Beginner Help - Choosing starting set

[Kaine]

Hi, hopefully i've chosen the correct forum section to post in.

 

I'm considering getting into model railway, i'd be grateful if people could suggest a possible starter set, or combination of starter bits i should look at, to help narrow things down i've decided on the following.

 

• I want to go the DCC route
• I think i want to go OO (given DCC is most prevalent here and the scale suits), N scale actually looks good but i hear dcc isnt as easy ? (certainly not for my first set anyway)
• I'd like the era to be Steam, not sure early or late
• I'm into modelling so would like to add a lot of theme and model elements to my layout
• The layout will eventually go into the garage on a board, but i'm guessing initially i should "get the feel" for the hobby with a set, to help me flesh out exactly what i want to do
• I'd like the theme to be small branch line / industry , i.e. a train with 3 smaller coaches, perhaps a village line and some form of industry with themed wagons
• I'm not sure which manufacturer to go with or if it matters much ? (Hornby i guess ?)
• I'm based in Yorkshire, so i assume a trip down to rails of Sheffield is probably in order.

 

I think ideally i'd like to buy a good DCC starter set and expand from there, any suggestions / tips appreciated,

 

I'm aware theres probably about a thousand different answers to my questions

 

[Dave777]

You'll probably get lots of answers, so I'll kick off with a few general comments.

 

DCC is possible with N gauge, and the concept is just as easy if it's a DCC-ready loco (just take body off and drop in a chip), but there are more DCC fitted and DCC ready locos in OO, plus it's an easier scale to start off with (more choice, easier to model in), so I'd recommend OO over N.

 

Manufacturer - Hornby and Bachmann are the main ones (and the only ones for train sets), and there's also Heljan, ViTrains, but it's all compatible with each other so it doesn't really matter who you go with.

 

Train sets are a good entry to the hobby, and Hornby do a range of steam DCC sets (http://www.Hornby.co...train-sets-138/). Bachmann do some DCC sets (http://www.Bachmann....anchline&prod=1) although the only steam set is the Starter Set - this has two locos, but neither are prototypical (ie, true to life, they are made up, like instead of having a model of a Ford Mondeo it's just a generic 'car'). This may or may not be a problem for you.

 

Sets in general: cheaper way of getting all the bits than buying them individually, you're restricted to the sets on offer though (you can't pick and choose which bits you want to make up the set with), and some of the track sections you may not eventually need (for example, if you decide to go for an end to end layout the curves in the trainset will be redundant). Obviously the other way is to purchase the bits individually - controller, track, loco, rolling stock - but it will probably work out a little more expensive. On the other hand, you don't end up with bits you might not need. If going this route and a beginner, I would recommend doing this via a good model shop who can explain things and give lots of advice. Although I've never been there, Rails would almost certainly fit the bill in this regard.

 

All your other points present no problem. Steam - fine, lots on offer for those periods. Theme and model elements - yup, sounds like you've got the right sort of ideas. Small branch line - good idea, don't attempt something big to begin with, a smaller layout will allow you to sample the various parts of the hobby (making buildings, modelling the scenery, operation, and so on) and see which bits you enjoy and which you don't.

[peterl]

Probably more than a thousand but. Any DCC starter set from Hornby or Bachmann will no doubt meet your needs and can still be used as you progress. A tip, don't go for a single board of 8ft by 4ft!!! think portable with each board max size 4ft by 2ft or the metric equivalent

 

Peter

[HLT 0109]

Kaine,

 

A couple of years ago I started with thoughts very much like yours and I bought a train set from Trains on Time in Paisley who had done the DCC conversion to the steam train. I have just checked their website and they do not appear to do train sets any more! However, I have also Googled "00 gauge DCC train Sets" and was presented with a large selection (including for example the East Coast Pullman). Amazon appears to have some worth a look. It might be a good place to start.

 

Harold.