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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm)



This page describes Large Scale train sets you buy in a box. Each starter set includes a loop of track and a power supply so you can it them up around the Christmas tree or whatever as soon as you open the box (although you generally need to buy larger track circles to use them effectively outside). You will almost certainly "outgrow" any of these sets as you get more into the hobby, but in the meantime, they give you something to experiment with and to let the kids or grandkids run when they come over. That said, each set on this page is chosen for its value and quality, and the fact that an investment in a reliable, attractive starter set will probably get you even more excited about the possibilities of a Large Scale or Garden Railroad

A Note about "Buyer's Guides" We post these descriptions to help you make informed decisions and to learn what is available, even if the suppliers we usually recommend have a short supply. If you need a particular product, but you don't see it on our pages, or the supplier's page says they are sold out, let us know, and we'll try to help you find one elsewhere. We apologize if this causes you any inconvenience or confusion.

For more detailed information about why model trains and related products seem to "come and go" and why I have stopped listing prices for products, please see our article "About Pricing and Availability."

Note about Suppliers: While we try to help you get the products you want by recommending suppliers with a good record of customer service, all transactions between you and the supplier you chose to provide your trains or other purchases are governed by the published policies on the supplier's web site. So please print off any order confirmation screens and save copies of invoices, etc., so you can contact the appropriate supplier should any problems occur. (They almost never do, but you want to be on the safe side.)

Update for September, 2020: Bachmann, whose "Big Hauler" train sets were many folks' introduction to the hobby has seriously cut back on the production of Large Scale trains. At the moment, only one starter set is widely available. That said, Bachmann seems to have picked up some of the machining from AristoCraft upon their demise. They are producing and expanding "Eggliners" and promising a road diesel soon. Just no new starter sets to speak of.

The good news is that at the moment (I use the word "moment" on purpose), starter sets from Piko and LGB are still available. After being manufactured in China for a year or so, LGB production has been moved to Hungary. The new owners have produced several items that were popular before the changes in ownership, so hobbyists are hopeful that they are committed to future products and production.

Piko is expanding their line, though slowly. They are very solid and robust.

You'll notice that we are only linking to Amazon for these trains. As it turned out, most of the other stores we linked to are now selling through Amazon anyway, so you can do a little "comparison shopping" right on the page.

On the other hand, if you click on a train and it only shows one supplier, don't assume you can wait until December to order and still get one.

We hope that's not TOO confusing. If you have a question about vendors, or availability, or the quality of any product listed on this page, please contact us.

How To Help Our Site for Free: If you find our tips, explanations, and recommendations helpful when picking out a product, Please Bookmark This Page and come back through it when you're ready to order. It costs you nothing, and we never see who placed the order, so you don't have to worry about us pestering you with followup e-mails or some such. But it helps us know what pages you find useful, and it helps our advertisers know who to support.

And that, in turn, helps us provide more useful resources. Thank you!


LGB Starter Sets

Lehmann, the company that made LGB, had serious financial troubles even before the recession started. They were bought out by Maerklin, who moved manufacturing from Germany to China, and then went bankrupt when the recession hit them. In the meantime, however, Maerklin was able to deliver several products. Another toy company then purchased Maerklin. They moved manufacturing back to Europe (Hungary). They also said they would rebuild the company starting with the smallest starter sets., etc. Since then, they have reintroduced several nice pieces and at least three nice starter sets.




LGB Work Train - In this set, LGB's Stainz locomotive pulls two action-packed cars. The ballast car has a door for emptying its load on demand, and the flatcar carries a fun piece of construction equipment. (This may or may not be the "Bobcat-like" piece show in the photo.)

Note: Years ago, a simplified version of this train was sold under the Lehmann brand name as a child's train. Either version is a lot of fun, but you would want an adult to set things up for the kiddies to play with.

Click this button to check stock on Amazon.




LGB Passenger Starter Set - In 2015, LGB's new owners reintroduced the most popular G scale passenger train ever made. This set combines a green, black, and red version of the famous Stainz with two "shorty" passenger cars that will run and look great around the tree or around the pond. The locomotive includes sound and a smoke generator as well.

At first I wasn't sure that they had made enough to meet demand. Actually I was right. They ran out early this year, but more came in, although the sets are slightly different. Again, if you had your heart set on one of these when LGB went out of business the first time, don't wait too long. Click this button to check stock on Amazon.




Lake George and Boulder Freight Set - This was another LGB favorite, originally introduced decades ago for US fans who loved LGB but wanted something that looked just a little more "American." So they invented a Narrow Gauge US railroad with the initials LGB - Lake George & Boulder. In the new "resurrected" version, this locomotive has the same gutsy little motor that drives the Stainz. Click this button to check stock on Amazon. Click this button to check stock on Amazon.



