I’m brand new to the hobby…I received the Lionel Bed, Bath and Beyond 4-4-2 starter set for Christmas. Now I know this is not the best engine in the world, but is there anything specific I should on the look out for quality wise? While is not a $1000 engine, I certainly have enjoyed it and would like to keep it in my stable for years to come!
My second question is around buying a second engine. I looked through the 2008 v2 Lionel Catalog and seen the very inexpensive “Lionel Lines FA Diesel”. What makes it so inexpensive when compared to the other engines in the catalog, and what type of compromise would I be making if I purchased this engine?
First let me welcome you to the forum [#welcome]. Now 99% of the guys in here although like to kid with each other will give honest straight forward answers to questions.
If its the engine I think it is ( the steamer you got) its really a good engine I have had 4 or 5 and still have one. The FA is because if you look it looks like an egine with high waters on in other words basicly it just cheaply made and shows it by it looks it looks like its designed to go thru flood water now how it works not sure how good of an engine it is for pulling. Let me make you a sugestion goto ebay and look at diesels a lot of times you can pick up a good used diesel you’ll be 10 times happier with for same or little less money.
I would also look at Williams trains from some place like http://www.mapajunction.com/ Marty will treat you right and has good prices these engines are all conventional which is good for someone starting out and there good strong engines most have dual motors which is a plus.
Trains is a great hobby . any more questions please feel free to ask as a whole were glad to help
I agree totally with rtraincollector … research out all the engines and goto Ebay … you’ll save a bundle ! Plus many of the Williams engines are brass !! But … conventional components are just fine . Plus train cars are sometimes bought at almost give-away prices .
I add a second vote for looking into Williams products (now called “Williams by Bachmann” since Jerry Williams retired and sold it to Bachmann industries in 2007).
They are well built reproductions of classic Lionel. They are heavy, have metal gears, metal trucks, and metal couplers. The engines pull very well.
They are reasonably priced. They don’t have any of the new wireless remote control electronics (these can be added by purchasing the boards).
If you’re looking for another small engine, the Lionel 0-6-0 docksider is a great choice, a lot of roadnames still floating around. Under $100.
If you’re looking into remote TMCC (Lionel CAB-1 Remote Control) I can recommend the Lionel H16-44, and the Atlas GP-15! Two great diesels around $250 each.
The new Lionel Post War Authentics - or Conventional Classics - not sure what name is correct seem to a great buy. A Lionel FM Trianmaster can be had for under $200.00 on line. To me - that’s a whale of a bargain.
I will also reccomend the Lionel 0-6-0T Docksider, if you are looking for an EXCELLENT Locomotive in the $100.00 range. I believe the MSRP on these is $109.99, but you should be able to find it for around $100.00. I have seen them as low as $79.95 mail order and in the $50-60.00 range on ebay.
The Lionel Docksider is a very nicely detailed and Good looking Locomotive, it runs even better than it looks, very smooth, and I have pulled over 20 cars with mine, which I imagine is more than would be expected from the prototype. It also has operating magnetic couplers, front and rear so it will be very versitile for switching. I like the way mine smoke, looks good, about right for this size locomotive, but wont run you out of a small train room in short order. If you are a subscriber to CTT (who happens to sponsor this forum) you can see a video of a Docksider in action, on their Cascade & Timber Trail project 4x8 layout.
The Cascade Range Logging set which they started with would be an excellent way to expand, I got one in a Hobby shop for $148.99, and it includes more fastrack(which is probably what your BB&B set came with, another transformer, Locomotive, 3 operating Log Dump cars and a caboose. The string of skeleton log cars shown in the video are not the cars that come with the set, but the car shown dumping the logs is, and the set includes 3 of them. The caboose in the set leaves a bit to be desired, but the other items are a bargain when purchased as a set.
The Lionel Lines FA diesel, sits way to high above the trucks and track, the proportions just don’t look right. I can’t comment on how they run or hold up though as I don’t have one. for the small amount extra to get the docksider, I think that it would be a good investment, I can say that they are great little Locomotives, I have several of my own, and have given them to my young Nephews, who also really like them.
I would add my vote for the docksider. even at full MSRP these are great little locomotives. The are smooth quiet and excellent pullers. hen I get bored with the big ticket stuff, i break out the docksider and it is just so fun to run.
[#welcome] This is a great hobby! If you check on ebay, you can often find that fastrack in complete loops from sets the people have “broken down” to sell in pieces at a reasonable looking price, but figure in the shipping and handling too. Tubular track is cheaper and plentiful. Gargraves flex-track is really nice if you are going to make a permanent layout on a wood table or plywood and can fasten it down.
