Old beginner

[Anonymous]

I'm almost sixty years young and I've got the "railroad fever". I have found a Bachmann 2-10-0 that represents one of our native local railroads (Atlantic Coast Line) and I'm wondering if Bachmann will serve my desires in railroading. What are the pros and cons on these machines and what things should I look out for? What kind of power supply? Are the couplers interchangeable with other makes? Mercy, I can think of a thousand questions. Even though I had a train set when I was very young but when looking at the big picture I am considering myself to be completely ignorant when it comes to railroading. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for honest opinions. By the way, I'm not a wealthy person, so budget is extremely important. Actually, cheap but functional would be more appropriate. Thanks.......

[fwdguy]

Greetings,

I also returned back to model railroading after a 20 year hiatus.

Thankfully I kept all my model railroad items from the past and been adding on also.

I just bought a Bachmann 4-8-4 on EBAY, there not bad for the price.

I also have Athearn, Roundhouse, AHM-Rivarossi.

I suggest buying a Walthers catalog on EBAY, it can be a few years old for a better price.

From there you can sit back and page through and see what all is to offer and prices.

I have found alot on EBAY, but look for a great deal and compare prices to the catalog.

Also train shows are good for lower prices. Hobby stores usually sell for list price.

On line stores are good to but then there may be high postage.

Reseach is the best advice, the internet seach engines like google are great.

Enjoy,

Mark

[Anonymous]

Best place to start it probably your local hobby shop, at least when you're in there you can look, see and touch what's there up close.

You don't necessarily have to buy.

It can be tough on the internet and out of catalogs because you can't see it in person, and it might not be exactly what you want.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sirgknight

Mercy, I can think of a thousand questions.

Well Cheap Glenn you might get back fifthteen thousand answers.

Cheap Chuck

[SP4449]

Hi, Old beginner.

Bachmann will definitely serve your desires. The Spectrum line is tops. I have the 2-10-0 Decapod which runs very well and is a good puller. The couplers are exchangeable with (my personal favorite) Kadee. A trip to their website will reveal the how-to's for getting the correct ones installed.

The motors are very effecient but don't scrimp on the power supply. A medium priced Model Rectifier Corp unit will do very well. The loco comes ready to have a DCC decoder installed in the tender if you want to go that route.

Good luck, and [#welcome] back.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Welcome back to the hobby Glenn. I think that the Bachman Spectrum line is pretty good. I just got a 2-8-0 and am happy with it. I also have a couple of 44 tonners and a 70 tonner. I got it at a train show for a resonable $79. I'd say that the best thing for you to do is research. Things have changed alot in the last 20 or so years. There is so much out there now. Of course prices are higher now to. Take your time and get the best you can. The saying that you get what you pay for is really true. Stay away from the discount houses train sets.

Have a wounderful time redescovering the hobby and remember you can always find folks ready to help you here.

Paul

the Duluth, Superior, & Southeastern

" The Superior Route "

[Anonymous]

Thanks for responding to my questions. I love the looks of the Spectrum series locomotives and have pretty much decided to purchase the 2-10-0 (new for $85). It seems to be a pretty reasonable price since the suggested retail is $170. I need a power pack recommendation: MRC 1300, 1370 and 1500 - which one should I shoot for? Can I over-power my train? Are each of these compatible with HO?

[egmurphy]

If money is going to be an issue, I'd continue to read and research before jumping in and buying something you'll regret later (either because you could have found it cheaper elsewhere, you could have found something that fit your needs for less, or what you bought didn't wind up being suitable for the layout you finally decided to build.)

You're kind of out in the country. If there isn't a good local hobby shop (LHS) nearby, it may be worthwhile to make a trip to a big city to check out some good shops. Check with your local library to see if they subscribe to Model Railroader, or whether they have any books or other info on model railroading. If you have any type of hobby shop (even one that doesn't have all that much stuff) nearby, talk to them to see if there is a club in the area (you can visit, you don't have to join), or whether there are any individual modelers in town that they could introduce you to.

Check this link to beginner info on the Model Railroader Magazine home page:
http://www.trains.com/story/story_list.asp?idMenuCategory=3&idMenuSubCategory=31&idMenuMinorCategory=3107

Here's a link to The World's Greatest Hobby home page, which should also have some introductory info:
http://www.greatesthobby.com/

Finally, check this thread for a recommendation on some introductory info being put out by Kalmbach:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26105

Good luck and welcome to the hobby and the forum,

Ed

[fwdguy]

Hello,

If you are interested in a MRC Power Pack, I would suggest MRC Tech II 2500. I have these and am very happy with them, they have a momentum feature.

There are 2 for sale on EBAY, like new condition.

Cheers,

Mark

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by sirgknight
I have found a Bachmann 2-10-0 that represents one of our native local railroads (Atlantic Coast Line) and I'm wondering if Bachmann will serve my desires in railroading.

This particular locomotive, yes. Bachmann in general no. Bachmann makes three grades of models. The Russian Decopod you have found is from their top line called Spectrum. That is what to look for, if it is Bachmann Spectrum it will be OK.

QUOTE: What kind of power supply?

If you are just looking for a basic power pack you cannot go wrong with MRC brand. But if you think you might really be going to get into this, especially with multiple trains, you might want to consider going with Digital Command Control ( DCC) right from the start.

QUOTE: Are the couplers interchangeable with other makes?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is that it depends. Just 5 years ago everything came with what we commonly call the horn hook couplers. It was sort of an industry standard. But then Kadee's patent expired and now almonst all new equipment comes Kadee compatible couplers. Only the cheapest equipment "toy" grade equipment still has the horn couplers these days. If you buy older stuff like a swap meets there will be a hook problem. Of course that locomotive should have the other type of hooks somewhere in the box.

QUOTE: By the way, I'm not a wealthy person, so budget is extremely important. Actually, cheap but functional would be more appropriate.

I think that Bachmann 2-10-0 would be a wonderful start. Just curious, what are they asking for it? $90 is a very common street price.

[cacole]

I'm not an old beginner, just old. I have three Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0s, three 2-10-0s, two Mountains, three 3-Truck Shays, and a partridge in a pear tree. No, wrong song. I have two Bachmann Spectrum G-scale locomotives, a 2-8-0 and a 2-6-0. I have converted all to SoundTraxx sound decoders for DCC operation. Even the G-scale locomotives are battery powered and have a wireless DCC system from CVP products, the makers of the EasyDCC system for HO and N scale layouts, and the SoundTraxx Sierra large-scale on-board sound system. I have been extremely satisfied with the quality of all of these Bachmann products and SoundTraxx decoders. In my opinion, the only thing better than a Bachmann Spectrum with SoundTraxx decoder is a Broadway Limited Imports with the QSI sound sytem.