Best sets for beginners

[Anonymous]

I'm a writer doing an article for TDMonthly.com, a toy industry magazine and would like to know what are some of the best train sets for beginners. If you could tell specifics about the sets and what makes them great for beginners, I'd appreciate it. Also, I would like to know what you think of the future of model railroading. Are today's kids interested in it, or would they rather just sit in front of the Playstation? Thanks!
Margaret

[ndbprr]

Talk about a can of worms! I would contact model Railroader for the demographic surveys on readers. They do some pretty thorough research. Now for the other part. Little kids watch Thomas the tank engine on tv and are fascinated so who knows. Really small children need larger trains because of motor skills and play value. I suspect that most of us pre baby boomers started with Lionel or American Flyer as kids and ran the wheels off them. Big rugged and nothing very scale about the hobby. Today I would recommend LGB as the only choice. Very well detailed and can take a direct hit from a nuclear weapon and probably keep running. Lots of play value and expensive. A starter set with a tank steam engine and a couple of freight or passenger cars and a loop of track will set someone back $2-300. Some of the bigger engines and more scale type US stuff can run four figures but the kids will be handing them down to their grandchildren some day. As kids become teenagers and want something more permanent my suggestion would be an Athearn set in HO. HO has the largest following, cheapest pricing, largest availablity of building, rolling stock and add on items. Athearn engines are extremely reliable engines somewhat looked down on by purists as there are better running more detailed HO items out there that can run more than $100 easily. I would suggest avoiding steam engines initially as they are alittle more finicky. A four wheel diesel is best for a starter and Athearn makes many from switch engines through road engines. A starter set can be had for under $100.00. American made and parts can be gotten at most hobby shops. If it becomes a passion the latest operating system is Digital command control or DCC that can cost from under $100 to 5or 600 dollars for a top of the line system. The biggest features are the ability to run the trains indepedently of each other on the same track and turn headlight, whistles and bells on and off. Each engine needs a decoder that runs from $15-20 for a basic one through about $125.00 for one with sound. Not something a child needs right away however. Any parent consdiering buying their child a trainset should first visit some hobby shops in their area for advice and firsthand knowledge. most have many books on the various aspects of building a railroad from carpentry, wiring, scenery, operation, just about anything you would want to know and usually very friendly help from staff and customers alike. Unfriendly go somewhere else. lets face it anybody who would rather have a fantasy world in his basement then be with people has to be a little dysfunctional so curmudgeons can abound in this hobby. Model railroading teaches people great skills. Just today I fixed an unavailable part on my 1967 Wheelhorse tractor that had it shut down. The skills I used were a direct result of tackling many projects over the years on my model railroad. Tomorrow I am cleaning a section of my gutters that is two stories high at one point with a device I made that allows me to reach 20' from an area tha is only one story high. You guessed it. Used some of the model railroad tools and skills to put it together. As I say to my wife, "at least I'm not wasting time in a bar".

[joseph2]

I think you are on the wrong forum,normally we discuss real railroads here.At the top of the page it says "forum index".Go there and then scroll down to the forum you want.The Model Railroader people can give you advice on small HO and N trainsets,Classic Trains might be Lionel and Garden Railways is indoor or outdoor train sets.Most of us are intp HO and use the Model Railroader general Forum.Perhaps Bachmann Spectrum is a good HO starter set in my opinion. Cordially,Joe G.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your replies. Sorry if I was in the wrong forum.
Margaret

[Wdlgln005]

Talk about a flamewar! first, you have to talk about scale/ gague. Then you have to talk about how much $ to spend for a given space. Large scales may not fit a 4x8 ft sheet of plywood. Space detrmines what track will fit the space to allow for reliable operation. Large radius curves take up the most space. A 4x8 ft ply sheet will not allow you to use larger than 44in diameter track. You don't want the track to hug the edge of the world & fall on the floor!

The era of a railroad is the second big choice. You could divide railroading into 20 year periods when certain models were new, or most common.
THen you get to choose between steam and diesel or electric, or what era did the model fit. You want the caboose to be the same roadname as the loco. In between, you need a set of cars that fit the era.

Now you can decide between Oversize , horribly Oversize, or Normal scale. Each has their advantages & limitations. Each operates on their own layoput & can't be mixed. You also get to choose between mfr's. Another flame war erupts to see who makes the best equipment for what price. Today, HO is the most popular, followed by N, then O. Some of the choice comes from the basement space available for a model railroad.
A condo may force Nscale into the average size bedroom.

THe hobby today is fueled by us Boomers that started with N or HO scale in the 70's when we were kids. Now we want our little engineers to have the same fun. Computers & improved electronics in the way of DCC and sound are new to the hobby. MS introduced a Train Simulator program. but they haven't produced Version2. THere are some paint programs that let you color equipment for a layout. I also suspect Ebay will become a huge recycler of material we've bought over the years. I'd hate to see all the detailed plastic & metal end up in the dump.