Hi. I am really interested in getting a train set. So far the two most common, affordable, brands that I see are Bachman and Life like. It seems that the stores I’ve been to stock more accessories for Bachman. So the question here is…which one would you recommend between these two. I’d appreciate any advice you can give. Please reply to questor1964@yahoo.com if you get a chance or post it here. Thanks so much. Orlando
Life Like train sets (not the Proto series) are kind of cheap. If I were you, I’d get a Bachmann Spectrum set or an Athearn set. Good locomotives and rolling stock. Come with a bunch of track, too (If you like EZ track). Another question, what scale do you want?
My best advice to you is to avoid “department stores”, and go to a hoby shop where you can build your own set. “CHEAP” doesn’t matter. It will be expensive & frustrating in the long run. A small set w/ good loco, stock, and Power pack is quantum leaps ahead of “bargan basement” stuff. Spectrum is pretty good, but if you must have a set, go Athern (a quality one) or a Walthers Train Line.
questor1964,
Welcome to our little corner of the world!
As BigBoy said Bachman, Bachman, Bachman. I only bought Life Like stuff once and that was enough. What I got was cheap junk so I won’t go back.
Orlando;
What do you want to get out of trains? History, operation, scenery, long trains…??
From there, you can start getting answers to which scales you should consider. And then what you should get.
My interests are in the N&W Railway between 1950 anf 1955 (well 1960). I like HO because of the good level of detail, and the good operational characteristics, and the size of layout in the space.
If you want big scenery and long trains, N scale (1:160) is the way to go. If you want more switching operations O scale (1:48) is better.
Orlando. Don’t do the same thing I did buying a set. You are better off going to a good hobby store that deals mainly in trains. They can set you up with some athearn equipment even second hand stuff is good too. rambo1…
i make would make a set myself i would use a kato engine atheran accurail and roundhouse cars. A cabosse would be optional. You could use any type of track. I would use atlas code 83 snap teack. if thats not the name imean the kind that is on a removeable roadbed
go with an athearn set with a gp38-2 in it you will enjoy the realisim in it and athearns are a very good quality beginner train sets. and you can expand with good quality products from them to.
The folks here give great advice, but sometimes I don’t know if they remember what it was like when they first started. I selected my first “N” scale equipment a little over a month ago, so I DO remember what it is like.
If you are like me, you don’t want to invest a real large amount your first time out. There is nothing wrong with a set, if the set contains decent equipment. You will generally get a substantial discount on a set over buying the same equipment ala carte. Bachmann Spectrum has a good reputation for moderately priced equipment, and I would not hesitate to buy one of their sets.
I could not find a set that I liked (I wanted a passenger train… most sets are freight), so I built my own set. I used a Life-Like locomotive, since standard Life-Like seemed to have a better reputation than standard Bachmann (although Bachmann Spectrum is better). I bought Bachmann passenger cars because they had stuff that I liked, and there is not a great deal of passenger stuff available in N scale. I purchased a Bachmann Spectrum power supply (a step up from entry-level units), and Bachmann EZ track.
My total cost at an Internet site which carries a considerable discount over list prices was about $150. I could have purchased a Bachmann Spectrum set that would have had an equivalent amount of equipment and somewhat better quality for about $118. As I said, I sacrificed the economics of a set to be able to get the passenger train that I wanted.
I have been very happy with my equipment. The Life-Like locomotive I purchased seems to have good traction, is quiet, and pulls evenly even at very low speeds. I’ve been satisfied with the Bachmann passenger cars. Are they the highest quality most realistic cars out there? No way. But for my first cars, I think they are fine.
When the folks here say that Kato or Atlas or Athern equipment is better they are absolutely right. But it also costs considerably more… more than I wanted to spend the first
HO scale. Thanks for the advice.
Thanks so much for the great advice. I really appreciate it. Am going to the hobby store today!
Orlando
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by Roadtrp
The folks here give great advice, but sometimes I don’t know if they remember what it was like when they first started. I selected my first “N” scale equipment a little over a month ago, so I DO remember what it is like.
If you are like me, you don’t want to invest a real large amount your first time out. There is nothing wrong with a set, if the set contains decent equipment. You will generally get a substantial discount on a set over buying the same equipment ala carte. Bachmann Spectrum has a good reputation for moderately priced equipment, and I would not hesitate to buy one of their sets.
I could not find a set that I liked (I wanted a passenger train… most sets are freight), so I built my own set. I used a Life-Like locomotive, since standard Life-Like seemed to have a better reputation than standard Bachmann (although Bachmann Spectrum is better). I bought Bachmann passenger cars because they had stuff that I liked, and there is not a great deal of passenger stuff available in N scale. I purchased a Bachmann Spectrum power supply (a step up from entry-level units), and Bachmann EZ track.
My total cost at an Internet site which carries a considerable discount over list prices was about $150. I could have purchased a Bachmann Spectrum set that would have had an equivalent amount of equipment and somewhat better quality for about $118. As I said, I sacrificed the economics of a set to be able to get the passenger train that I wanted.
I have been very happy with my equipment. The Life-Like locomotive I purchased seems to have good traction, is quiet, and pulls evenly even at very low speeds. I’ve been satisfied with the Bachmann passenger cars. Are they the highest quality most realistic cars out there? No way. But for my first cars, I think they are f