Hi all. I’ve had various train sets in the past (as a child). I was considering getting a set for myself and my boys, but cannot seem to find information on what company makes a good starter set. I am primarily looking at O scale (perhaps O 30) or HO.
I had Lionel sets in the past, but understand they are not really the same company. I’ve been looking at some of the Bachmann sets, but am not familiar enough with the various manufacturers to know if their products are great, good, poor, etc. Primarily I want to ensure I don’t buy junk.
I’ve attempted to find reviews of the various products, but haven’t had much luck.
I’d welcome any input and advice you can offer. Thank you.
The opinions you’ll find are wide and varied. That said, you’ll have more luck on the Classic Toy Trains site if you’re seeking O scale advice. I model O scale and N scale. I’m exclusively Lionel in O scale, and bent toward Kato in N. The quality of these two manufacturers, IMHO, is excellent.
I do not prefer Bachmann due to some service issues that were not handled well at all, and for my hobby $$ I don’t chase bad service. Suppliers get a couple of chances to earn my loyalty; 'nuf said.
If you’re looking for a ready to run train set in O scale, Lionel and MTH will set you on the right path, but the Lionel Fastrack is clearly the winner in quality and engineering. If you ever plan to have a larger than 4x8 layout, do yourself a favor and buy larger radius turnouts from the start. Trains look better on larger radius curves and they move between tracks more smoothly with the larger radius turnouts.
First off - [#welcome] to the forum! Good to have you aboard!
Secondly, although folks can help you hear with HO, you may get better info to your queries about O-/O-30 over on the Classic Toy Trains forum.
When I first got into this hobby about 10 years ago, I opted to buy all my components - i.e. locomotive(s), rolling stock, power pack, and track - separately (rather than in a set) so that I could buy quality vs. quantity. Most - but not all - starter sets generally offer less than quality items. It’s a little more expensive the path that I took but I think it has led to greater enjoyment and less frustration due to poor running or operating components.
In order for us to lead you in an agreeable direction: Is there a particular era you and your boys are interested in modeling?
My comments are just limited to the HO side of things. Having worked for a large chain of toy and hobby shops in the early '80’s, I can tell you that most train sets are meant to be gifts for boys. The sets are very budget items because it is assumed that the boys (and sometimes girls) will play with the set for awhile and then move onto other things. While playing with the sets it is assumed that boys will do things that boys do such as staging train wrecks. (who among us didn’t do this at least one) So if parts of the set are broken or the set gets relegated to the forgotten pile no real harm done because Mom and Dad didn’t spend all that much money on it.
So, is the just a Christmas present for the boys or are you and the boys going to start in this hobby together and do this for years?
If just a present, then check out Walthers site for a variety of HO sets
If you want to get into the hobby with your boys then I would do as Tom suggests buy quality items. Also do your reading and educate yourself so you know what you would like to accomplish. A good start would be some of the beginner books from our excellent hosts.
Thank you for the replies. Some very good advice and observations.
This will NOT be a Christmas present - it’s more something my boys and I can do together. This is the primary reason I’d like to get quality components.
I was hoping that train sets were akin to slot cars, in that sets are cheaper than getting the components separately, but I can see that is not necessarily the case.
We are primarily interested in trains from 1850 -1900, so we are looking at things from that era. Since posting, I’ve been reading quite a bit and am leaning towards HO scale as there seems to be much more available.
I’ll keep reading up and will will check out the links everyone provided.
First, you will get a much better bang for your buck in HO. O scale is great but the rolling stock is several times more expensive than HO.
Starter sets in trains are somewhat different than in slot cars because the slot cars supplied with the sets are generally the same as the cars you can buy separately. Also, there isn’t a ton of detail that you can add to your slot car.
Not so with trains. There is an incredible array of detail that can be added to a train locomotive or car that the basic train set stuff doesn’t have. That can range from simple details like separate grab irons and magnetic couplers to much more complex details like DCC (Digital Command Control) and sound. A simple comparison of the slow speed charactaristics of a train set engine vs a good Atlas, Intermountain, Kato etc. will demonstrate the differences clearly. The train set engine with its supplied transformer will likely not run smoothly at very low speeds (if it will run at low speeds at all) whereas a good engine with DCC will creep at 1 - 2 scale mph. If you want to do some switching you will want controllable slow speeds, and you will want to do some (or a lot) of switching.
You are doing the right thing by reading before you spend your money. You are also ahead of the game because you know your era of operations.
Please keep us posted on your progress.
By the way, how old are your boys? The reason I ask is that different ages will have different interests. If they are younger i.e. 4 - 7, then you might want to pick up a cheap train set for them to run. At that age they will want to run as fast as possible and train wrecks are a must! They couldn’t give a hoot about slow speed control or details. That doesn’t preclude you from investing in better quality rolling stock, and it gives you the opportunity to let them run your ‘good stuff’ on special occasions. If they are older then
Actually, you’ll find more available in train sets in that era than buying locomotive and rolling stock separately. Athearn did come out with a 4-4-0 a couple of years ago. Rolling stock for that time period is pretty sparse. MDC would be your best candidate for that.
In my opinion the best starter set is not a set at all but a collection of the best power supply, the best locomotive, the best track, and the best cars. Often these things are not available in a box from a single manufacturer.
