I, too, am a fan of Kato. While I don't have a ton of locomotives (only nine), every one of them is a Kato, and not a single problem. I will probably tell him to get one of the F7A starter kits from MB Klein--a locomotive, 3 cars, and a caboose for just under $100.
Richard
Yes,The Kato set would be the better choice as would a Atlas set -if you can find a Atlas set.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I run N Scale and I would recommend a Kato train set. Among other qualities, Kato equipment is reliable and durable. These are good attributes, especially for the entry level N Scale model railroader. There are other very fine N Scale manufacturers out there (Atlas, Fox Valley, the new Rapido to name but a mere few), but I am not sure if they produce actual boxed train sets such as Kato does?
HTH
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
I have no experience with N scale, but I'd pick Kato over Bachmann any time. A member of our local club has a Bachmann HO scale starter set, and the steam locomotive runs well.
I am going to pass on my tabletop layout to a friend on mine. He is getting the benchwork and track, but no trains. He is going to ask for a recommendation on a starter train set. Does anyone have any experience with the Bachmann N-Scale starter sets? I will also point him to the Kato F7A starter set.