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Amateur Cook
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 Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:08 pm Post subject: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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Hello, newbie here,
My wife and I have a son and this year will be his 2nd xmas (he's 1
and a half right now).
I grew up roman catholic, and my wife jewish, but we no longer
practice. however, we love the traditions and the holidays despite any
religious affiliation. to each their own.
i grew up with my dad having a platform under a tree. a large piece of
wood with 4 feet at each corner so it raised up off the ground a
little. he would tack track down and he had an electric set but the
individual train sections (engine, caboose, etc.) were heavy in your
hand. they weren't HUGE and they weren't TINY. i'm not sure what scale
they were but i'd say the engine was about 8 inches long or
thereabouts.
anyway, he still has it but it doesnt work. and no longer has the
track either. he was going to give it to us to pass down to our son,
but i'm thinking of getting something new.
so....
i'm not sure what kind of set to get. i don't want a tiny one. i plan
to get the usual 6-7' xmas tree with a typical girth of about oh... 4'
i guess.
i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
company): http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
how big is that?
Or should I go for a "traditional" train set that's not holiday
themed?
decisions, decision...
Finally, is there a place recommended to buy train sets from? Is
lionel still respected?
Thanks a lot for any answers ya'll can provide. |
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Steve Caple
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:08:58 -0700 (PDT), Amateur Cook wrote:
| Quote: | i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
company): http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
how big is that?
Or should I go for a "traditional" train set that's not holiday
themed?
|
The overly cute decorations could get really tiresome after a while, unless
you really love that Village 58 (or whatever it's called) stuff. Less
objectionable, and a little cheaper as well, is Lionel's Polar Express
G-gauge set. More expensive (twice as much) would be one of the Bachmann G
Scale sets - the White Pass & Yukon looks best to me, not at all cutesy,
but it's still an early era steam engine and old-fashioned passenger cars,
and could be the centerpiece of a quite good under the tree layout.
--
Steve |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:40 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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Amateur Cook <morvak@gmail.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Hello, newbie here,
|
[ Snip ]
| Quote: | anyway, he still has it but it doesnt work. and no longer has the
track either. he was going to give it to us to pass down to our son,
but i'm thinking of getting something new.
i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
company): http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
how big is that?
|
G scale originally was 1:22.5 ratio, and runs on 45mm or 1.75" gauge
track, which is really gauge #1. That makes it a bit bigger than O
gauge/scale. These days G scale seems to be incorrectly applied to
anything bigger than O scale.
A guy I worked with gave me a Lionel set a couple of years ago to get rid
of it. My opinion is that it's pretty junky and not very realistic. I
think I've seen better sets at a lower price for sale at a grocery store
at Christmas time.
| Quote: | Or should I go for a "traditional" train set that's not holiday
themed?
|
The answer to that depends on what you want. If you just want a
family Christmas tradition, and won't see a train for another 50 weeks,
consider a Christmas train set. If you're looking for a way into year
round model railroading, then look at more traditional train sets. You
can run a traditional set under the tree, then let it take over your life
and run it at other times, too.
| Quote: | decisions, decision...
Finally, is there a place recommended to buy train sets from? Is
lionel still respected?
|
I think most here would recommend going to a local hobby shop. You may
pay a little more there, but you can get questions answered, and you can
get more stuff later. You may even get a better set for less. You could
also take your father's old train in and see if that can make it work and
find out what kind of track it uses. If you don't have a local shop you
can hunt the web for places that specialize more on trains and have a
wider selection.
--
Bill Kaiser
wkaiser@mtholyoke.edu
There are three ways to do a job: good, cheap, and quick.
You can have any two.
A good, cheap job won't be quick.
A good, quick job won't be cheap.
