What brand to choose?

[Anonymous]

I'm 45, a professional and I'm looking for a stress relief. I know of some others who have found model railroading to be just that stress relief. However, my first stress is what brand to standardize on? There seems to be such a variety and some brands don't appear to be compatible with others. I remember buying a life-like train set for my children some years ago and it was very shabby quality. So should I go with Marklin? its very expensive, but it seems cool because you can run multiple trains on the same track - or what about Bachman? They seem more 'retail' oriented - but I don't know how they stack up on the quality. Athern - but they don't seem to have any steam engines.

Thanks - already stressed.

[nfmisso]

CW;

Except for Marklin, all HO sold in the USA is compatible.

What do you want to accomplish with your trains?

I have locomotives from: Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann's Spectrum series, Bowser, Broadway Limited, Kato, Life Like's Proto 2000 series, Mantua, MDC-Roundhouse, Stewart, and p[robably others.

Marklin is very limiting, because there is only Marklin, and a couple of other European brands that make Marklin compatible equipment.

I would suggest one of these sets to start:

in HO: one of Bachmann's Frontiersman or Explorer sets; see: http://www.trainworld.com/bachmann/bachmann_HO_train_sets.htm

Or maybe you should consider On30, the trains work well with Dept 56 and similar ceramic buildings: http://www.trainworld.com/bachmann/bachmann_0n30_sets.htm.

Model Railroading is a hobby with practically unlimited possibilities. Take a look at the Walthers' catalogue: http://www.walthers.com

[Anonymous]

Running multiple trains on a single track can most easily be accomplished with DCC (of which there are many brands, but Digitrax seems to get a lot of good reports). If you run two or more trains off a traditional power pack, they will all go the same way at the (approximate) same speed.

For the money that you invest in a kit, you can sometimes get higher quality stuff buying separately. In addition, you will get more flexibility out of buying parts as you need them or plan for them, rather than getting stuck with parts you don't really need from a set.

Start with planning and research, and as you go along, you will find something that is really interesting and which may create ideas for a layout for you.

I have found the model building aspect to provide great stress relief. Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Andrew

[Anonymous]

Mr. Stevenson,

It sounds like you're thinking the way we did as kids. That is, "I have Lionel, he has American Flyer, the kid down the block has Marx." and none of them were truely compatable. As Nigel posted above, virtually everything is compatable in HO. From Life Like their Proto 2000 and Proto 1000 are good quality. From Bachman the Spectrum line is outstanding. The "toy type" lines from both of these companies are pretty shabby.

I would suggest you decide what you want to model, i.e. what kind of railroad (today's big time main lines, 1950s rurual line, depression era steam powered railrod, etc) before you do too much shopping. See if there are other modelers in your area. Visit their layouts if you can. Find out what their experiences are with various brands of equipment, etc. I have locomotives from Atlas, Bachman Spectrum, Athearn, Proto 2000 and others on my layout. I use CVP's EZDCC brand of command control and have installed decoders (they go in the locomotives with DCC) from Lenz and Digitrax and use them together with no problems. We have the National Model Railroad Association standards to thank for all this compatability. Hence there is no need to restrict yourself to one brand.

Welcome to the hobby. Boo on stress...hoorayyyy for fun!

Cheers,

Ed

[Anonymous]

For starters try and take a peek at the walthers reference book(catalog) The HO edition has over 1,000 pages and
has thousands of accessories & many-many manufacturers.
www.walthers.com

www.nmra.org and click on beginners page.

www.greatesthobby.com

[Anonymous]

Here, Here...

I too started model railroading for stress relief as my doctor recommended I start a hobby. So don't stress over brand. As Nigel points out you can mix'em all if you want.

You first need to decide if you are starting this new "stress relief" hobby for your interest in railroad operations, i.e. picking up and dropping off passengers and/or freight and running the train on time schedules etc. or for the modeling experience that will eventually end up a railroad. I chose the latter and enjoy scratch building structures the most.

If it's operations you enjoy and you plan to buy a ready-to-run out of the box set, then I agree with Andrew, you can get higher quality by buying separately. But first you must decide how much space you have available for your hobby and whether the train will be left out all the time or put away after each use.

