What are some decent locomotives in the $50.00 to $60.00 dollar range or under?
I’m looking for pulling power above all else.
My funds are limited and I need some ideas of what to look for, on places like eBay and the train stores online, I know enough from reading past posts that I’m staying away from Tyco thats for certain.
Thanks in advance!
Jess Red Horse.
try “Trainline” from walthers i got an excellent loco for a little less than $40.00 from them
By shoping on line you can get Athearn and some Atlas locomotives as well as the Atlas/Trainman and Walthers Train Line and some P1K in your price range.
Train World has some good locos for real cheap
I got this Erie built for 14.99 + shipping. looks good and runs really well and smooth. pulls like a beast 
Its the unit coming out of the shop in the middle of the pic.
What era and part of the country are you interested in?
I’ve ordered from Trainworld (www.trainworld.com) and M.B. Klein (www.modeltrainstuff.com) and I’ve been very happy with them. Both of these dealers have what they call “blowout” prices on some items. Typically, they buy batches of out-of-production items from manufacturers’ warehouses, and sell them just above wholesale cost. The ones I’ve gotten are brand new, still in the box, but they may have been sitting on a shelf for a few years.
Trainworld has a multi-page ad (look for the very small print) in every MR.
Jess,
If you are looking for pulling power, I’d gravitate toward the Stewart diesels. They are terrific pullers and VERY smooth operationally.
Even though Stewarts are bargains, in the price range you’ve mentioned, you’d probably need to check on eBay for some good deals. I’ve also used Trainworld and M.B. Klein and have been very satisfied with their prices and service.
Hope that helps…
Tom
Proto 2000 is another great quality brand that you canfind n the clseout sales or online at discount sites. Trainworld, while not the best for phone customer service, ship quickly. I have ordered from them in the past and have always been on time. New York to Arizona 3-5 business days.
Thanks for your replies and your suggestions, I’ve made my list and will spend a few hours reasearching each name given here.
It is nice to finally find a hobby that doen’t take the selling of a major organ to begin!!!
so what time frame are you modeling. do you want 4 or 6 axles on the units. home layout? what size curves. how about telling us more like what rr you want to run. we realy do need more info to give you the best answeres
Three words :Athearn Blue Box.
Trainworld is selling Bachmann Chinese diesels for $39.99. Thole muthas’ll pull anything.
[#ditto]
Hard to beat for the price.
[#ditto][#ditto]
For the money, Athearn Blue Box locos are probably one of the best values in model railroading! Darn near bullet proof, good runners, decent looks.
Rotor
My layout is going too be easy,
Since I’m brand new at this and have no real practice thinking inside any kind of box I want to build what puts a smile on my face.
I really like my 14 car War train, a nice line up of military items that I bought car by car on the internet, I pull them with two locomotives, The Od green "Santa Fe style loco and the GP-30 style Od green loco, I do have the OD Green switcher also.
I’m not going with any “Period” I’m not running an “all cars correct train” of any era.
I have been connecting and pulling trains that make me feel good, one might be a train of a dozen food themed box cars, or maybe a 15 car train comprised of all cabooses painted in different tribes art and colors, what ever inspires me.
I’m not rich enough or clever enough to build some true to life scaled down world that is plucked from a real life corner of my world.
I guess folks call mine “Fantasy”, hey if I have to live with a tag as a new model rail roader than so be it, its just a name for those who build out side the fringes of the normal mind.
I have my favorite scene aboard one of my army train cars, it’s a meeting between two spies.
That’s all I can say for now.
My layout is under very tight security, my hungry Jack Russell Terrorist guards the construction site with her life, er, well until she smells a hot dog cooking in the other room.
Some may say I’m not the kind of guy that model rail roading was meant for, oh well, just because a few of my layout ideas were, a little twisted doesn’t mean that I’m a bad guy…LOL!
When I do post more pics, they will be of my war train that rolls through the town keeping Marshall law while battling the Hippy Zombies from Hell, so if that can be classified in model rail roading than I’m just besides myself…wow!
There are those who have two Model rail Road worlds, that of the “Train Operators” world and then the
If you enjoy your trains then that’s all that matters. How fun are they if you can;t play with them like toys!?
Just my 2 cents.
There are a bunch of decent reasonably priced loco makers. I have, and like, all of the following.
Athearn Blue Box GP’s, F units and switchers.
IHC steamers
Proto 2000 everything
Bachmann Spectrum steamers and the 44 tonner switcher
The following makers produce very fine locomotives but they are a bit pricey. If one turns up at a decent price grab it.
Kato
Atlas
Broadway Limited
Athearn Genesis
Red Horse…ya gotta do what pleases you! That’s the neat thing about this hobby. It doesn’t have to be real, or “prototypical”. It can be pure fantasy!
It doesn’t have to be March 14, 1958, at 4:55 pm in Saint Louis, MO. It could be be March 14, 2010, at 4:55 pm in Saint Louis, MO, or be March 14, 1858, at 4:55 pm in Saint Louis, MO… or anytime, anywhere. Whatever you want.
It’s all about what you like.
The term is FREELANCED.
That’s the neat thing about this hobby. You can run what you like! Have fun!
Have fun Jesse. I do! [:D]
Rotor