A cheap, quick job won't be good. |
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Spender
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:08:58 -0700 (PDT), Amateur Cook <morvak@gmail.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | i'm not sure what kind of set to get. i don't want a tiny one. i plan
to get the usual 6-7' xmas tree with a typical girth of about oh... 4'
i guess.
i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
company): http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
how big is that?
|
I don't particularly care for the over-the-top Christmas themed trains with
elves working calliopes and such.
I use my Lionel Polar Express set under the tree. It's not overtly
Christmas themed - it's a black Berkshire locomotive with a tender that
says Polar Express, and blue passenger cars. The set comes with figures of
characters from the movie, and there is an add-on set of other characters.
You can read the story or watch the DVD of the movie for context. Having a
story behind the train can make it more interesting for a kid.
http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200403641
I have the O gauge set. G gauge is huge - too gaudy for under a tree in my
opinion. The cheaper G scale sets also look very cheap. Lionel does make a
G scale Polar Express set which is very cheap (and battery operated):
http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200482838
Neither is designed to be a toy for kids your son's age. My son is turning
three in December and still likes to throw toys, so he needs close
supervision around the trains.
Wholesale trains has some of the best prices around (all year round). But
once you know what you want you can do a search of the model number and see
if someone's got a special going. |
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David Nebenzahl
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:57 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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On 10/15/2008 7:08 AM Amateur Cook spake thus:
| Quote: | Hello, newbie here,
My wife and I have a son and this year will be his 2nd xmas (he's 1
and a half right now).
I grew up roman catholic, and my wife jewish, but we no longer
practice. however, we love the traditions and the holidays despite any
religious affiliation. to each their own.
i grew up with my dad having a platform under a tree. a large piece of
wood with 4 feet at each corner so it raised up off the ground a
little. he would tack track down and he had an electric set but the
individual train sections (engine, caboose, etc.) were heavy in your
hand. they weren't HUGE and they weren't TINY. i'm not sure what scale
they were but i'd say the engine was about 8 inches long or
thereabouts.
anyway, he still has it but it doesnt work. and no longer has the
track either. he was going to give it to us to pass down to our son,
but i'm thinking of getting something new.
|
Sounds as if you need some basic information about model trains, not
necessarily aesthetic advice about what kind of trains to buy.
G scale is pretty big: my guess is that you'd be happy either with O
scale (Lionel, etc.) or HO (the most popular scale, with a ton of stuff
available, including inexpensive train sets). N scale is probably too
small for what you have in mind.
The best advice so far is to go to a LHS (local hobby store) *if* you're
lucky enough to have one near you. Lots of them have gone out of
business recently, and more are closing. But if you get a chance to see
what they have up close in person, I think you'll have a pretty good
idea of what you actually want. Plus the people there should be able to
help you choose.
--
Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.
- Paulo Freire |
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Len
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:17 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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"Amateur Cook" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cb1b227a-2732-4e61-b459-2d7271c3532e@a29g2000pra.googlegroups.com...
: Hello, newbie here,
:
: My wife and I have a son and this year will be his 2nd xmas (he's 1
: and a half right now).
:
<snip>
: i'm not sure what kind of set to get. i don't want a tiny one. i
plan
: to get the usual 6-7' xmas tree with a typical girth of about oh...
4'
: i guess.
:
: i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
: company):
http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
:
: it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
: how big is that?
:
: Or should I go for a "traditional" train set that's not holiday
: themed?
:
The set you reference is nominally 'G--gauge', a battery powered toy,
comes with plastic track that breaks easily if stepped on and can be
hard to find additional pieces for (although it will run on the metal
'G' track that's available), and most Service Centers will not touch
them with a 10ft pole as (at least the last time I checked) there are
no parts available for repairs if it breaks.
If he doesn't already have one, a Thomas or Brio wooden train set for
the young'en to get "hands on" with would be a good idea. The
possibility of young hands trying to push an electric loco along is
why I would recommend one of the Lionel starter sets with the 4-4-2
steam loco for a Christmas tree layout if you really want one.