What scale to model is a matter of choice but for most, space is normally the deciding factor. With middle age eye sight (I'm 54), I opted for HO vice N or Z scale (for me Z scale standz for "get z magifying glazz out") and don't have the room for an adequate O scale layout. G scale meant outside and here in AZ stress relief, to me, is not standing in 115 degree heat baking in the hot sun. However, sitting at my workbench, modeling in an air conditioned room is fun and relaxing.

Here is what I have... I started by insulating and adding A/C to the garage. Built the 5' x 12' bench work around car door opening (from overhead it looks like a capital B or lopsided 8). Added sub-roadbed made of A-C grade plywood and am now adding the cork roadbed and track. I have some of the structures and electronics built and stored in the house awaiting installation onto the layout when I get to that point.

I have learned a lot about railroading and railroad history from doing research for scratch building structures and detailing locos and rolling stock. Although I haven't gotten to run any of my trains yet (guess I can't really say that, I have the return loops complete and ran a loco about 10 feet last week) it has been and will continue to be a very good stress outlet for me.

What ever you decide, don't let stress overcome the true pleasures of model railroading!!

[DSchmitt]

You don't need command control (DCC) to run multiple trains, its been done for years by dividing the railroad into blocks. You can even run MU (multiple unit) and helpers without command control. Command control can simplify wiring although you still need some blocks. MU, helpers, and switching where two or more locos are working in the same area is easier with command control.

[Bikerdad]

More important than "what brand" is "what scale." If modeling equipment is likely to be your focus, then HO or O is your best bet. If operating trains, then you'll likely want HO or N, mayhap even Z, since you can get "more railroad" in a given space as the scale gets smaller. If scenery, grand vistas and the like with trains running in it, then N or Z is the ticket. A somewhat related aspect is "is there a particular element of railroading that intersest you?" If you're attracted to steam engines and the Wild West, then N and especially Z aren't going to give you a lot of options, whereas the larger scales have lots of old stuff. If you're attracted to modern rail, then O is going to be tough, since the modern locos and rolling stock are LARGE compared to the 19th century stuff. If you love landscaping, then go for a garden railroad. And if you like whimsy, then stick with HO, which has the widest options.

If you have the opportunity, find a club and pow-wow a bit with them first. Doing so will give you some sense of what you like, and what you don't, and could potentially save you a lot of time, money, and most importantly, stress.

[preceng]

Welcome to the hobby. Stress relief is certainly one of the best qualities of the sport. I agree w/ Dave, don't stress the small stuff. You will find most of the available equipment is aceptable in quality, but it is mostly like anything, the higher the price the bette the quality. I have a ot of Bachman Spectrum loco's. They all run real nice. The spectrum series is their "higher end" stuff. In contrast though, some of my favorite loco's are the $20-$30 ones I have purchased just to build up my stock. The only modifications I made were better couplers.

Most of us become partially loyal to certain brands, myself included. But I find the relaxing part comes with trying different brands.

Enjoy the buzz

[CP5415]

For a starter set, I'd go with an Athearn set. Better then Bachman, Like-like (except Proto) & Model Power.

just my 2 cents

Gordon

[vw-bug]

Well it sounds like everyone has so many opinions, and so do I. Preceng is right..."Welcome to the Hobby"

First, start visting with other modelers. See their layouts and perhaps have them help you pick out some fo your first loco's and rolling stock. Friend's in this hobby are invaluable. I model with my Uncle on his basement layout and in a my local club with 15 other folks. If I have questions they can usually answer it.

Secondly what scale are you thinking about?
Some brands make good stuff in one scale and are kind of crumby in others.

Most brands now have two or more lines of products; Cheap and Expensive (examples...
Atherns: cheap=blue box, exp=Genesis
Bachmann: cheap=standard, exp=Spectrum
Life-like: cheap=white box, mid=Proto 1000, exp=Proto 2000)

the cheapies are good starting stuff. you can always replace them or detail them up. The expensive ones are very nice and are pretty well completely detailed right out of the box. I suggest not putting a lot of money forward. (yes I'm a cheapy) also I really enjoy putting the details on myself. It makes it that much more enjoyable when I see them rollin' down the line.

