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.
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Bachmann TrainsBachmann'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 setsBachmann 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. |
Note: Family Garden TrainsTM, Garden Train StoreTM, Big Christmas TrainsTM, BIG Indoor TrainsTM, and BIG Train StoreTM are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications (www.btcomm.com). All information, data, text, and illustrations on this web site are Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 by Paul D. Race. Reuse or republication without prior written permission is specifically forbidden.
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