Hello, I had trains sets as a kid, but I'd like to delve into this hobby again. I see some nice NEW sets with Bluetooth in the $250-$350 range and I see some 1950's-1960's American Flyer/Lionel sets around $125-$200 (in my area). Are old trains better? Are the new trains cheaply made? Bluetooth is nice, the new track seems better... IDK....what do you experts say? If you were new, just starting out like me...would you go vintage or new? I want the set to be reliable, look great, and be of value in the years to come. Please give me your thoughts and thanks!!
Old set vs New set?
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Most anyone who can turn a screwdriver can fix the trains made before 1990. New trains are like new cars. They run smoother, have better sound and have more features but not everyone has the expertise to keep them running if there is a problem. I think the newer steam engines in your 250-350 price range are fairly reliable but many of diesels have issues with their drivelines. The gear trains leave a lot to be desired. I would avoid those unless someone else here can verify those issues have been addressed.
Pete
Pete
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Pony,
I will step into the minefield you have laid.
While there are advantages to good, repeat good, vintage train sets they will always take some maintenance and fiddling with. Now a good new set should be somewhat maintenance free at least for a little while. Now folks will tell us about all the issues they had a with new set too. I am no expert. I started in with a Marx set in the 1950's, went to HO in my teens, and came back to the Marx, Lionel world about 15 years ago. I started with just Marx buying on Ebay and spending time cleaning, lubing, and fussing with rolling stock. I had a blast. Eventually though I just wanted a reliable unit and could see advantages to the electronics in the Lionel Chief Plus system. So I have new that can still run old style equipment. I imagine you are in HO scale but nothing says you have to remain in one camp at the expense of the other in HO either. I will offer an opinion that you select a train set that pleases you and not worry about the value in 5 or 10 or + years. Jim K
I will step into the minefield you have laid.
While there are advantages to good, repeat good, vintage train sets they will always take some maintenance and fiddling with. Now a good new set should be somewhat maintenance free at least for a little while. Now folks will tell us about all the issues they had a with new set too. I am no expert. I started in with a Marx set in the 1950's, went to HO in my teens, and came back to the Marx, Lionel world about 15 years ago. I started with just Marx buying on Ebay and spending time cleaning, lubing, and fussing with rolling stock. I had a blast. Eventually though I just wanted a reliable unit and could see advantages to the electronics in the Lionel Chief Plus system. So I have new that can still run old style equipment. I imagine you are in HO scale but nothing says you have to remain in one camp at the expense of the other in HO either. I will offer an opinion that you select a train set that pleases you and not worry about the value in 5 or 10 or + years. Jim K
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Good point. Which brings up the OP's "usage".
If we're talking holiday setup on carpet, I'd go with fast track. The extra width of the included "roadbed" will help stabilize the track in pile (been there with tubular, not good). And it looks good depending on your point of view. It's propensity to be loud on layout platforms will not be an issue on carpet.
If we're talking a platform layout, then most all track types are in play ...
Thanks, that is very helpful. I bought a set from the 50's, and the gentleman who sold it to me was very informative as well. I am handy, though I've never worked on model trains....I think it will be easy for me. I'm looking forward to this experience!
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I am a realism guy. I simply can not justify spending money on the old stuff that's looks unrealistic on tracks.
I see all kinds of MARX stuff on ebay in the road names I collect and I wish they would just have a separate subsection for that stuff because it fills up the categories I am looking at.
It appears realism is not important to you. I believe as others do that the old stuff can be fixed, and there is support for the old locomotives and rolling stock.
I would vote for newer. I run conventional so I use an MTH Z4000 transformer and have 2 tracks plus accessories. Obviously older stuff is conventional.
If you were considering older stuff to avoid the modern electronics, then I would not consider that as a factor in purchasing.
The oldest stuff I have is some single can motor Lionels from I believe late 1990's and they are junk, for me. Of course I could do a deep dive into why they don't work well, but to me I want dual motors and performance after the visual is satisfied.
Modern era locomotives, even some with sketchy electronics like MTH PS 1, look so much more authentic then 1950's to 1960's. In my opinion.