Lastly is about your comment about running several trains at once. There is a new push in Model Railroading, DCC. Digital Command Control. It is a way of running several loco's at different speeds and directions. Almost any Loco can be converted to DCC, so no real problems there, but it has a hard learning curve. There are several systems out on the market and prices that range all over the place. I suggest not trying to getting into this right away or without a lot of research as it gets pretty complicated understanding some of the wiring and electrical info that comes with it. Start with the standard DC power pack. They are inexpensive and easier to wire. When you get more informed and ready to move on, then start thinking DCC.

I hope that helps
Holry
Jason

[Hawks05]

just like the original poster i'm getting started. tomorrow i'm going to a few hobby shops hopefully and i'll maybe find a catalog and some books and magazines to get ideas and read up on this great hobby. i really want to get started on a layout by next weekend. seeing as i don't have to work much this week i'll have time after school to make plans. next weekend their is a train swap meet that i hope to go to. i'd like to go with my friend and his dad as they have been MR for a long time. the dad for probably 20 years and his son since he was born about 15 years ago. i hope to purchase my first loco and some freight cars next weekend or at least a loco and train.

as of right now i have know clue what railroad i'm going to model. i know i really want to purchase Athearn cars as they are in my price range for the most part and they look good enough to me since i'm a beginner and bound to make mistakes. i know i will model in the HO scale with Code 100 track. i'm thinking either CSX, CN, or UP. again today a train went through town while i was in Engli***aking a test. i sat and watched every car go past, all like 40-50 cars i believe, lost count since i saw the teacher looking at me. this train was a Union Pacific while the other one the other day was a CSX. i wanted to model Wisconsin Central but i read in Trains magazine that Canadian National bought out Wisconsin Central awhile ago.

so to you original poster i wish you look in finding what you need just like me.

[Wdlgln005]

Welcome to the hobby of model railroading!

I think if you limit your purchase to one brand, you will be dissapointed. Go to a hobby shop & as many train shows as you can find. Check out ALL the scales! HO & N are the biggest, with the most equioment available. Kato makes good locos, but you will need Atlas or Lifelike or Bachmann or MDC freight cars. Walthers has a good line of passenger equipment. We need them to produce the same cars in N scale! I'm forgetting some other good makers of rolling stock & structures. MRC makes the best DC controllers.

You're in luck if you decide to go with N scale steam. Bachmann and MDC make good 2-8-0 steamers. Other models will follow soon! Atlas has a mogul & a shay for delivery next year. Model Power is coming out with an improved Pacific & other steamers. Atlas has produced some great early diesels! You could easily do a transition era layout.

[Anonymous]

WOW, you guys are fantastic - Thanks for all your good sugestions. I really think I'm going to enjoy model railroading - again thanks to all of you.

Cheers
Chuck

[armchair]

our hobby offers so many products today it can become mind boggling tryin' to decide what to use. I like the atlas engines, I have some in ho I've had for years that still run great. Just starting out I'd go ahead and plan for dcc. Small space ,no problem ,the N scale products today are awesome. You can't compare the old Lifelike with the new proto series. Read the product reviews in MRR magazine,they are invaluable as is the magazine. You do get what you pay for in this hobby so watch the ads and grab the bargains when you can. Someone calls You a collector who cares YOU'RE having fun........Find what you like in the hobby & go for it.

[Anonymous]

CW,

Check out this post.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8258

[Anonymous]

CW,
As you have read, a lot of model railroaders have no particular brand preference. They buy the desired locomotive (GP 38 or SD 40-2) to fit their railroad. Same thing with cars. Others have a distinct brand preference. I really, really like my Atlas engines. They are not cheap. I feel that I get what I pay for with Atlas engines. I would suggest that you go to train shows and watch and listen to the various equipment running. Talk to the modelers there. Get them to tell you why they bought the product they did. You have a better feel for what you would enjoy using.
Just for interest's sake: I'm a 51 year-old professional. I don't own a large locomotive fleet, as some modelers do. I have 7 locomotives and am not likely to greatly expand my fleet. I'm pretty choosy about what I buy and operate. Glad to have you among us!