Doesn’t matter if it is the same company or a different one. Quality product can be produced by anyone if they want to. Today Lionel makes really good stuff as well as toy train junk stuff. You pay for what you get.
There again almost every manufacturer makes different grades of equipment. Bachmann’s high quality line is called “Spectrum”. There are Spectrum sets out there that I can recommend (like “The Explorer” and “The Frontiersman”), but I the track that comes in those sets is just plain old EZ-Track which expansion is not only expensive, but also not very good.
I can anly comment on HO, other than my brother and I sharing a Lionel setup (Christmastime) in the 50’s. I did HO in my Jr High / teenage years, then again (for me) when we had the 3rd girl.
More recently, we gave my grandson a Bachmann HO DC set about 4 Christmas’s ago and we built a 4’ x 6’ oval layout with a couple of spurs (EZ track). It surprised me how well it has worked, with me as a long-distance hobbier making additions. The locos (a 4-8-4 that came with the set and a GE diesel added) have performed pretty reliably, other than the steam loco not liking to negotiate the EZ turnouts. We upgraded the couplers to Kadee and upgraded the freight car wheels to metal wheelsets (some of the originals barely rolled). We added building kits, building lighting, a farm (pond, cow pasture, cornfield, etc), a hill with tunnel, and had fun doing that, but I did most of the tough work and he helped where he could. He’s 11 now. He runs it when I’m not there, but I think he spends much more time with Legos, DS, etc. He does enjoy trains (got him started with Thomas), all the way up to chasing the UP steam engine when it occasionally comes to TEXAS.
I got back into the hobby for me, and have a DCC layout I started in January (track and electronics finished).
You need to be thoughtful about how much the hobby is for you and how much a joint interest… You can have fun with a set and simple layout, but you may get more for your money (and satisfaction) with a chosen engine, some freight car kits (e.g., Accurail) and Atlas flwxtrack and a MRC 1370 (for instance) DC power supply for starters.
A key consideration is whether you have “authorized” space for a 4’ x 6’ or (much better) 4’ x 8’ (or longer, thinner) layout that can be initially built and improved.
It is a neat hobby but I don’t know your kids’ inclinations.
Wow, great answers all. I really appreciate all the replies.
My boys are 9, 8 and 5. I’m not too worried about the 5 year old - this will be a bit out of his league but he tends to tag along with the other two. [;)]
This is to be as much (if not more) my hobby, as theirs.
Space I have got - so I can do a pretty good layout (I think) given time. I have enough room for a 12’ x 8 table if I ever decided to go that big.
Perfect ages - the young one will catch on pretty quick.
I would suggest that you do some research on layout design. 12’ x 8’ is a lot of space but you have to make sure that it is workable. Specifically, an 8’ wide table means that you have to reach 4’ to get to the center of the layout. I know you want your guys to be basketball stars but even the 7 footers in the NBA couldn’t reach the middle of an 8’ wide layout. Most of us have a hard time reaching 30" and that reach will decrease the higher the layout is off the floor. If you only have scenery in the middle of the layout then reach is not an issue, but you might not be getting the most out of your available space with a simple rectangular table. Have a look at ‘walk in’ designs as well as ‘around the room’ concepts.
If you want some help with layout design you could make a drawing of the room in which the layout will go, including doors, windows and any other obstructions, and post it here for suggestions on what layout designs might work best in your space. Also, there is a track plan data base available on this page. Click on ‘How To’ on the black bar towards the top of the page.
Also, some idea of what you want to model i.e. mining, industries, live stock, passenger service, etc. will help us with suggestions. You should mention whether you want continuous operation (i.e. a train that can run continuously around the layout) or ‘point to point’ switching operations, or both!
I have to admit that I am a bit envious of your opportunities with your boys. When my boys were that age I had neither the money nor the time to spend modeling with them. Your time will be well spent. Just remember to let them do things themselves, whether they screw them up at first or not. Patience is the best parent ever!
Since you have three boys, at some point it may be worth considering a starter DCC system so that you can have/add multiple throttles and operate the layout together. A minimum of two throttles would mean that you and one of your boys could operate locomotives independently on the same layout…or two of them while you supervise.
As far as goes train sets the better path is buying the needed items separately since you are looking at 1850-1900.
So you will know.
DCC would probably be the best way to run your trains but,its also expensive since each locomotive requires a decoder-unless the locomotive comes DCC equipped and of course the extra throttles isn’t cheap either and then there’s the start up cost of buying a system but,IMHO the advantages of DCC is worth the cost in the long run…
I would caution you on getting the “more expensive” stuff, as kids are sure likely to “see how fast it can go” and likely, unless you have “good plexiglass side panels/rails”, will find a train hitting the floor! Or even crashing into another train.
I would also recommend DCC if you want to run a few trains with less wiring, as the DCC controls the loco, NOT the current to the track. This way your boys, each one, can run a train if they want. You might also want to consider atrack plan that includes 3 or 4 loops so each boy can operate a train on a loop of their own {and one for you too!!}
Bachmann makes a starter DCC set with 2 locos, But I kinda second the motion to go with piece-mealing a set together…: