What would be a good starting engine?

[Razorclaw]

What would be a good starting engine to buy? Price and Brand? I'm shooting for HO scale. The layout is gonna to be based on 40's 50's years and in the country.

Thanks, Stephen


Don't you just love sunny days instead of cold and rainy[8D]

[CP5415]

Proto series or Athearn RTR or Blue Box would be my choice if you were going for diesels.
You can find deals around almost anywhere for these.
Typically around $30 - $60 Canadian. $20 - $50 US

Sunny days = walking dog
Rainy days = working on railroad!

Gordon

[simon1966]

Steam or early diesel? DC or DCC equipped layout? Are you focused on a particular area or road name for your layout? Do you have a budget? Athearn Blue box locomotives would be a good quality yet lower cost entry into diesels. My first loco was an Atlas S2 early diesel switcher which I have since converted to DCC. Anyway, clue us in a little more on your specifics and I'm sure you will get a bunch of answers...

[fwdguy]

I suggest Athearn old blue box or Atlas.

Thats what I started with 25 years ago and they are still running strong.

Mark

[Blind Bruce]

If you have a local club or hobby shop, you could ask them what is best for you. They have the experience with this matter and will be more than willing to help.
You need to advise what will be the theme and the size you can have. Typically, passenger trains take more trackage than a logging road for example.
Have fun,
Bruce in the Peg

[Anonymous]

Perhaps a Broadway Limited locomotive already factory installed for Analog (DC) or Digital Command Control and sound?

My first real engine was a Athearn Blue Box FP45, I had trainsets before this engine. I consider this engine a "first" because it had flywheels, all wheel pickup and kaydee couplers to be able to pull my father's trains... (both front and back) All the things I learned that trainsets dont provide. I still have that engine today.

IF you are into logging and are looking at a MDC Shay kit or RTR, be very very careful how to handle these. These engines are very nice to own but it may be unsuited for "first engine"

[Anonymous]

For Diesel, I'd suggest a P2K GP9. An excellent performer and relatively cheap, too.

For Steam, I'd go with Bachmann Spectrum's 2-8-0. Voted MR product of the year in 1998.

[darkstar974]

I have a proto 2000 bl2 it was first non toy engine it is my favorite.

Dark

[csxengineer98]

athren...go with them..... reliable....easy to put together..and they dont cost THAT much...now if you want run out of the box... and and cost is an issue...and lower quilty isnt an issue... i would go with spectrum...they arnt too too bad... and they are prices a little cheeper then athren...
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Atlas, P2K, or Stewart F7's or F9's. I don't personally have those models, but I have a couple Atlas, and a couple P2K's. Both are very, very high quality models, with great detail.

Hope this helps,
Greg

[tstage]

Stephen,

Again, it really depends what you want: steam or diesel? DC or DCC?

As far as diesel, I'm going to plug my favorite: Proto 2000 Alco S1 switcher. From Trainworld.com, you can pick one of these beauties for only $29.99, regularly $110. (Some units are $39.99.) Here's the direct link:

http://www.trainworld1.com/lifelike/lifelike_proto.htm

A terrific early diesel (early 40's)! DCC-ready*, great detailing, and runs as smooth as glass! One of the best bargins out there!

Tom

*Even though it's DCC-ready, you have to isolate the motor from the frame before installing a decoder into it.

[Anonymous]

All good suggestions, here's a couple not yet mentioned. Walthers have a nice-looking FA in their Trainline range, though with P2k FA's as cheap as they are I'm not sure if it's worth bothering with - it is over here as it's around half the price of even the cheapest dealer's FA's!

Also worth looking out for are the old E R Models FP7s, there's not many models available of the "stretch" F units in HO and this is a good one, DCC ready, drive system up to Proto standards. They also do a Baldwin Sharknose though I'm not sure how long these survived in real life - did they make it through the '50s? Hope this is of some help!

[Virginian]

How serious are you? My very first engine was a large, and expensive, brass steam locomotive. I have never regretted that. Before I even got it painted, it taught me a whole, whole lot about getting track right. And it was one I wanted the most, so I knew as long as I stayed with it I would never sell it. Decades later it still looks and runs great.
Today you don't have to get brass to get some prototypes or good engines. But, I would still get one as big as you plan to go, be it steam or diesel. If track will handle big stuff, it will handle the little stuff, but the reverse is definitely not true.
As to specific engines, need to know a little bit more what your preferences are before I could comment. No brand, across the board, exhibits the same quality in all models. Example: Athearn diesels are reliable as all get out in my experience, and run right out of the box. Their steamers are quite good, but they need a little tweaking first. The BLI Class A is excellent in all regards, but I have heard some whining about some of their diesels. The P2K steamers are great, but some have reported some problems with SOME of their diesels, but others are great.

[TBat55]

My 2 cents: get an engine for DEBUGGING trackwork and electrical. For steam a simple switcher like 0-6-0 (18" radius OK, no trucks to derail, check for bumps, wobble, turnout points) or 4-axle diesel switcher like SW7. They are slow, but will find major problems like dead spots and are easy to move around. Faster engines or more complex will find other more subtle derail problems . If its DCC, get one with the decoder already installed & tested.

[BRAKIE]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Razorclaw

What would be a good starting engine to buy? Price and Brand? I'm shooting for HO scale. The layout is gonna to be based on 40's 50's years and in the country.

Thanks, Stephen


Don't you just love sunny days instead of cold and rainy[8D]

Stephen,As is my recommendation's for those starting in the hobby I steer them toward the Athearn Blue Box or RTR. instead of the high dollar locomotives..The reason being I have seen to many new modelers enter the hobby and quit in less then a year because,well,they simply did not like the hobby as much as they thought they would,they lost interest. or other reasons.
As suggest by others I also recommend buying from a on line hobby shop.Shop around for the BEST DEAL FOR A QUALITY LOCOMOTIVE as some Atlas locomotives can be had for around $60.00,P2Ks for around $30.00 and Athearn Blue Box around $25.00.Now before you order be sure to get the road name of YOUR CHOICE and not the road names the shop may be dumping at low prices because they got stuck with them..If you can't get the road name YOU want then shop else where.

[Ibflattop]

I would have to say an Athearn Blue box Loco to start out on. They can be picked up real cheap and they are hearty. In other words they can take a beating and still run..
Kevin

[Anonymous]

For the time period and use you are suggesting I would use the Atlas RS-1, it is a lightweight small roadswitcher that a lot of the granger roads such as the Rock Island and M&STL used on their operations.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest as was said before either atlas ,stewert ,kato,or P2k if going the diesel route,If it is steam power BLI ,Spectrum 0-8-0, or any of life lke Hertiage engines.All of QSI equipped engines can be run either dc or dcc so no matter how you go on power you can still have sound if this is a feature you may want.Life Likes new release GP9 I think is a very good option.they run and sound very good. there are as many options as there are opinions so what ever you buy good luck and hope you enjoy. Terry

[cwclark]

if you are modeling the 40's and 50's then you have a choice..steam or diesel..if it is steam then I can't help you..a 2-4-2?..if it's diesel, then the F-7 A and B or the E units were popular in that day, also the Alco PA's were popular also...for a starter locomotive, the blue box athearn units are good locomotives, not very expensive, easy to assemble, and last a good long time...Chuck

[Razorclaw]

I'm shooting for a late steam or early diesel or both. I'll switch between them as the layout's economy rises and falls. DC or DCC, I don't know as I'm not sure what the differences are. Yes, I have a budget-working at a grocery store does not provide a large salary. A particular road name doesn't matter to me, I can always paint over it or add something to the name. This layout will be set in an old-fashioned country place.

[Anonymous]

Spectrum steamers are great. the detail is good and they run about as smooth as anything. They dont pull much though. If you want to get into steam might look at IHC for a first engine.

[Anonymous]

Toro guarenteed to start on the first pull :)

[METRO]

I'd suggest a Life Like Proto 1000 RS2. They sell for about a hundred dollars and are based upon a prototype that was built from 1946-1950 by the American Locomotive Co. I just bought a pair to use as passenger switchers on my line and they run great, have nearly perfect lettering and are generally of high quality.

Another one you may look at is the Atlas RS1. Again an American Locomotive Co. engine, the RS-1 was built from 1941-1960 in the United States and Canada and was slightly more popular that the RS2. The Atlas model has some very nice features and is more detailed than the Life Like RS2 but is about ten bucks more.

Both of these engines would work well on a begining layout, especially a smaller one. If you follow their mantainence instructions you should have years and years of operation out of them without any major problems.

As with many many modelers my first engine was an Athearn F7 that my dad got me, but those are getting a little hard to find and there are better out there nowdays.

Stay clear of the uber-cheap models like the Life Like ones that are not in the Proto line, the Bachman Silver Series, Model Power, and pretty much any diesel made by International Hobby Corp. as these are very toy-like and not easily rebuilt into quality engines. For just a few dollars more you can pick up a Walthers Trainline or Life Like Proto 1000 (or if you can find them an Athearn Blue Box, but those also come in kit form while the others are ready to just pull out of the box and run.)

You'll know deicent quailty when you see it (or see the price tag) when it comes to HO scale. Look for a nice locomotive that feels rather heavy (as it will have better traction) all wheel pick up, crisp clean lettering, a matte (not glossy) paint job, flywheel equipped motor and probably a starting price tag of about $50 if not on sale (The Walthers engines may be less but are still worth it) Stay away from things like traction tires (little rubber tires on the wheels) as these are generally a sign of a toy-like engine.

Welcome to the hobby buddy, hope you enjoy it!

~METRO

[j1love]

I am going to buck the trend here. For your first engine, GET YOUR FAVORITE MODEL RTR. I have waited for years to build my favorite PRR T-1 4-4-4-4 from a Bowser kit and never got around to it. (My modeling skills are how shall we say, challenged). I did not want to mess it up....(I have no problem trying something new, but that puppy is special to me and it is expensive to boot!) Then I got lucky and BLI came out with a beautiful version of it. Now I can build my Bowser with ease (even if I mess it up I have a FINISHED model RTR). Just my 2 cents.

[Anonymous]

For value and performance in steam it is hard to beat the Spectrum Consolidations. They look good and run very well, fit into your country setting and would still be active in your time period. You can grow with them, as they offer possiblities for upgrading and modification.

[Don Gibson]

40's - -50's
The MOST prevelent and popular were EMD GP' s. And F units.

I wouldn't recommend ATHEAR's 50 year old shell and bad dimension's on both when better products cab be had.

I model that period and MY favorites are the STEWART FT's and P2000 GP9's.

[Anonymous]

When I was a kid, I allways wanted a fleet of GG1s. But when I got a Athearn's F7, I fell in love with it. I have a fleet of them today. Some are 25 years old and running well.