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Buying First Train Set - Part2 |
A buyer’s guide for selecting the right train set
Part one of our buyer’s guide suggested what to look for in a train set and provided age and scale recommendations as well as a glossary of model railroad terms. In this part, we’ll cover the components typically included in an electric model train set so you’ll know what to look for when you go shopping.
Speaking of shopping... part three of this buyer’s guide covers the common train set manufacturers and advice for train set shopping.
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Locomotive
The locomotive is the heart of any train set. The key features to look for in a model locomotive are:
- Diesel locomotives should have all-wheel electrical pickup and at least eight-wheel drive.
- Steam locomotives should pick up electricity from the drivers and the tender wheels.
- Flywheels are good to have as part of the drive mechanism on a diesel locomotive. Flywheels help the locomotive operate more smoothly and negotiate dirty track better.
- Avoid traction tires. These little rings of rubber around some locomotive drivers and wheels are intended to overcome poor adhesion. However, the cure is almost always worse than the disease. Traction tires contribute to an irritating wobbling and also can’t pick up electricity.
- While they may be appealing, inexpensive steam locomotives generally won’t run as well as inexpensive diesels.
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Diesel locomotive underside
| | A good-quality model diesel locomotive will pick up electrical power from all eight or 12 wheels and will be geared on all wheelsets, or “trucks,” for the best pulling power. Avoid traction tires as these contribute little to performance.
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Steam locomotive underside
| | If you’re purchasing a train set with a steam locomotive, make sure the locomotive picks up power from as many wheels and drivers as possible. Preferably, the tender should assist in power pickup, as this locomotive’s does.
Cars
Most likely the cars in your train set won’t be the highly detailed kind you see on layouts in Model Railroader. These would make the train set’s price tag considerably higher. But you certainly can add these kinds of cars later. Easy-to-build kits and ready-to-run cars from Accurail, Athearn, Atlas, Life-Like, Micro-Trains, Model Die Casting, Walthers, and other manufacturers can be found at a well-stocked hobby shop.
You might consider swapping out the stock “horn-hook” couplers for more realistic and better-operating knuckle couplers. The hobby shop can show you some inexpensive replacements and how to easily install them.
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HO scale freight car undersides
| | Most HO train set cars come with truck-mounted “horn-hook” couplers, like the one on the top car. The bottom car has body-mounted knuckle couplers, which are more realistic and reliable.
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N scale freight car couplers
| | Most N scale train set cars come with truck-mounted “Rapido-style” couplers (as shown on the top car). Replacement truck sets are available that have more realistic and reliable knuckle couplers (bottom car).
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Track
Many train set manufacturers today include track pieces for HO or N scale sets (the two most popular model railroading scales) with built-in, cast-plastic roadbed; they are easy to assemble. Using track with plastic roadbed helps keep the track sections together and takes the place of having to lay cork under the track. Well-known brands are Atlas True-Track, Bachmann E-Z Track, Kato Unitrack, and Life-Like Power-Loc.
Track won’t stay clean forever, so to keep trains operating smoothly, see our Back to Basics track cleaning tips.
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Look for a train set that has a built-in, cast-plastic roadbed system with nickel-silver rail for ease of assembly and reliability. Pictured from left to right are: Life-Like HO Power-Loc track; Bachmann HO E-Z Track; Bachmann N scale E-Z Track; Kato N scale Unitrack; Kato HO Unitrack; and Atlas HO True-Track.
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| TIP: Put the track on a sheet of plywood, a tabletop, or other hard surface. Carpet fuzz and floor dirt can hamper smooth operation. |
Power Pack
The power pack (also called the “transformer” or “throttle”) takes 110-volt alternating current from your household wall socket and converts it to 12-15 volt direct current for the train set’s track and up to 18 volts alternating current for the accessories. These lower voltages are not dangerous, but it’s safest to attach wires to the terminals when the power pack is unplugged from the wall.
Most train set power packs don’t have the capacity to run much more than one locomotive and one or two accessories. If you want to have lots of accessories, get a larger power pack, one that can deliver 18VA (volt-amps) of current or more. Then use the train set power pack to run the accessories.
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Make sure the power pack that comes with your train set is UL listed, and follow the instructions that come with it when connecting the track feeder wires to the terminals.
Also see part 1 and part 3, where we introduce you to key model railroading terms, provide a list of common model train set manufacturers, and provide suggestions for model train set shopping.
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The above articles is the property of and is
the copyright of Kalmbach
Publishing Co. |
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