Well, just like everyone else that is starting a lifetime hobby in model railroading, I am very overwhelmed. I am really apprehensive about purchasing a locomotive becasue the trains range in prices. I am sure this is due to differance in qaulity, but might it also be just brand pricing? So I am asking you experts out there (mainly cause I can’t find them at the hobby shops) about which you prefer. I had purchased the Walthers 2006 referance book and have flipped through that thing so many times, and have seen so many great things, but it is so overwhelming. Who should I go with? Atlas, or Kato? LL or P2K?
And then there is when it comes to the senic question? What company should I go with for buildings. I have found the cornerstone series very likeable, while others too overwhelmiing for me. Does anyone else have any opionons. Please help!
If you like putting things together, then you’ll probably want a Kato engine. They require the details to be installed by the owner. If you don’t like building, then go with Atlas or LL P2K.(Proto 2000 is from Life-Like. It’s not a brand on it’s own)
Woodland Scenics has the largest selection of high quality scenery.
I believe the best way to start is to read, read some more and then read again. You will become the “expert” your looking for in those hobby shops. When I started 15 years ago I stumbled accross a source for old issues of Model Railroading magazines. It wasn’t long before the various how to articles and product reviews gave me enough background to feel confident in what choices I made in the marketplace. There are alot of tutorial books out there as well as the internet. Senics, my favorite aspect of the hobby, is the icing on a many layered cake. Track planning, benchwork, track laying, wiring etc…are all rewarding parts of your empire that need to be addressed before you develope real estate…remember, you said lifetime…
[#welcome][#welcome][#welcome] You have begun a great hobby.
This is an excellent place to find assistance. The people on this forum
are knowledgeable, and always willing to give advice. I hope you enjoy
your new journey. Welcome again!
an Athearn RTR would be a good starter - they have good detail and upgraded drivelines
for your first loco a P2K may be a bit expensive- however if it’s a life-like and it’s not proto1000 or proto2000 it’s junk- Atlas is very good but they’re pricey as well-----yes this hobby is overwhelming- i just seriously got into it a few weeks before i joined the forum- and just recently i learned what brands to buy and what not to buy- mainly engines are the only thing you have to watch the brand- most other stuff doen’t vary too greatly
oh, and[#welcome] to the forums
It is mostly quality and detail differences. There may be a tiny bit of brand pricing but generally not. The bigger question is if the increase in quality is worth the increase in price? For example the difference in a Proto-1000 and a Proto-2000 is the detail. They have the same mechanics so they will run the same, but a Proto-2000 has many more tiny details like window wipers, hatch cover eyelets, coupler lift bars, MU cables, etc. If you want those things then they are worth it. For some uses (like club use) I don’t like all those extra details because they get broken off anyway. In that case they are not worth it to me. Only you can decide…
I have models from all of these vendors you mentioned. The only one I would say to avoid is the straight Life-Like, it is basically a toy train.
For scenery that is even a harder question. It depends if the goal is to just build the kit and slap it on the layout or if you will be modeling the buildings too. A really cheap building kit can be made to look really nice by some simple modifications (like window glass) and a good paint job. A really expensive building can look really bad if assembled poorly, or not painted, or having no window glass added. I would think the buildings would be more dictated by what scenes you are trying to create and what buildings are needed for that particular scene rather than the company that made it.
It all comes down to what your budget is for this hobby. Decide how much you want to spend on it and then buy the highest quality that you can fit into your budget. For the most part in this hobby, quality does correlate to price. Companies that charge high prices can do so because the quality of their product justifies it. If you can afford top of the line, go for it. If your budget doesn’t allow that, you can still get good quality in the mid-range price. Just stay away from the cheap junk. You’ll be throwing your money away because it will end up on the shelf or the trash can.
You are asking us to point out the locomotives that enjoy the best reputations for a given price. Let’s deal with price right away: toy trains can be had for a few dollars at any department store and most hobby shops. They get you into trains, but usually JUST into trains, and you can’t sell them to anyone else when you realize that you have had enough and want to get more serious. Plain old Life-Like and Bachman sets and units are of dubious quality most often…not in every case, but give them a miss.
Next run up are the Proto 1000, Atlas, Athearn lines. Generally pretty good, if plain janes. Next, what most folks are into within a few months of getting their feet wet, if they find some bargains, are the Bachmann Spectrum and Proto 2000 lines, with Athearn Genesis not far behind. Note that the steam line for Proto 2000 (or what we call P2K) is their Heritage Steam series, and they are arguably the nices locos you can get for looks and smooth running. Unfortunately, they are also light and cannot pull as many cars as their cousins. Believe me, though, if you get one, you will learn to live with their lightness of feet. Their newest issue of the 0-8-0 switcher is simply dynamite, I hear, because they have kept the quality and improved the weight of the loco for pulling.