I have several docksiders and they are all great little locomotives. They are heavy and pull very well. They will run on any track you can buy, no matter how tight the curves.
I would personally pick up a book on O Gauge railroading - there are a couple out there and they have a lot of good info including about setting up the electrical connections and stuff.
There are a lot of good old engines you can buy used on ebay and you can buy new stuff from sellers you might see advertise in the CTT magazine or others too. I just bought a 75 year old Lionel locomotive and with just a little bit of tweaking and some Lionel oil, it is running great! If you buy on Ebay, make sure the seller has good feedback on sales and also that they specify that the engine is tested and runs, no rust, etc.
Hey, come back and tell us how it’s going, we all like to talk about what we are doing and what we have purchased and there are a lot of really knowledgeable people on this forum if you have questions or things don’t seem to be working the way you expected!
Check out the Coffee Pot if you just want to talk off-topic sometime and see how folks are doing, too!
In “O” gauge, no new “starter set” engines are “junk”…however, even a $1,000.+ engine can have problems. Personally, I’m concerned with WHO will fix these problems. Unless you have a local dealer you KNOW you can count on, I’d suggest you order from Trainz.com. Though personal experiance, they totally stand behind what they sell, inculding paying for shipping it back to them. Their prices are competitive, and on some items (pre-orders, I think) they have offered free shipping.
May I add my [#welcome]. All the guys have given excellent answers. I have had a number of great E-Bay transactions. ‘Trainz’ and ‘Closeout Trains’ are very reliable. If you want to “step-out-of-the-box”, take a look at the RMT engines. I really like my “Beep”. All the best!
All excellent answers, except buying an engine off of ebay unless its brand new and returnable. Some get a good deal some get the shaft. Buying from a dealer off the net is usually a good place to go if you have no local place to buy.
I prefer to buy from my LTS, Whistle Stop Trains, but the limited production Numbers and roadnames in 3-Rail O-gauge, makes this difficult, if not impossible sometimes. The CB&Q is the perfect example of an under-represented Major Railroad, in recent production Steam, there has only been 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 locomotives, plus an $1100.00 Brass hudson, that I know of. In 2000, Lionel did an 027 Hudson in a set, I have found 2 of these locomotives seperately and 2 sets for sale, ALL of which were on ebay. There are some dealers with out of production items advertized, and I have bought some from them as well, but to say that ebay is a bad place to buy is painting the whole site with a broad brush. I have over 500 purchases from ebaywith at a guess maybe 5, but definitely less than 10 that were not up to my expectations, 98-99% Positive, and a couple of those were because I didn’t read the description completely. READ the sellers feedback from other buyers, don’t just look at the feedback numbers, there are MANY reliable sellers out there, I have had some go way beyond what I would expect to make something right, when given the chance to. Don’t discount ebay out of hand, it may be the only place to find a Hard to Find item. My Great Grandfather was an engineer for the CB&Q, to get a road Steam locomotive as a way of remembering him, ebay was the only source short of an $1100.00 Locomotive.
I was talking about engines, not the entire bay. If you chose to buy from there that is up to you. I would not, there are lots of honest dealers that sell from the internet and me, I would choose that over the bay, You ask for advice, the bottom line: the choice is yours.
If you have a local hobbie store (lhs) near you that would be a good place to start.MTH is another company that makes a nice steam engine.Good luck and welcome to the world of trains.
Vokk, as far as features of one Lionel starter loco versus another (for price) there are some things only Lionel can explain. The 0-8-0 ATSF steamer in the starter set is actully more detailed than the one available for separate sale. For years, diesels in Lionel starter sets have mostly come with dual motors, while the same type of loco offered for separate sale in the same catalog will only have one single motor.
Sometimes a good course of action for a newcomer is to buy a couple or several complete train sets. Not only do you get the loco, but additional cars, track and another transformer which can come in handy when buidling a layout.
As far as other low cost products, yes as already mentioned Williams (and now Williams by Bachmann) is a winner. RMT (Ready Made Toys) has their low cost BEEP diesel, but that one can give you trouble on switches. It’s a great loco for running on a loop with minimal or no switches. The RMT BUDDY RDC Budd Car runs much better through all switches and is a nice addition.
The basic K-Line (now K-Line by Lionel) locos: The Alco FA, S-2 Switcher and MP-15 are all good value for the money. The new ones made through Lionel now have a switch which you can select how you want the motors to get current (in series or in parallel) which is a nice feature. For under $100 these locos are very hard to beat for reliability and basic performance. Seen below is a kitbashed and repainted K-Line S-2 done up for Norfolk Southern.