Something like the 'North Pole Central' set if you want a Christmas
theme, or the 'Pennsy Flyer' for a year round set. They are spur gear
drive, so if the loco is pushed along the track with power off all
that happens is the motor free-wheels as the drivers rotate. With
locos like the Berkshire in the 'Polar Express' there is a worm gear
drive. So, at best, if it's pushed along the track the drivers slide
along the track without rotating and the traction tire gets messed
up. At worst, something breaks.
Len |
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NICHE541
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:41 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
On Oct 15, 12:40 pm, <wkai...@mtholyoke.edu> wrote:
| Quote: | Amateur Cook <mor...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello, newbie here,
[ Snip ]
anyway, he still has it but it doesnt work. and no longer has the
track either. he was going to give it to us to pass down to our son,
but i'm thinking of getting something new.
i'm thinking of getting this train set (not necessarily from this
company):http://www.hobbymasters.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4361
it's cute, it's holiday themed, moving parts, etc. It's G scale, so
how big is that?
G scale originally was 1:22.5 ratio, and runs on 45mm or 1.75" gauge
track, which is really gauge #1. That makes it a bit bigger than O
gauge/scale. These days G scale seems to be incorrectly applied to
anything bigger than O scale.
A guy I worked with gave me a Lionel set a couple of years ago to get rid
of it. My opinion is that it's pretty junky and not very realistic. I
think I've seen better sets at a lower price for sale at a grocery store
at Christmas time.
Or should I go for a "traditional" train set that's not holiday
themed?
The answer to that depends on what you want. If you just want a
family Christmas tradition, and won't see a train for another 50 weeks,
consider a Christmas train set. If you're looking for a way into year
round model railroading, then look at more traditional train sets. You
can run a traditional set under the tree, then let it take over your life
and run it at other times, too.
decisions, decision...
Finally, is there a place recommended to buy train sets from? Is
lionel still respected?
I think most here would recommend going to a local hobby shop. You may
pay a little more there, but you can get questions answered, and you can
get more stuff later. You may even get a better set for less. You could
also take your father's old train in and see if that can make it work and
find out what kind of track it uses. If you don't have a local shop you
can hunt the web for places that specialize more on trains and have a
wider selection.
--
Bill Kaiser
wkai...@mtholyoke.edu
There are three ways to do a job: good, cheap, and quick.
You can have any two.
A good, cheap job won't be quick.
A good, quick job won't be cheap.
A cheap, quick job won't be good.
|
I agree with Bill Kaiser. Just remember that small children cannot
operate any scale smaller than O27. Your child will be too young for
at least another year anyway. It is difficult to damage a Lionel or an
MTH under the tree and they are large enough that the child can get it
back on the track without frustration.
John |
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Mark Mathu
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:07 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
|
|
"Amateur Cook" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cb1b227a-2732-4e61-b459-2d7271c3532e@a29g2000pra.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | i grew up with my dad having a platform under a tree. a large piece of
wood with 4 feet at each corner so it raised up off the ground a
little. he would tack track down and he had an electric set but the
individual train sections (engine, caboose, etc.) were heavy in your
hand. they weren't HUGE and they weren't TINY. i'm not sure what scale
they were but i'd say the engine was about 8 inches long or
thereabouts.
|
For comparison, it sounds like your dad had HO guage trains.
The G guage which has been mentioned in this thread is about four times
longer, higher and wider than what you grew up with, or about sixty times
larger in overall size and weight. |
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Amateur Cook
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:24 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
Replying to this thread but wanted to thank everyone for your input
just the same.
On Oct 15, 5:57 pm, David Nebenzahl <nob...@but.us.chickens> wrote:
| Quote: | On 10/15/2008 7:08 AM Amateur Cook spake thus:
Hello, newbie here,
My wife and I have a son and this year will be his 2nd xmas (he's 1
and a half right now).
