As I have posted before, I have only been into model railroading for about 6 weeks, but in that short span I have spent a ridiculous amount of money. Not that I am complaining. Any new hobby has start up costs. And there a LOT of cool things out there to buy.
Many of you have been into model railroading for years, so I wanted to know which brands of kits, RTR and accessories offer the best bang for the buck, which ones are worth spending a little more on, and which brands are cheap for a good reason.
Welcome to the hobby, I’ve founf that most of my rolling stock come from Athearn kits, they are usually quite cheap (less than $20 cdn) and I can put one together in about an hour with checking all the NMRA standards. As for more complicated kits, I like the Proto2000 and Intermountain lines, these will take much longer than the Atherarn kits (which is why Athearn is the main rolling stock) but I get much more satisfaction putting together one of the more advanced kits. I’ve also bought roundhouse (now owned by Horizon) and Accurail. The roundhouse kits were OK and they run fine. I didn’t like the Accurail kit though. It might have been because the coupler pockets were not up to par and I had to do a lot of extensive remodeling to get my Kadees to fit but even after the remodeling the car doesn’t run as well as I would like it to. I don’t have a lot of experience with the RTR kits as I like to build my own rolling stock (gives me something to do as I am still a stuudent and only have a small switching layout) so I won’t comment on the RTR lines. Hope this helps
A lot depends on where you shop, sometimes as much as what you’re shopping for. Prices vary widely between suppliers for identical items. I like to support my LHS (Local Hobby Shop) but I still sometimes will pick up an online bargain. For example, the BLI Hudson locomotive that’s been on sale for $129 US at Trainworld is around $250 in shops. I can justify buying that online, because I’d never go out and spend $250 for that engine.
Look around for all the train shops in your area. Even there, you will find some that sell only at full list price, and some that will give you 10% off for walking in the door.
Also, watch for sales at Walthers. Chances are your LHS gets things from Walthers, and they can get these items for you at the sale price, without the shipping charges. Everyone wins.
And finally, stop buying “neat stuff.” I still have boxes of things I bought 2 years ago when I got back into the hobby. Most I’ll get to, but I’m not sure they really belong on my layout, or I’ll wish I had that room left for something else. Remember, it’s “Dream, Plan, Build,” not “Buy, Plan, Build.”
I have the same opinion of the Accurail kits. Mostly I have bought Athearn and Walthers, and have been pretty pleased so far.
Thanks for the Walthers sale tips, Mr. B. I will definately do that. And you are right about shopping around. Yesterday I saved $10 on a car by just comparing between the two hobby shops in my area.
And I am getting a little better on sticking to a plan before I buy (most of the time).
I have found that purchases that give you the “best bang for the buck” are those that satisfy your plan. Anything outside that is just “stuff” and may or may not get used on your layout. Be careful with impulse buys - some things can be real tempting but you may find out too late that they just won’t work for you. My advice is to step back and think more about what you what to accomplish.
Yes, and I am an impulsive shopper by nature, so I have to careful.
Any thoughts on best building kits for the money? So far I have bought a mixed bag of brands, based on the price and that they were the kind of buildings I wanted.
I was pretty pleased with the Atlas hairpin fencing. Although it is a bit delicate, it looks great.
The biggest mistake a newbee makes is buying a lot of stuff before they plan their layout and know what they need. When they buy before they plan, they waste their resources on what looks cool at the time, but doesn’t fit their plan. They then try to plan around their purchase and end up with all kinds of silly compromises.
Start with your plan. Read my beginner’s guide–the link is in my signature.
I am very careful what I spend on. I have two very first class hobbyshops in Arkansas that I have been blessed to do business with over the years. I never really thought about the spending issue for new comers to the hobby but I will offer a few thoughts.
Go quality. It might be pricey at first and expensive up front. But should provide years of enjoyment provided that you are properly supported by the manufactor.
The internet today really can sort out the good from the bad. A test of a product is when lots of people get together and say it rocks! or it sucks! and why. I bought a pair of Atlas RS-1’s after it stood up to the pre-evaluation planning. So far I have not been disappointed. I got two for cost of one MSRP too via a hobby shop on the net.
