Prices

[Anonymous]

IS the price differance between Bachmann and LGB really worth it?

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you are looking for in engines and rolling stock. LGB is pretty tough, but Bachmann has improved over the last few years. If price is the main consideration than Bachmann would be satisfactory on most levels. LGB has high quality at a price, but those who buy that brand are very loyal. Now that many LGB products are being manufactured in the Orient, the playing field is a little more level.

[Anonymous]

Hi Kormak
My imediat response was No they (asst rude words) are Not!!
However on reflection LGB is of a higher quality than Bachmann
However the question that becomes more important what is my railway
and whch brand or brands suits it the best LGB I have A lot of well I think it is a lot Bachmann I have very little because of the quality differance.
I know of a very good railway that uses a lot of the Bachmann and Lehmann
wagons, but you would not recognise them as such as they have all been converted to suit the railway.
the owner of that line dosen't have a lot if any at all in the way of LGB as it is too expencive to convert ar bash into what you want.
if LGB is what you want grab it it is far better to have a few good pieces than a lot of lesser pieces.
I do however believe LGB is over priced.
regards Jjohn

[BudSteinhoff]

Several years ago I would say yes, but now my opinion of LGB is that they are overpriced and going by name only.
The Bachman Spectrum and many Aristo products have much more detail and have improved the quality to the point that they bypassed other high priced companies.
I have a large variety of mfg. equipment and my favorites are not LGB and will not invest in any more overrated, overpriced loco's or rolling stock.
My opinion
Bud[8D]

[bman36]

Hey All,
I'm with Bud on this. While I do not own any LGB locos I do own a few pieces of rolling stock. Their big red caboose I really like. The detail is good and it is well put together. On the other hand I find their boxcars to be lacking on the detail end of it. In an attempt to try most of what is out there I purchased a USA Trains wagon. This one was an old time reefer. Now this impressed me. It came with a bag full of detail items that needed to be installed on the car. This I like. Building models as I grew up was very enjoyable and this was no exception. Do all USA items come this way? I don't know since this is the only one I have. I'll say this much....I'll buy a few more USA wagons before I buy another LGB. Bachmann really does a fantastic job of bringing Large Scale within reach for a lot more people with their products and pricing. Aristo I like as well. Maybe it's because I feel comfortable with what I am spending that draws me to these mfgs. For me it feels like a "good" purchase. And that is my 2 cents eh. Later eh...Brian. [:D]

[Anonymous]

I'm retired. I'll be blankety-blank if I'll pay $100- $120 for an out of production LGB train car of any type. Nor will I pay through my nose for a NAME! I simply can't afford it.!

I don't agree with Mr. Busby in that it is better to have a few good pieces than a lot of lesser pieces.

Mr. B, I can buy 2 or 21/2 Bachmann cars for the price of 1 LGB car. I have a railroad to fund & I want a bunch of cars for my limited budget.

LGB has some great garden railroad equipment on the market. I'd like to have 4 or 5 pieces. Trackwise, to me, Aristo is comparable to LGB & a lot less expensive. I
recently priced wide radius switches of both makes at my LHS. A pair of Aristo wide radius switches came to $79 w/out tax. 1 LGB wide radius switch cost $93. $14 will
scratch build 1/2 - 2/3 of a boxcar.

I buy my equipment from discount shops, ebay or whereever I can find decent prices.

Ain't it great to live in America where we can female dog, female dog, female dog about high prices on
everything?!
Fishwagon

[Anonymous]

Hi fishwagon
I am sorry but I don't understand the better to have more lower quality Items than a few good ones.
If I am paying for or building it or maybe even kit bashing it as the case may be I want the best my money and or personal effort can produce.
It will then last longer is less likely to break and therefore give the level of enjoyment
required of the piece.
Aristocraft plain track is OK their points(swiches) i would not touch with a barge pole
I have had nothing but trouble with the ones I have from the word go
Where as I have had no problems that the occasional lube would not fix with the LGB ones also I do not like Aristocraft's tendancy to stay shiney as this detracts from the garden where as the LGB weathers nicely and stays conductive with it.
Where I live with the exeption of the Bachmann kits and competetive train set prices.
You would think every brands rollingstock was the best, there is so little diference
in price so I buy what I see as the best quality for my Aussie dollars and I am happy too settle for less and have still managed to overstock my tiny 30' x 10' Empire
One thing LGB is no good for is Kit Bashing I haven't found a glue that will weld the plastic together like other brands
Doesn't mean I like the prices whinge whinge (read female dog)
regards John

[Anonymous]

J ohn: I feel model railroad equipment is a matter of personal preference. If you have
available funding, (which I assume you do), buy LGB. I don't have available funds to purchase LGB, so I use less expensive equipment AND make it work.

If you want detail out of the box, that is your privelege. I thrive on reworking things
mechanical & some electrical. If I want to rework less expensive equipment, that is my privelege.

If I want 200 pieces of what I assume you would call junk, that, sir is my privelege.

It's difficult for me to understand why some model railroaders seem to nit-pick so
much. We are all in this hobby for fun, enterainment, or whatever. We are entitled
to disagree with each other, however that statement should be made clear when made to another person.