I grew up roman catholic, and my wife jewish, but we no longer
practice. however, we love the traditions and the holidays despite any
religious affiliation. to each their own.
i grew up with my dad having a platform under a tree. a large piece of
wood with 4 feet at each corner so it raised up off the ground a
little. he would tack track down and he had an electric set but the
individual train sections (engine, caboose, etc.) were heavy in your
hand. they weren't HUGE and they weren't TINY. i'm not sure what scale
they were but i'd say the engine was about 8 inches long or
thereabouts.
anyway, he still has it but it doesnt work. and no longer has the
track either. he was going to give it to us to pass down to our son,
but i'm thinking of getting something new.
Sounds as if you need some basic information about model trains, not
necessarily aesthetic advice about what kind of trains to buy.
G scale is pretty big: my guess is that you'd be happy either with O
scale (Lionel, etc.) or HO (the most popular scale, with a ton of stuff
available, including inexpensive train sets). N scale is probably too
small for what you have in mind.
The best advice so far is to go to a LHS (local hobby store) *if* you're
lucky enough to have one near you. Lots of them have gone out of
business recently, and more are closing. But if you get a chance to see
what they have up close in person, I think you'll have a pretty good
idea of what you actually want. Plus the people there should be able to
help you choose.
--
Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.
- Paulo Freire- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
|
Yeah, after talking with the wife last night, she didn't like the over-
the-top holiday train set and would prefer a classic set.
I do have a hobby shop near me, not sure if they sell train sets, but
i'll find out. Good idea. Never thought about that.
HO sounds like the way to go. Especially if that's the scale of my
father's set - and maybe I can get it repaired.
And finally, I just might have found a new hobby year round as well.
But one step at a time and that's deciding on the set and track at
least for xmas and will take it from there. |
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The Amateur
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
So I spoke to my father today and this is what I've learned about the
train set we had growing up.
He says the train cars are large. I don't think they are G though,
from what I hear around here and what I remember growing up. Though I
could be wrong. I just remember well made cars that were heavy in my
hand but not absurdly large.
They are Lionel.
I didn't ask when he bought them, but again, we had them in the
mid-70's.
The transformer is blown and can't be fixed. But I think this doesn't
matter, as when I buy a new set, or track, transformer comes with it,
correct? In other words, this isn't a train car related issue, right?
He says once the transformer is fixed just put the trains on the track
and the electric makes them run (I knew this).
I'll be picking them up next weekend when our family goes to visit the
folks. Hopefully I or hobby shop can determine scale and go from there. |
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Dan Merkel
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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"The Amateur" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0dead67e-27d8-4de2-aba2-2b7b9bdbf874@q35g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: |
I'll be picking them up next weekend when our family goes to visit the
folks. Hopefully I or hobby shop can determine scale and go from there.
|
Where is home? Maybe we can suggest a place or two where you can go look at
some sets at a hobby shop nearby.
dlm |
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Puckdropper
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:52 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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"Dan Merkel" <danmerkel@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:DUJJk.2723$Ei5.1296@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com:
| Quote: | "The Amateur" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0dead67e-27d8-4de2-aba2-2b7b9bdbf874@q35g2000hsg.googlegroups.com.
..
I'll be picking them up next weekend when our family goes to visit
the folks. Hopefully I or hobby shop can determine scale and go from
there.
Where is home? Maybe we can suggest a place or two where you can go
look at some sets at a hobby shop nearby.
dlm
|
Kalmbach has a site called Hobby Retailer where they list most of the
hobby shops. Unfortunately, there's no distinction made between product
lines so you have to guess or call if someone has trains and not RC cars.
(Hint: Usually the ones that mention something about railroads in the
name are railroad, while the ones that mention RC cars are RC cars.)
www.hobbyretailer.com
It's always best to call first and confirm the shop address. They're not
always right. (One shop owner got his business mail delivered at home,
and his family had to redirect me to the actual location of the shop.)
