I was wondering what everyone thought about what was the best and worst brand of engine out there…and everything in between. I know it is a very subjective subject, but it might help me with my future decisions.
These are the things I am looking for:
DCC (Is it just the slot, or does it already have the decoder in it. Also…is it sound, smoke, or both?)
Pull power (up 2% incline, worst case scenario).
Price, of course ( I would rather not spend an arm and a leg on one).
I am looking for modern diesels. My boy likes steam engines, but they seem very high priced. It was his 6th B-Day last week and he received a Toys-R-Us gift card. What did he get? The Life-Like Golden Rails set with POwer Lock track. I didn’t care for the track so much, but it keeps him happy until I get the big layout set up.
I was wondering about the diesel he got with his set too. Seems nice and quiet. Haven’t opened it up to see if there was a slot for a decoder or not…
I’ve been buying engines now for 20 years. Here are my top pic’s. Most engines except some Bachmann do not include decoders, except for the sound decoder loco’s, so when you buy an engine, most times they are DCC ready. So all you have to do is plug in a decoder, or solder a few wires and your’e good to go.
NUMBER ONE: Atlas (Price is good and they are SMOOTH and finely detailed) HO engines can be bought anywhere from 60 dollars on up.
NUMBER TWO: TIED PROTO 2000 and KATO (Kato’s have had smooth engines for a long time and the detail is very good. Proto 2000 have come along way. They are finely detailed with very smooth engines, and the price is right) Prices are 50 dollars for the proto 2000 on up and Kato usually starts around 70 or 80 dollars and goes up. These prices are discounted of course, not retail) Nobody pays retail [:)]
NUMBER THREE: BACHMANN SPECTRUM An inexpensive engine, without as much detail as the others, but yet a great performer and priced right!
I cannot comment on the new athearn loco’s or Genesis athearn as I do not own any, but they sure do look good. I’ve got the old blue box athearns, cheap but run well.
I’ve got about 4 atlas engines and 3 Kato’s. I’ve got at least 5 newer proto 2000 loco’s. I also have a bachmann spectrum and a smattering of the old athearn blue box engines.
Hmmmmm Bad engines…My buddy has purhased a few IHC engines and some made in yugosolavia. You get what you pay for. 20 bucks buys you crap. But he likes the road names and doesn’t care if they run well or not, so its all in the eye of the beholder. Don’t buy the lifelike trainsets that come in a box either. They are poor quality loco’s. Make sure any life like engine is a PROTO series. 1000 or 2000.
I pretty much agree with drilline except I would put Atlas and Kato tied for #1 with P2K being #2.
As far as athearns go, the detail is great, but they have focused mainly on looks for the last few years and they will not run as well as a P2K, Atlas or Kato. And if you buy a genesis loco buy it without DCC and sound if at all possible, Athearn uses the cheapest decoders they could and it really shows. The decoders are total junk.
IHC deisels are toys, dont buy them if you want something that will run well and last.
IHC steamers however arent bad. The detail is a little crude, but they are reliable runners and are great entry-level steam locos.
If you want to spend more, the Bachmann Spectrum steamers are great, they can be a little pricey but are usually pretty reasonable.
Most of the higher end locomotives you buy today will have a DCC socket. It will say on the box whether they are “DCC Ready”, meaning they have the socket, or “DCC Equipped” meaning they have a decoder on board. But dont let this be a deal maker or breaker. Hard wiring a decoder is not a big job unless you have something unusual or old. Split frame locos are a pain for example.
And if you want to save money, buy at train shows, from a reputable online dealer, or on ebay. You have to be cautious on ebay but usually if you read carefully and ask questions you wont get ripped off.
But…you really should at least go to a good train shop that can let you demo a couple of engines with sound. Yes, they are quite high in price. On the other hand, have you heard and seen a nice steam engine in action? The sound is coming along for modern diesels, too, but the sound of steam is inherently more interesting and dramatic than a diesel, even in the prototypes.
I model the late 1960’s, so adding a steamer to my fleet really isn’t going to fit. Instead, I’m planning to build my layout so that I can swap out my trains and automobiles and set the Wayback Machine for several decades earlier. The photos of Bob Grech’s layout are one reason to do this, and steam engines with sound are the other.
And if you need a second opinion, take your son to the shop with you.
Thanks for the info on train quality. What are some good online shops I should check out? I know about Tony’s, and have been to Discount trains, Hobbylinc, and a couple others. Any others I should drop into?
Hehe, I’m not sure I mentioned that my son just turned 6 last Thursday. If it isn’t the Polar Express or a Santa Fe War Bonnet, then it isn’t a real engine. Unfortunately for him…I’m not going to buy him a Berkshire for $125+ like they’re going for now.
