Lookin' to leave the station. Which starter set is best?

[Anonymous]

Hello all,
I've got a four-year-old who is infatuated with trains. He has his own Thomas table and builds different layouts daily. I have been taking him to model train shows recently and that has peaked his interest even more.

I am in the market for a O27 starter set. Initially, I was going to build a layout in HO, but I find myself gravitating more toward O27 everyday. My son really liked the larger trains and the smoke and whistle were big hits. Also, the info I've read lurking on these boards, this seems the best route to go based on his age.

My intention is to expand the starter kit into a garage layout over time. I've researched some sets and narrowed it down to two--the Santa Fe fast freight w/ trainsounds and the NY Central Flyer w. railsounds. I am also thinking of buying the expansion pack with the NY Flyer.

Is there much of a difference b/w these two other than price? Can anyone comment based on experience?

Also, if you know of another set I should consider, please let me know.

Thanks for your help and I'm envious at how knowledgeable some of you are.

SG

[csxt30]

[#welcome] to the forum Scott ! I don't have any experience with those starter sets, but I know a lot of guys have recomended the Lionel Black Diamond set. It comes with a huge N&S engine & railsounds. Just thought you might like to check it out. If you live in the East, your little one will recognize it right away if your sitting at a railcrossing. Have fun choosing ! Thanks, John

[dwiemer]

Scott,
Ditto on the welcome. There are several good options for starter sets. One would be the Riding the Rails Hobo set, or the Santa Fe El Capitan set. Another option would be the Thomas Set and then just get a small engine to add on with smoke and whistle. You could cover the spectrum of your son's Thomas play and your expansion into larger collecting. Either way, be sure to stick around on this forum as these guys are very helpful with any questions that may arise.
Dennis

[Dr. John]

Scott, the Santa Fe Fast Fright uses a Berkshire steam engine, generally more desireable (but perhaps not as durable) as the 4-4-2 steamer in the NYC Flyer set. Both are good choices, so decide based on price and perhaps the cars that come with the sets.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new endeavor!

[Lafondue]

u should go with the Santa Fe Fast Freight..it is slightly more expensive but u get a much better engine....that Berkshire is one of the best engine out there traditional size plus, compared to the NY flyer, u get an extra car and an uncoupling track and a working log car.

I have the 2004 version of this set the Nickel Plate Super Freight and he has been running almost non stop and troublefree since then....(500 hrs plus...and counting)

The only very small negative comment is that the smoke output is not the greatest...but improve greatly with JT Mega Steam.

[Jumijo]

Scott,

I bought my kids the Thomas and the NYC Flyer sets last Christmas. They love them both. My kids are the same age as your boy. The NYC Flyer set is a great value. The RailSounds are awesome and add considerably to the play value of the set. We were running ours last night with a long line of heavy cars behind it, and it was smoking up a storm! The loco had no problems pulling the train either. The add-on packs are a good value in that you get some extra cars and track. Supposedly it's cheaper than buying them all separately, but I've had great success buying things cheaply at train shows. Still, you can't go wrong buying the NYC Flyer set or the expansion packs. Not at all.

The kids also love the Thomas set. They want to see Thomas run every time we run the trains. It's a very affordable set and a lot of fun to boot. Thomas doesn't have a smoke unit, but he does have a cute whistle. I guarantee that your boy would love it.

The berkshire engine is a more desirable locomotive than the 4-4-2. CTT had an excellent review of it almost 2 years ago when it came out. They have a video on their web site of it pulling close to 30 cars with ease. We have the Polar Express version of it.

Some will advise you to buy a set or a loco with TMCC or some other option laden thing. My advice is to get your feet wet with a simple starter set and see if it holds you and your son's interest. If it does, you can buy the fancy-schmancy stuff later on. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Good luck and enjoy!

Jim

[Roger Bielen]

Scott - one other consideration is if you will be upgrading to Command Control in the future. If so, you might want to consider a set with an engine that is command upgradeable. With these the initial cost is a bit lower than full command ready but when you make the leap to TMCC you can have the boards changed out and will have a TMCC engine.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the great advice everyone,
Well, after much debate, I chose the Santa Fe fast freight with the Berkshire engine. I purchased it from one of the respected Internet vendors I have seen named frequently on these boards.

I would've loved to have purchased it at a local hobby shop, but it was more than $80 cheaper buying it off of the Internet--shipping included. I know I lose the "personal contact" but with that price its a no-brainer. I thought about asking the LHS if they could match the price, but decided not to so as not to offend anyone.

I've decided to use FasTrack for my layout. I have visited a couple of sites that have layout examples for FasTrack, but I am still having a hard time coming up with one.

If anyone has a layout that utilizes FasTrack, I would love to see it.

Thanks and have a nice holiday.

SG

[Anonymous]

Try http://www.trainexpress.com/ for FasTrack. Thats where I got all mine.

[Nick12DMC]

Hi All,
Thanks for inspiring me to jump into Lionel O scale.
I live in the UK where Hornby OO (4mm scale) rules. This was what I had
as a kid.
We are spending Christmas in the States this year and I was looking for
a really special present for my son Charlie (age 7).
We have a Hornby layout but he finds it fiddly and Hornby are heading for
super detailed locos and stock. These are pretty fragile!

I have gone for a Santa Fe Fast Freight and a log loader and a milk car and
some extra track.
Found a internet vendor who was very helpful with gift wraping and sending it to our hotel in time for Christmas.
Will soon have a little bit of Lionel in the UK.

Many Thanks

Nick Hannaford

[Anonymous]

Jumping in on this a little late put I went with the Keystone Freight (Pennsy Berkshire), and so far am pretty happy with the purchase. Only cons so far, not enough track with the starter set, and the light in the caboose is way to bright.

[Anonymous]

If I were to get a starter set today it would be the 4-6-0 Virginia and Truckee set from Mike's Train House. It is a very nice looking set with an old days wild west theme and it can be later easily upgraded to command control.