Hi everyone! I am brand new to this whole thing and I am looking for some advice. We are starting with a Christmas train in a village. Any advice on what train set or sets I should consider? I’m not even sure about what size I should use or how much track I will even need? I think we would like to do a figure eight and take it through and around a village scene.
Thank you!
Rossab,
I am glad you asked this question as you will get a multitude of answers that I will add to our FAQ topic (first topic on this forum).
First you must decide which gauge you want. Most of the folks on this forum are 0 gauge (Lionel sized). We like 0 because the engines are heavy enough to take abuse from kids. Our layouts take a bit of space. 3’x3’ is a minimum, 4’x6’ is better, 4’x8’ is typical and some folks run very large layouts! Another advantage of O gauge is that a lot of the Christmas villiage / Lemax buidings look about right on our layout. Most O gauge trains are 3 rail which makes for easier wiring (especially of reverse loops with a crossing). If you prefer HO, than most of those folks hang out on the “model railroader” forum. At about $250, O gauge sets usually cost about twice what HO sets cost.
If you have a local hobby shop with O gauge trains I would definately pay them a visit. They often provide a free or reduced cost Lionel, MTH, or Atlas catalog. Beware that only select hobby shops carry a range of O items. HO is more widely available. Visit a book store or hobby shop and pick up a copy of Classic Toy Trains Magazine (they sponsor this forum). Also see the video’s CTT has on this site. As far as beginner sets you have several manufacturers and most will be available at your local hobby shop. Lionel sets are available at Hobby Lobby, Menard’s before Christmas, and Target before Christmas among other places. MTH / Railking also makes sets as does Atlas. There is usually price differential between sets purchased at a hobby shop or sets purchased mail order (about $30 on a $250 set). For a “first set” purchase it is wise to pay the hobby shop premium in case you need local after sales support.
While all O gauge sets run on most set tracks, there is a huge divide in how you want to control your t
Welcome aboard. [#welcome] I believe you will find this web page helpful. http://www.thortrains.net/index.html
Here is the link to the FAQ forum. There are already a few posts answering similar questions to yours.
How To / FAQ / Newbie Index
Remember to come back and ask us when you get confused. We love answering questions from new folks.
Jim H
[#welcome] rossab,
Even H.O. will take a bit of space as the smallest curves in H.O. are 15 radius or about 30 inches for a circle.
027 track will take almost as much space, maybe 3 inches less, for a circle. Doing a figure 8 will take at least four feet or more depending on how you do the figure 8; up & over or use a cross-over track which will limit the length of the train to the circle on the smallest end.
However O gauge track is more plentiful than 027 and has more companies that make it. Lionel has Fastrac, MTH has Realtrax, both are nice looking and have roadbed feature, have heard that Lionel;s Fastrac is easier to assemble than MTH’s Realtrax.
Prices for most starter sets are $200.00 or more for O gauge, for H.O. it should be closer to the $100.00 range. Please don’t hold me to price quotes as I have not done much shopping this year for new sets!
Lee F.
Jim,
Thank you for your info and advice. I am trying to work with a local hobby shop but, he is very small and doesn’t that much on display. I was leaning toward the Lionel “North Pole Central” but now that I read a little more I may want to get just a regular train set and put it in my village. I think I get more confused the more research I do???
Randy
Lee:
Thank you for your advice.
Randy
Buckeye:
Thank you for the link and the help.
Randy
rossab, here’s a link to Lionel’s latest catalog:
Lionel Catalog - Lionel 2007 Train Catalog Volume 2
I’d take a look at some of the starter sets to get you going - there are also quite a few places on the web which offer them at reasonable prices.
Heres a thought also not sure what part of the country you hail from but you might try a starter set that is kinda your area anyway I know theres Santa FE starter sets and New york Central and Penn Central . Also I believe target if near you has a Lionel lines passenger set out this year there always nice with a town seen.
heres a link to it sorry its not in stores thou as per there web site http://www.target.com/Lionel-Trains-Gauge-Classic-Diesel/dp/B000RH6QHW/sr=1-3/qid=1193850227/ref=sr_1_3/601-2631480-1305753?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Alionel&page=1
I second the starter set. I’m kinda into starter sets because although the detail is less, you get a full train and some track, for under $300. I have been very happy with my 2 MTH starter sets. Any of the MTH starter sets are a great bargain. Also, you should be able to keep the fake snow out of the wheels because of the solid track that it comes with in the kit. That’s an issue with open 027 and standard gauge track. There are work arounds, or course.