When I was younger Athearn Blue Box desiels with all wheel pick up, flywheels, can motor and decent pulling power plus repairability was really awesome for thier 25 dollar cost. Keep in mind 25 dollars was a ALOT of money in 1980. I think a day’s wages might get close to that level but not sure. Brass, Kato and other engines were very expensive but provided very good performance if you had them.
Running to the mall and buying a trainset might get you into the hobby quickly but once things start to go wrong and other things like why does the horn and hook does not stay coupled start to be a learning point towards bigger and better things. Learn all you can before you spend additional money.
The coupler problem was solved by Kaydee. But consider that a pair of Kaydees cost .75 cents in a world where athearn blue box freight cars ran about 2.50 or so. Whew. That would be like spending 30 dollars today for a boxcar and the couplers costing about 12 dollars and then there is the problem of metal wheels which will run you another few dollars.
A long way from that trainset now are we?
Eventually if you stayed in the train business long enough you will want buildings, scenery etc. For me to consider structures and scenery me
If they fit into your plans, you might want to try some of the wood laser kit available. I’ve done some Bar Mills Basics, American Model Builders and Branchline. These are fairly easy to assemble and help develop skills needed for more complex structures. They yield a pretty good result even for beginners - like me.
This is where I made my biggest mistake when I first started in the hobby, except for me it was buy, build, then plan.
It is very easy throw money away in this hobby, but it is also possible to get alot for your dollar. Just make sure you don’t rush because you want to run trains ASAP. I’ve been working on and off for about 6 years now and I just began to be able to run an engine on my switching layout. Start with an Idea (dream), Figure out how big you want it and how much you can spend (plan), then take your time and do it right (build) and enjoy the hobby.
[#welcome] From the West, Welcome to an East Coaster!
Best advice is as already noted, plan, then buy. I tend to stick to Atlas, Proto 1000 or 2000 (or whatever they are calling themselves in Canada now) as well as others that have Canadian paint schemes in their line. Accurail did a very nice outside braced CN box car a few years back (maybe still available?) that filled a need quickly and cheaply.
I like to support manufactures who make the effort to do Canadian roads, they can not be big sellers in the big scheme of the hobby.
Despite the comments of the two gentlemen who replied earlier about not liking the Accurail kits, I personally think that are terrific and I’ve had no problems with them. I have not, however, tried converting any of mine over to Kadee #5s yet.
For quality and price, Accurail kits are hard to beat. They look better than the Athearn BBs. The undercarriage is a bit spartan in detailing but the actual boxcar or hopper looks very nice. The detailing on the wood and woodend box cars is exceptional. Most of my small fleet of rolling stock is Accurail boxcars and 55-ton hoppers. No complaints.
I’m looking forward to when Accurail releases the 40’ gondolas later in the year.
Yep, the message of dream - plan - build is very clear. And good advice. I have a plan on paper now, and a time period (post-WW2 to 1960) .
I have 3 steam engines, and I am buying a 50’s era diesel to balance things out. Then I am done ( I hope). I have a lot of new cars that have yet to come out the box.
My biggest problem now is buying non-period appropriate stuff, saying that my second layout will be able to use it. And I haven’t even built my first yet.
I spent too much again last night. But the mental gears are turning.
Plan then Buy is a good advice but I personally buy also what I like. I’m mainly into the era from the early 40’s to the early 60’s but also have some Tower 55 GEVOs because I simply like that model.
So it doesn’t fit with my other stuff but that doesn’t bother me at all.
I bought many RTR Intermountain & Red Caboose cars and also some Athearn Genesis ones. I think these are great companies and you get great models for what you pay.
I’m not so much into Kits as I’m not a very handy person and I prefer RTR models.
I bought just RTR at first, but some of the kits had what I wanted ( I like Reefer cars with old time product ads) , so I decided to give it a try (never had much patience for models in the past). The first kit I did took about 90 minutes, the second about 45 min, the third was done in barely 20 min. So now my confidence is up.
Now I am buying buildings and I am getting kits rather than pre-built to save some money. Gives me an excuse to try out the new airbrush and compressor I got for Christmas.
I should also do another Accurail kit before I pass final judgement.