I would consider - if this is a long term obsession like my hobby in which I spend about $2000 a month on locomotives and rolling stock, and for which I am tapping down on my purchases after stockpiling about $20,000 worth of equipment, or if you just want to play and run 2-3 trains.
If I were to decide tomorrow that I wanted the old stuff, then I am stuck in a multi month ebay sell down and won't derive all of my value back.
That's probably more analysis than what you were looking for, but I thought I would comment for you and others.
I see all kinds of MARX stuff on ebay in the road names I collect and I wish they would just have a separate subsection for that stuff because it fills up the categories I am looking at.
It appears realism is not important to you. I believe as others do that the old stuff can be fixed, and there is support for the old locomotives and rolling stock.
I would vote for newer. I run conventional so I use an MTH Z4000 transformer and have 2 tracks plus accessories. Obviously older stuff is conventional.
If you were considering older stuff to avoid the modern electronics, then I would not consider that as a factor in purchasing.
The oldest stuff I have is some single can motor Lionels from I believe late 1990's and they are junk, for me. Of course I could do a deep dive into why they don't work well, but to me I want dual motors and performance after the visual is satisfied.
Modern era locomotives, even some with sketchy electronics like MTH PS 1, look so much more authentic then 1950's to 1960's. In my opinion.
I would consider - if this is a long term obsession like my hobby in which I spend about $2000 a month on locomotives and rolling stock, and for which I am tapping down on my purchases after stockpiling about $20,000 worth of equipment, or if you just want to play and run 2-3 trains.
If I were to decide tomorrow that I wanted the old stuff, then I am stuck in a multi month ebay sell down and won't derive all of my value back.
That's probably more analysis than what you were looking for, but I thought I would comment for you and others.
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I consider K-Line a good compromise between fairly simple and durable and scale size details. The electronics are proven and if they do fail can be replaced pretty reasonably. Most use Lionel electronics which can still be had from Lionel or replaced by Electric Railroad electronics. Prices today are comparable to Lionchief but exceed most Lionchief in detail.
Pete
Pete
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Buy the "newer" stuff, and you have a much better chance at getting something that runs "right out of the box"....
My opinion is, I restarted my train hobby interest to capture sentiment from a bygone era. To recapture that first Christmas experience. Maybe at some point in time I may want to upgrade to more modern equipment, but I feel my original intent was to recapture that 1953 Christmas. I can't do that with a brand new train set from the hobby shop or Menard's. Those are fine but not my original intent.
You have to decide what is your motive, and stimulation for being attracted to the hobby in the first place.
Dan
You have to decide what is your motive, and stimulation for being attracted to the hobby in the first place.
Dan
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917 Posts
Totally agree with this. I'm personally into modern stuff but if I was trying to harken back to the 1950's or somesuch, I would look for an authentic old set (or perhaps the Lionel Postwar Celebration series).
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Yep, to each his own.
Some gents here have layouts/scene's where it's hard to tell in a video if they're real or a model. They look fantastic and I love seeing them, but that part of the hobby is not for me.
My childhood experience was postwar 60's, but I have gravitated to prewar tinplate as my sole focus. Something about having 100+ year-old "toys" running like new is what's driving me.
That's interesting.... I am not looking for extreme realism...it's more nostalgic and fun to create a village and see my grandson's face when it's running. I want it to be reliable and safe and reasonably priced. Bluetooth would be nice, but I am not sure how reliable these new trains really are...
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I have a Lionel locomotive from the 50.s. I ran that train into blocks, a wall, and onto the cement floor.
My Dad took them away after warning me a few times. I didn't see my trains for 20 years or so.
That locomotive has a few battle scars but still runs great.
I also think part of the fun is buying an old post war or Prewar train that does not run and fix it to run.
I run mine by hand on the throttles, the other flipping switches.
You ask me that is the fun part.
An old video I shot, I don't know why it shrunk in size?
My Dad took them away after warning me a few times. I didn't see my trains for 20 years or so.
That locomotive has a few battle scars but still runs great.
I also think part of the fun is buying an old post war or Prewar train that does not run and fix it to run.
I run mine by hand on the throttles, the other flipping switches.
You ask me that is the fun part.
An old video I shot, I don't know why it shrunk in size?
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5,838 Posts
Not so crumby. I enjoyed watching.
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