Wes
Every one has been so helpful. I do appreciate all the info. I think I am leaning toward Lionel or MTH. Part of the problem to a newbie is all of the choices, and most of them look like nice train sets. I have been advised to take my time and research.
Thanks again!
Randy
Both companies also have nice Christmas train sets. If you get one of those, you know you will use it every year around the tree. MTH has a line of trains that are called tinplate and have a much more toylike look to them, but have a bunch of features added like the new trains. You might want to look at those.
Wes
Wes is correct about the MTH tinplate Christmas sets, I’ve got my eye on one that would look perfect around the tree. The problem is that I have all these other Christmas sets… it’s a good problem.
A Christmas themed set is hard to beat around the tree. Still, any normal freight set can be changed to Christmas with a few added “presents” and trees. Here are a few pictures from last years layout. You can see I have both “Christmas” themed engines and standard engines. If you get one of Lionels standard sets (NY Centra et all) you can always add an expansion christmas set (3 cars and extra track) for about $100. Either way you really can not go wrong as long as you do not spend too much on that first starter set (ie $500) and you start with an O gauge set.
Jim H
Randy,
Feel free to pick a few sets and ask us for our thoughts. They will be worth every penny you pay from them! 
Jim H
if the few extra $$ are available I would get a set which has TMCC just to mention one brand. you don’t have to get the control parts at first as most of these engines will run in conventional mode also. then maybe next year you can upgrade to the remote. I started with PW stuff and loved it. I have since moved into the modern world and love operating in command control. If it is not too long of a drive into NYC, they have a lot of great hobbie shops to see first hand and try out your choices. there is also a Greenberg’s train show in edison NJ Nov 24-25. always a lot to see there and lots of people to speak to. welcome to a great hobby, I know all will love it.
Just my opinion, check out this link. I have 3 of these starter sets, and they are great values for the money. You get a nice 100 watt transformer that goes for about $80-$100 in itself, enough track for a small oval, and an excellent-for-the-money PS2 engine. That means while it has many features already available, you can buy a Digiatal Command System (DCS) in the future, which unlocks dozens more fun features. You can’t go wrong with any of these sets:
http://www.railking1gauge.com/catalog/catalogweb/index3.htm
Also consider buying from a reputable dealer online at a discount. The first $349 set we bought could have been had from several online dealers for $279. When you shop around online though, ask about shipping charges. I had been quoted from $11.50 to $30.00 shipping for the same set, from the same state. As others said though, for the first time, you might want to buy from a local hobby store in case you need help. Whatever you choose, good luck!
Randy,
Since others are making coments about Command control trains (which I have and love) I will pop in here with a few more tips.
If I were in your shoes and wanted to go conventional (which I also have and love) I would probably go with a Lionel starter set for about $150 - $200 (this being the least expensive option).
If I wanted more sounds and/or command control I would lean toward the MTH railking with Protosound2/DCS sets. MTH command sets tend to be a bit cheaper (at about $300) than Lionel command sets (at about $500). However, the command controller/remote for TMCC is only about $100. For MTH it is about $250 (and it has more capacities than TMCC). If you are purchasing only one set then the cost for maximum remote control options is about the same. However, if you might purchase multiple sets then the MTH Railking PS2.0 sets will cost less over time. Either brands more expensive option will set you back about $600 and the sky is the limit on how much you want to add to the system (and spend).
There is a middle ground expense wise (about $300-$500) because you do not need either command controller/remote to get 90% of the sounds and features from either command engine brand. You can use the standard transformer to activate the sounds although it can be inconvenient. If I chose this option I would go for MTH Railking PS2.0 sets as they have always run better for me than Lionel when run in convention mode.
Let us know what you decide!
Jim H
Surrey, England
I have found it difficult to control the railsounds and passenger station sounds with the Z-1000 controller. I have two of them, and both are hard to use, so it’s obviously me. Not enough time playing video games growing up, I guess. You shouldn’t have to pmemorize a sequence of buttons to be able to get sounds and extended action out of your train. The DCS handheld controller takes care of all of that. I don’t have one yet, but am planning on it soon.
Wes