John, I remind you that if I had a large budget, I would have a number of LGB rolling
stock & motive power. However, I would use Bachmann couplers on all of it because
I happen to like Bachmann couplers. I also know how to make them operate efficiently.

Have a good day! Fishwagon

[Anonymous]

Hi fishwagon
If my choice of wording has caused Offennence then I do most unresevedly appologise.
it was not intended that way.
My comment if read correctly covers all scources of stock wether it is bought has been scratch built or kit bashed that the best should allways be striven for.
And for the record while I have what I concider to be a lot of LGB I also have other brands as well all of which cost me about the same per car there was no measurable diference in price only in quality when two brands are costing you near enough the same price it is reasonable to expect the same quality.
I don't have the funding I just have too save longer and settle for a lesser quantity
of trains once any componant of any brand has done the wrong thing by me I will not touch it again I don't have time to mess around fixing something that should not be broken too start with ie aritsocraft points even if their quality now goes to the top of the tree they are out of luck because of the six months it took to find out what was wrong with the first lot and then fix it and they are still tempremental it will be a long while before I can afford replacements with the brand I first used and should have continued with and have had no trouble with.
So my passanger platform loop is out of action most of the time because I settled for a lesser quality product it nust be it spends more time broken than working.
so now you perhaps understand my reaction when people say accept more of less quality well I for one won't ,I am still paying in loss of enjoyment for that mistake.
I am pleased you enjoy the hobbiy
But I don't have the same level of building and fixing skill you obviosly have when I was younger no one could be botherd too teach me.
and I bet you will not accept your own work unless you believe it to be of high enough
quality and will keep at it untill it is.
I do not critisize peoples efforts I never have.
But please don't say or imply second best is good enough because it is not, I
found that out the hard way
Once again just in case my choice of words offend I appologise
regards John

[vsmith]

1st off, Bachmann has the clear advantage price wise. LGB is IMHO simply too expensive.

Bachmann cars and LGB cars are today very equal to each other quality wise. I would lean toward Bachmann because they tend to have less cast detail and more applied details. this is something LGB still tends to do to much of.

For locomotives, LGB mechanic are absolutley the best out there, but Bachmann has come along long way to leveling the playing field. Aristo is hit and miss quality wise, I've read alot of problems with the new DASH-9 release.Wont get that with LGB. On the Detail end Bachmann is blowing LGB of the tracks! the Spectrum 2-8-0, the Spectrum 4-4-0 and 2-6-0, and the new Heisler have raised the bar for all manufacturers.

I was at SanVal looking at the 2-8-0 and the Heisler and then at HLW's loco's and they truely looked like crappy toys next to them, yet they are often MORE expensive than the Bachmann. Same with LGB, mediocre detail, toylike apperance and heafty price.

LGB does have one distinct advantage in that you can run every single item they make on the smallest R1curves. Bachmann's newest need 6 to 8 foot diameter curves, that is too large for space challenged guys like me.

[Anonymous]

From what I can see, LGB still has the better product, but not by much. I'm sorry to say that their prices are going to undo them, too damned high for Chinese made products. (rolling stock, don't know about the engines) Too bad Bachman or one of the other manufacturers do not offer English or Continental type cars...... I run live steam and own just a few pieces of LGB rolling stock. I will buy used or on sale, or else begin to scratch build.......

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by John Busby



I am sorry but I don't understand the better to have more lower quality Items than a few good ones.


Aristocraft plain track is OK their points(swiches) i would not touch with a barge pole
I have had nothing but trouble with the ones I have from the word go


One thing LGB is no good for is Kit Bashing I haven't found a glue that will weld the plastic together like other brands


regards John

The dilema of "a few very good is better than many cheaper ones" goes back as far as the begining of the hobby, its purely a personal choice. Its like in HO, some want only high quality precision cars and are happy with only a few, while others are happy with a ton of old tyco cars picked up at the swap meet. To me its pointless to debate it, since its a personal opinion, sort of like arguing whether the Camaro vs Corvette is better, depends on who you talk to. Fishwagon likes his many, while John enjoys his few.

I would touch an Aristo switch though...with a Hammer! I hate these things! My engines and cars constantly stall and derail on them. I have been changing them to LGB which gives me NO problems at all.


I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person who has found LGB plastic MADDINGLY HARD to work with! Cuts great, glues horribly! I now know WHY everything is screwed together on LGB stuff. I now plan screw fasteners into any bash project. I and building a new cab for my Stainz engine and it uses the same screw mounts to hold the new cab down.

[Anonymous]

Hi vsmith
I hope you will add your stainz ba***o the new forum on scratch building and kitbashing.
Have never thought of bashing an LGB loco too ( these following words have been censored) Expencive
I assume a different cab is being fitted or is it just a case of thats not right that has to go
regards John

[Anonymous]

Mr. Busby: I accept your apology. Have a great day.

Fishwagon

[Anonymous]

I can only say I wish I had a Large Scale store near me, I think Large scale junction in Newark Ohio 1 hr plus one way is the closest to be able to compare quality. Most of the local shops just dable in a little LGB stuff. When I purchase my motive power will be an LGB 260 mogal (like the looks) rolling stock will be bachman most likely for cost and comparison of pics in Garden RR adds looks great. Also after what I've paid for my S gauge stuff prices are equal but the G stuffs bigger, more train for the money![:D]