive for such an ancient shitbox. Gets a 7/10.
Poland
SA134
I have to admit I don't know anything about this one but it looks nice. I don't think I'd call this train cute, but it's definitely among the cuter Polish trains (Polish trains aren't that cute in general). I don't have more to say about this so I'll give it the rating now, which is going to be 6/10. If i knew more about it, it might have been higher.
EN57AL
Holy shit it's the pociąg arbuz. This is simply unbeatable (by other Polish trains, the Sm4 beats this easily). A modernized version of a brick of a classic EMU, AND it looks like a melon? Sign me up, I need a whole fleet of these. 8/10 in general but the livery gets a 10/10.
EN57
Kibel. A very fitting name, because the EN57 really is a shitbox. You can't go without at least 3 shitboxes though, and this is definitely the top shitbox candidate. They built so many of these you can't count them on your hand even if you're from Chernobyl (they built ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO). Now, if you're going to buy a shitbox you need to buy the shittiest box you can find. It needs to be in such a state of disrepair that starting the compressor clogs the toilet or something. The EN57 gets an 8/10, like the EN57AL.
ET25
The Newag Dragon is a strong freight locomotive with 6 axles. Nothing really that special about it, but it's a solid locomotive. I've driven it in Simrail so I totally know how to drive it IRL. Who needs to know how to perform a brake test anyway? The livery in the picture is decent, but I think this locomotive would really shine with a different livery, it has good livery potential. Overall 6.5/10. (This is the first decimal rating)
Germany
DB BR 612
Okay, I know one of these derailed like a week ago, but come on, it tilts! What more could you want from your DMU? These are definitely the best trains to take your enemies on if they get motion sick easily (an X2 would also work for this purpose but those aren't as loud). Did I mention it tilts? 7/10.
ICE 3
I know that ICE 3 is actually a family of trains and not a single train but I do not give a shit. Any ICE 3 is fine, they're all ridiculously fast anyway, which is the whole point of buying one. They also have these cool windows that let you see into the cab if the driver hasn't put the blinds down. Also I could definitely operate a better international train service than DB. 7/10.
Sweden
X10p
This is the greatest thing mankind has ever invented. It also beats anything invented by aliens. ABB was cooking so hard when they made these holy shit. I don't think any team of engineers will ever surpass the collective genius required to create this masterpiece. It's a box, it's on 891mm gauge track, and it's cute?? I didn't even know that combination was possible. I need all 35 of these and 35 more. If you say anything negative about these trains I am going to [REDACTED FOR LEGAL REASONS] you and your family. 10/10.
X52
Bombardier's Regina is a really good family of EMUs. They're all very similar, so it was difficult to pick which one I'd put on here, but I settled on the X52. I'm not going to say these are very reliable, because they aren't, i've seen them fail multiple times. But those traction motor sounds make up for anything negative. If an X52 was a serial killer, I wouldn't even care, those motors are telling me it's innocent. I think the declassified first class sections have the best seats of any Swedish train, which is impressive considering that this is a REGIONAL TRAIN. Also an X52 holds the Swedish rail speed record of 303km/h so that's another reason to rank it highly. Maybe I'd try to beat that record if I bought one. Overall this gets a solid 9/10, they're not that good but I love them.
Rc6
ASEA (and later ABB) really knew how to build boxes. This is an actually good electric locomotive, the first one of the list! They really look excellent in SJ's black livery, it makes these ancient locos look fresh. The first Rc locomotives were built in 1967, which is "a long time ago", as they say in New Zealand. It's very impressive that a 1960s design has held up so well. Sure, they don't look modern in the slightest, but they don't look horribly old either. And somehow these are still the newest passenger locomotives in regular service here (all the newer ones are mixed traffic lmao). 8/10.