First into sound-producing locomotives in a big marketing way has been Broadway Limited Imports (BLI). Their locos are not the best detailed, although they are certainly quite good. However, they run very well, and their sound engineering is peerless…or has been until very recently. These locos can be found at reduced prices in blowouts, but their retail value is prohibitive for most modelers. Trainworld.com usually has good prices, but check around.
Many modelers dream of the jaw-dropping beauty of the brass locomotives that are often made in strictly limited runs, and that disappear very quickly if not completely subscribed at the time that they are announced. They cost anywhere from $700 an
Thank you all so very much! I have been doing what many people have suggested to me, which is to read. I have read and skimmed through the walthers HO 2006 reference book 50 millions times. I can’t even comprehend all that goes into this hobby. I was amazed when I read that you can install lights into passangers cars. That is really cool! I have been looking into starting a collection, and I am only going to start off small, but I am looking more on running the model route instead of hours of train operation. That will come in the future when my ultimate layout will be into peice. I have found a number of companies interesting, especailly for the first trian I would like to get, and that would be Amtrak. Kato, PSK, and atlas. anyone else got any suggestions…
You really are a beginner arent’ you?? Belated welcome… Walthers is an importer / distributor for the most part even though thier name is on a lot of products. Until they purchased the lifelike proto 2000 (and proto 1000) lines, thier only motive power that I’m aware of was there Trainline and they’ve also released some swtiching locomotives (out of production)… I’ve never owned one but I’ve heard mixed reviews about the trainline locomotives. The switchers on the other hand were pretty decent runners and the cast in detail was pretty good… I don’t know if they are still doing the trainline stuff, you have a catalog, you can look it up for yourself…
I will say that thier Freight cars are usually pretty nice looking and go together without too much trouble… They do some oddball stuff that other manufactures don’t usually tackle… I just sold for a friend a 4 truck depressed center flat car lettered for General Electric… Pretty nice piece (I think also out of production)… They’ve also done a Dynamometer car several years back, A Jordan Spreader, Russel Snow Plow… These are all pieces that if you wanted them before, you were pretty much stuck looking at brass pieces (very expensive) or scratch building your own…
You don’t state what part of your lifetime you are in… Doesn’t really matter though… I’d suggest reading around the forums. A lot of people have websites at the bottom of thier posts… Visit them, look at what others do, kind of narrow down what You want to do… Your money , your time, your trains, should be what You want…
If you want a start up loco that’s not too labor intensive, I’d go with Atlas, Athearn, Stewart, Lifelike P2k or P1K, or yes, even Kato… If you want to play with sound, whether DC or DCC, Broadway Limited (BLI) might have something that suits your fancy… All are quite nice these days…
Hello Torbian, and welcome to the greatest hobby in the world…
Not sure of your scale, but Atlas is what I’d start with. They make a wide range of products that fit almost every era, and their stuff is really detailed.
[#welcome] i would suggest purchasing a P2K loco to start with, i own a few and are great, try looking on ebay for bargains you can get quality very cheap on ebay like a P2K for $29.99 i live in Australia and just picked up an Atlas for A$50 which is cheap over here. so yeah just a thought.
My advice [and it’s worth no more than what you’re paying for it [swg]] is to hold off on buying anything new just yet, don’t rush into it. As some of the others have suggested, read as much as you can, visit modelers’ websites, hang out here on the forum and ask questions. Also keep this in mind: Nearly all those gorgeous “dream layouts” in the magazines were not built overnight, they required years of focused effort.
If you can find a few people in your area that participate in the hobby (via a club, NMRA division meeting, etc.), that would be really helpful too. I’ve gotten most of my enjoyment thru involvement with other modelers.
Hi there. While many suggest you hold off on your first purchase, I recommend you do get something to start off so that you have something to run. I am very pleased with p2k locomotives, and I feel a p2k would be a good starter, along with some amtrak coaches, as you said you like amtrak.
That said, read read read. Slowly things will make more sense. Something else I recommend is to purchase a book that walks you through the basics of building your first layout. Though I didn’t build the layout in the book ( and I recommend you don’t), its a good way to understand the basics and then add the overwhelming complexeties later on.
Welcome, although I’ve been modeling for 35 years I only joined this forum myself a couple of years ago and only began posting this year. Take it slow like some people have said, Think about what you want to model, present day, old time, west-east these decisions point you to what you want to buy, either pick a real railroad to model or do your own, that way your never wrong.