As I am new to the hobby I note that there is a wide range of prices for HO scale locomotives from $25 to over $350. I want more than a toy but I am not sure what you get for oner $100. What do you experienced people think is a good Brand and why???
I switched to N scale but did have Ho layout and can put a good word in on Atlas. Tim
Athearn RTR is what you want for value, they’re less expensive than Atlas but they run good- if you must have the best go with Atlas - Athearn RTR’s sell for $50-$70 --Walthers trainline is good too and they’re about $40, but avoid BACHMANN
What do you want to spend? If you give us a price range, we can give recoomendations for that range. Good bargains are everywhere. What type of engines you looking for?
WHAT are your standard’s?
- ANYTHING that rolls?
- STAY’S on the track?
How easy are you to please?
ADVICE FOR A NEWBIE: Don’t buy the cheapest. Don’t buy the most expensive.
- YOU’LL generally get what you pay for
- However, you will ALWAYS pay for what you get.
- AVOID Ebay - ask the mouse.
You’ll never know how “Fine” the water is, or what degree it is until you get wet.
for the top of the range go
1.Atlas 10/10
2. Kato 9.9/10
3.Proto 2000 9/10
4.athearn genesis 8/10
Middle range
- Athearn RTR (for Price 9/10) for quality 7/10
2.Bachmann Spectrum 7/10
Lower range
- Athearn Blue Box, unbreakable good value for money and run for years 6/10.
but then theres Broadway Limited but they are $$$ just too expensive for me.
anything else aint worth buying
OZJIM
A few of the online vendors, specifically Trainworld and M.B. Klein, have inventories of out-of-production models. I’ve bought a few of these, particularly old Lifelike P1K and P2K models. These are not the latest models, and don’t come with decoders, but for 40 dollars I got a very nice GP-9, and with an add-on decoder I’ve got a fine locomotive. SW-1’s are running below $30, and if you read this forum often you’ll recognize them as a big favorite, particularly for their amazing slow-speed performance.
I have a N scale Sw8 swicther loco in Hobby quality that runs great at slow speeds.[:D] no directional lighting though[V]
Now, for steamers, in my order…mine, remember… Broadway Limited Imports, followed closely by Proto 2000 Heritage Steam. You can get them at decent prices if you don’t particularly want to shell out another $50-$90 for sound.
International Hobby Corp makes some reasonable locos, but they tend to be generic…too generic some would say. Add a decoder to them, and they run nicely. Add a Tsunami sound decoder and it’s a whole new ball game. However, you will still have a middle-of-the-road looking locomotive. Few details, more toy-like valve gear and rods.
I forgot Bachmann Spectrum steamers. The are also quite good, better than the IHC.
I just picked up 2 Bachmann (I know) engines, with decoders, new in the box at the dupage County,Il. train show on Sunday for $33.00 each. Haven’t tried them yet, but I bought them from a shop who is there every month and he said if I don’t like em, he’ll take them back. Can’t beat that. Other then that I like the new Atlas Gold Series (w/ sound) and Spectrum models. Good value for the $, in my humble opinion.[:D]
First of all, what “railroad” do you plan on modeling?
Then we can go from there!
Gordon
i like Bachmann Spectrum great quilty. ATlas as well. I have athrean engines but prefer Bachmann Spectrum or Proto 1000 or 2000 as well
My experience is if you start with Athearns, thinking they’re great, and then sometime later you get an Atlas, or Kato, or P2K, you’ll feel everything else you have is inferior…because it is. Then you’ll want to replace all of your Athearns with something better, and end up spending twice as much in the end.
Greg
I tend to narrow my scope.
For HO passenger locomotvies, the P2K E units are winners/
For overall quality, IMHO, it’s hard to beat an Atlas!
As far as prices, yes we’re all complaining but as I’ve stated before there are plenty of hobby shops that still accept “LAYAWAY”. Problems seems that a number of us are impatient and don’t want to wait 2 or 3 months to get that favorite locomotive. Time goes by pretty quickly, why the fuss?
There are a whole lot of variables here, but to give you a rought idea here’s my [2c]:
- If you like steam - bang for buck you can’t beat Bachmann Spectrum (NOT their regular or Silver Series ranges which aren’t worth a looking at).
- If you like diesel - bang for buck its pretty even between Atlas and Proto 2000.
Buy new from a discount trader like Trainworld, and you’ll get pretty much whatever you want (without sound) in your $100 an engine price range. Buying new means you get the manufacturer warrentee (important with Bachmann who have quality control issues). If you want bells and whistles (i.e. sound) you’ll start paying more.
Ebay is good if you know the right questions to ask and what each engine / car should cost, but if your not prepared to do the research steer clear.
If you want relatively inexpensive good value locomotives look for the Walthers Proto 1000 line and the Atlas Trainman line. IMO these are an excellent balance of decent running coupled with reasonable detail at a good price. The Athearn Blue Box locos are decent, but I think have been surpassed for quality by the P1K and Trainman for very similar price.
Moving up the price scale are Proto 2K, Stewart and the Atlas Classic lines. I am a big fan of all 3 of these and you can’t go wrong. Some of the older stock P2K can be found at great prices on the web and at trainshows.
When you start getting into the DCC sound equipped level, then the Broadway Limited, Atlas Gold and P2K sound units are all very good.
For overall quality I think Atlas is the best, but they do have a rather limited range.
Bachmann Spectrum & Broadway Limited are both good especially for the steam era as they both have exceptional detail but then Athearn is good if you are modeling in diesel. You can also check out MTH (ho) scale as they feature smoke units. If you want to choose from European models then check out Trix, Rivarossi, Roco and Marklin. Be careful though as some of the European versions run into $$$ Do you prefer steam or diesel ?
I would suggest research on the web and looking at them at your LHS.I just bought 2 Intermountan F3s with drives, dcc ready, etreamly great detail, for less then just the shell would cost at my local Hobby shop. But then Intreermountain is kind of a sleeper, no one talks much about them and I havent heard a complaint
My current roster is mostly Atlas Classic series Alcos. I pay about $90 each at the LHS and $65 from the online vendors, primarily Trainworld. They run excellent, pull well, are easy to maintain, and are well detailed.
There’s nothing wrong with Athearn BBs. I still have a large fleet of GP38-2s and SW1500s. When properly maintained they run great, and will a little sprucing up look good.
But I will admit, I’m now an Atlas snob, and the Athearns don’t get as much running time as they used to.
Nick
check this out
I agree with MisterBeasley
proto 2000 has the guiness book of world records
tough train
good price hard to beat
PROTO 2000 GP-7 PH 1 SELECTED RDS $39