Lake George and Boulder Passenger Set - This is the passenger version of the Lake George and Boulder train shown above. Click this button to check stock on Amazon.

By the way Piko made a whole bunch of "Old West" buildings that would look great in the communities that the Lake George and Boulder serves. Jump to our Structures page and start scrolling down. If you're going to use them outside, though, I recommend painting them properly according to the instructions here.


Piko Starter Set

Piko has been making model railroading products for all popular scales for decades. (We recommend their building kits on our other pages). However, when LGB became unavailable around 2007, one group of former LGB importers began importing Piko trains to have something to sell. Piko's locomotives are sturdy and reliable. One 0-6-0T I own (like the first two below) ran in a cold-weather open house much better and longer than most of my other trains, due to better engineering. Most of Piko's freight cars are in 32:1 in scale, which makes them a little smaller than most other brands, but they're fine quality. The track that comes with Piko starter sets can be used outside. However, some of the add-on track pieces are a little bit different from LGB's, so if you get fancy with Piko track, pay attention to compatibility issues. If you're sticking with Piko track, setting up a very small railroad, or just want to use this track around the Christmas tree, that won't be a problem.

Since I listed these trains initially, Piko has listed several other starter sets, but they have come in in small quantities and not stayed in stock long. If you click on the Amazon button to see a below, check out Amazon's suggestions for folks looking at the train you pulled up; you may find a set you like better.


Piko SF Freight Starter Set - This locomotive is based on real 0-6-0 "docksider" locomotives that were built by Porter and Baldwin to serve industries and small switchyards where a big, heavy switcher wasn't required. The two-bay hopper car is also based on a real car, although the caboose may be a little short compared to its real counterpart. As a starter set, it's a pretty good way to get into the hobby. Click this button to check stock on Amazon
Piko PRR Freight Starter Set - This is the Pennsylvania Railroad version of the train above. PRR's 0-6-0 tank locomotives didn't look exactly like this one, but if you like the Keystone railroad, you'll appreciate the graphics and coloring. Again, it's a good way to get into the hobby. Click this button to check stock on Amazon
Piko Euro Passenger Starter Set - If you have a taste for European trains, this one may be the ticket. Yes, it looks a lot like the LGB passenger train above, although the pieces are each a little longer. When LGB became unavailable for over 18 months in many parts of the world, this one became very popular for a while. And, do you know what? It's still popular. Folks who got them liked them. Click this button to check stock on Amazon
Piko Euro Passenger Starter Set - This is the original version of the train shown above, in a traditional dark green color. In Europe, this is one of Piko's most popular sets, and many folks in this country have enjoyed them as well. Click this button to check stock on Amazon

Bachmann Trains

Bachmann's Large Scale trains are accurately detailed models of real narrow-gauge trains that used to run in North America. Most narrow-gauge trains in this country ran on tracks that had the rails 36" apart. Models of narrow-gauge trains tend to be charming and to look old-fashioned compared to models of standard-gauge trains. They also tend to be larger in scale, so the figurines and accessories that go with them are larger and less likely to get lost in the undergrowth. (If you want to know all there is to know about garden train scales, refer to the article Which Scale Should I Model on the Family Garden Train's Primer page.)

Bachmann Starter sets

Bachmann Starter Sets include a power pack, a speed controller, and an illustrated Bach Man instruction manual. Many include a "how-to" video as well. They also include an oval of track (14-20 pieces) useful for running indoors, but not solid enough for outside use. Frankly, you want bigger curves outside anyway, so this shouldn't be a problem.

At the moment, only one of Bachmann's starter sets is widely available. For more information or to purchase from one of our suppliers, please click on a "Check Stock" button.


Bachmann Industries North Woods Logger

Bachmann North Woods Hauler Logging Set - In honor of the narrow gauge logging trains that went places the big standard gauge trains couldn't, Bachmann has reintroduced a classic mogul (2-6-0) locomotive that they made years ago, but have updated for this offering, and added a log car and a "bobber" caboose that was typical of logging operations.

Bachmann has reengineered this locomotive several times so it's more reliable than ever. It has operating headlight, smoke, speed-synchronized sound, and a coal tender.

All that said, it is likely to be in very short supply this year, so if you like the appearance, don't wait too long.


Bachmann's Halloween-themed Eggliner locomotive.  Click for bigger photo.On a brighter note, Bachmann has reintroduced a favorite product from the now-discontinued AristoCraft train line - the Eggliner. As of writing (September, 2020), only two are available on Amazon, but several different paint jobs are being made and should be available from other sources.

The Halloween version is shown at the right.




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