Whats the difference.......

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I guess I’m new to model railroading. It’s been 30 yrs since my dad and I filled the entire basement with N gauge trains. It was huge.

Anyway, my question is this: Whats the difference in a $200 locomotive and a $85 locomotive? (N gauge)

I’m starting out on a 4x8 sheet of plywood and who knows, I may fill my basement up like we did 30 yrs ago.

Thanks
HT

2

About $115. j/k. It kinda comes down to options. The price may include sound, DCC components and super details. Some companies think their product is made of gold, and price them as such. My experience, as limited as it is, says that more expensive, does not mean better. It’s like buying a car, the more options, the bigger the sticker.

Glenn

3

How true. A lot of the time though, more expensive does mean more detail, better chassis, smoother running, all the good stuff. Just like phatpony said, that ain’t always true. Since you obviously have internet access, use it. Read. There’s literally tons of info on here. Bachmann’s Spectrum line is a good compromise. Although I model in On30, I imagine their quality is the same in N scale. Someone please correct me if I’ve given the wrong info there.

4

You need to check the internet like On30 shay said, pricey does not mean the best, there are good quality loco’s out there that are cheaper. Check out your LHS and hit some train shows, thats a good way to make your own judgement call too!

5

First things first:

[#welcome] to the forum.

If you have a good hobby shop near you, see if they will run the $85 and the $200 engines. You will see the difference. As mentioned, sound, DCC (digital command and control), and level of detail can make a big difference in the price.

Tom

6

As everyone else has said plus, possibly made from brass vs. plastic.

7

The $85 locomotive may have been first manufactured many years ago, and the cost of dies has been paid off. The $200 loco may not be expecting massive sales. There may be a lot of fine detail on the expensive loco, which may break off as you take it from the box. As they said, it may have extra electronic bits in it.