Too late on the Life-Like box set. I am thinking that he will have his own 40" x 72" layout in his room with that Life-Like Power Loc track (easy to get more on e-bay) and the engine that came with it. I also have an older AHM jeep that he can play with…while I build my 6’ x 13’ track in the garage (totally finished garage too). When he develops his motor skills a little more and can handle turnouts ok, he can then graduate to the big leagues.
Now, to go to a train store as mentioned above…kinda tough in Memphis. I’ve been to the Hobbytown USA and to a LHS. Down here they are more into RC. The LHS doesn’t even have a track set up. I’m kind of HO starved, in both MRR and Slot Cars. Unless there’s a LHS I haven’t been to around here, I guess it’s e-bay for me, or wait to buy my engines when I go back home to Omaha…
My first choice is Atlas. The Classic Line - no sound or DCC, but DCC ready retail for $100 but can usually be found starting around $65 from the discounters. The Silver line - upgraded details, no DCC, but DCC ready retail for $135 to $150, they start about $80 for a discounter. Gold line - silver line engines with DCC and Sound retail for $235 and discount for about $170.
Pre Walthers Proto 2000’s can still be found dirt cheap on-line. Some are DCC ready, some aren’t. Most of rhe Walthers releases are either DCC ready (retail for around $125 to $150) or DCC and sound equiped ($200 to $250).
I don’t have any experiance with Kato or Athearn Gensis, so I can’t comment.
Prior to my conversion to Atlas, the backbone of my fleet was $40 Athearn blue box kits. None are DCC ready and have a sound system all thier own. [8D] The newer Athearn R-T-Rs (about $70 or $80) are DCC ready.
The prices listed are for diesels. Add about 100 bucks for steam.
I have a great hobby shop near me, that I do most of my business with. However, I also do business with Trainworld, and have never been disappointed. Get on their mailing list, and Trainworld will send you discount codes.
for locomotives my favorite retailer is www.firsthobby.com They have great prices and usually get the new locos when they come out.
If you are looking for the best deal then www.trainworld.com is the way to go. They have a relatively small selection and its mostly older closeout stuff but you cant beat the prices.
www.discounttrainsonline.com has a HUGE selection, but the prices arent that far off of retail. If you are looking to order lots of specific things this is a good place.
And of course, always check ebay no matter what you are looking for. Sometimes ebay will have a better deal on something you are looking for than one of the retailers, but often ebay is more expensive. If you are looking for something old or out of production then ebay is definitely the place.
M.B. Klein at www.modeltrainstuff.com also has excellent prices. On their closeouts, they typically have the same prices as Trainworld. Note, though, that the two e-tailers are likely to have different models in stock, and different road names and numbers, so check them both when you’re looking for something. I’ve ordered from both and been very happy each time.
I’m up in New England and I’m lucky to have a first-rate LHS close by. Can anyone from the Memphis area help him out with the names of some shops nearby?
Mike, you are doing the right thing with the train set. At 6 your son is getting to an age where he can learn how to handle a locomotive carefully. But there will be accidents. All of the brands mentioned above have a lot of fine detail like railings and grab irons that will inevitably break in the hands of a small boy. My two are now 9 and 7 and have become very capable handling more detailed locos. I would look at the Proto 1000 locos. They are low cost, have less breakable detail and can be converted to DCC. A agree with Atlas, P2K, Broadway Limited and Kato as some of the very best, but even at $60 a pop I don’t want my little ones breaking them!
If your boy wants a steamer, get him one of the Thomas engines by Bachmann. They are designed for kids so there are no delicate parts. They use the Spectrum motors so they run decently and the prices are reasonable, discounted. Try All Aboard Toys online.
You almost have to go by brand then by locomotive because every one of them is different. These are from my own collection and experiences:
Stewart (no sound)
Has a slot but is easily adaptable to DCC
Great pulling power and smooth - I have an FT A-B and I can easily pull 30 cars on level track with it. My VO-660 switcher is a very good puller, too. Sorry, no experience on a grade but I would expect it to do well.
VO-660, equipped with decoder and front and rear headlights: $100 (Empire Northern)
FT A-B: $90 (M.B. Klein). Additional Lenz Gold decoder: $24
Trix
2-8-2 Mikado already comes with LokSound decoder.
Very good pullers and beautifully detailed.
$229.95 (Tony’s Train Exchange) It’s already wired for a smoke unit but you must purchase the smoke unit separately. It should just pop right in.
Proto 2000
Depends on the unit. I have an S1 switcher that is labeled “DCC-ready” but still needed the motor to be isolated from the frame.
The older steam Protos are generally light pullers. The newer ones are much better. My S1 can pull 10-12 cars. But…it’s a switcher and was never meant to pull a long train.