Puckdropper
--
If you're quiet, your teeth never touch your ankles.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm |
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Chuck Kimbrough
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 3:21 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
Puckdropper wrote:
| Quote: | "Dan Merkel" <danmerkel@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:DUJJk.2723$Ei5.1296@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com:
"The Amateur" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0dead67e-27d8-4de2-aba2-2b7b9bdbf874@q35g2000hsg.googlegroups.com.
..
I'll be picking them up next weekend when our family goes to visit
the folks. Hopefully I or hobby shop can determine scale and go from
there.
Where is home? Maybe we can suggest a place or two where you can go
look at some sets at a hobby shop nearby.
dlm
Kalmbach has a site called Hobby Retailer where they list most of the
hobby shops. Unfortunately, there's no distinction made between product
lines so you have to guess or call if someone has trains and not RC cars.
(Hint: Usually the ones that mention something about railroads in the
name are railroad, while the ones that mention RC cars are RC cars.)
www.hobbyretailer.com
It's always best to call first and confirm the shop address. They're not
always right. (One shop owner got his business mail delivered at home,
and his family had to redirect me to the actual location of the shop.)
Puckdropper
They only list hobby shops that pay to advertise in their mags. |
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Geezer
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:47 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
"The Amateur" <morvak@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0dead67e-27d8-4de2-aba2-2b7b9bdbf874@q35g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | So I spoke to my father today and this is what I've learned about the
train set we had growing up.
He says the train cars are large. I don't think they are G though,
from what I hear around here and what I remember growing up. Though I
could be wrong. I just remember well made cars that were heavy in my
hand but not absurdly large.
They are Lionel.
I didn't ask when he bought them, but again, we had them in the
mid-70's.
Lionel has made HO (1/87th of full size, on two rail track with rails 16.5 |
mm apart), O-27 (about 1/64th to 1/56th of full size, on 3-rail track with
the outer rails 1 1/4" apart), O (usually 1/48th of full size, and also on 1
1/4"gauge 3-rail track), and G (between 1/32th and 1/24th of full size, on 1
3/4" gauge 2 rail track). Your childhood train is probably O-27 (the 27
refers to the tighter 27" diameter of the curved track, which limits the
lengths of the train locos and cars that can operate on that track).
| Quote: |
The transformer is blown and can't be fixed. But I think this doesn't
matter, as when I buy a new set, or track, transformer comes with it,
correct? In other words, this isn't a train car related issue, right?
He says once the transformer is fixed just put the trains on the track
and the electric makes them run (I knew this).
Not necessarily. Lionel's lowest price sets in about that era came with |
direct current motors, just like the DC motors used in HO, scale 2-rail O
gauge, and G gauge trains. Classic Lionel from the original Lionel Corp. of
New York (i.e. trains made before 1970) all ran on about 16 volt max
alternating current, as did all of the better quality offerings of the
subsequent producers of Lionel trains.
| Quote: |
I'll be picking them up next weekend when our family goes to visit the
folks. Hopefully I or hobby shop can determine scale and go from there.
One feature of Lionel trains is their careful use of unique catalog numbers |
on their equipment. When you pick up your trains, you might post the number
on the side of your locomotive to this group, and some of the Lionel
collectors here may be able to tell you more about your train. Have fun!
Geezer |
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Puckdropper
Guest
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:59 am Post subject: Re: Christmas Train Set recommendation and questions |
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|
Chuck Kimbrough <chuck@a-err.com> wrote in
news:o7PJk.222$ok4.262@eagle.america.net:
| Quote: | Puckdropper wrote:
*snip*
www.hobbyretailer.com
*snip*
They only list hobby shops that pay to advertise in their mags.
|
I haven't seen ads from many of the listed shops. Maybe they list hobby
shops that get stuff from them too. As it stands, they're a pretty good
starting point for looking for hobby shops. The yellow pages are usually
the best, but if you don't have access to them you gotta start somewhere.
Puckdropper
--
If you're quiet, your teeth never touch your ankles.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm |
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