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This question ("What is a good 'Starter Set'?") is asked all the time and the answers always seem to go along these lines:
Get the set from Alphabet Soup company #1...
They make a great Starter Set, but the track is only good for a couple of seasons trips around the Christmas tree and is no good outside, you'll want to go with brass/aluminum/stainless steel/nickel silver/cobalt titanium/U-plutonium 238/unobtainium track from Alphabet Soup #2... it is great (as long as you get the newer ties with the UV protection in the plastic formula). Oh yeah, they don't make switches so you can get adapters from Alphabet Soup #3 to mate to switches from Alphabet Soup #4.
They make a great Starter Set, but the locomotive power block is a piece of junk, you'll want to replace it with one from Alphabet Soup #5... their's are made right and will last a long time.
They make a great Starter Set, but you'll want to replace the plastic wheels with metal ones from Alphabet Soup #6... they won't ruin the track.
They make a great Starter Set, but while you are replacing the wheels you may as well replace the trucks with the more prototypical ones from Alphabet Soup #7... this lowers the cars to a more prototypical height and allow them to go around much tighter curves. You will probably want to paint these new ones as the fluorescent hunter's safety orange they come as is not prototypical.
They make a great Starter Set, but the couplers are lousy, better replace those with the ones from Alphabet Soup #8... they'll couple with anything (but if you replace all your couplers with those, who cares what they will mate with?).
They make a great Starter Set, but the details break off too easily, you'll need to take an oxyacetylene torch to cut them off and replace them with something from Alphabet Soup #9... their stuff is so much more realistic.
They make a great Starter Set, but you'll have to replace the power supply with one from Alphabet Soup #10, because it will handle more than one train and you'll probably want to run two engines sometime, or add lights to a car or two.
They make a great Starter Set, but I'd take out the lousy sound system and install one from Alphabet Soup #11, It'll fit if you use a 5-pound hand maul to force it.
They make a great Starter Set, but the you'll want remote control, so buy the Alphabet Soup #12 R/C system, it is so much better than the one from Alphabet Soup #13 and is glitch free.
They make a great Starter Set, but the colors are garish and all wrong for the RR it represents, you'll want to repaint and weather them all after you get new decals from Alphabet Soup #14, he's a great guy to work with.
They make a great Starter Set, but if you want a smoke unit that actually smokes and won't burn out if you run out of fluid, replace it with the one from Alphabet Soup #15, just never run it indoors as it will set off all your poison gas detectors.
So now, some of you are saying, "Yeah, so what's yer problem?"
Well, I'll split the question into two related ones:
Does anyone make as "Starter Set" that does NOT come with: track, a locomotive power block, wheels, trucks, couplers, details, power supply, sound, remote control, is unpainted/unlettered, and has no smoke unit built-in?
Likewise, does anyone make a "kit" of: track, locomotive power block, metal wheels, prototypical trucks, workable couplers, correct details, a power supply that will handle more than just barely one engine, a sound system, paint, decals (and instructions on how to use them), and a good smoke unit?
I, personally, didn't start with a "Starter Set" because all I wanted was Live Steam of a particular form and then I needed track to run it on and a consist to add resistance the locomotive could work against. But if I were to want to enter the hobby just to "run trains" I think I would be quite put off the whole subject given the state of the "Starter Sets".
My point is that I am a "frugal" Yankee (or stingy, some would say) and I utterly HATE to spend my money on things that will end up in the dust bin.
I also realize that I will get some answers of;
"Just save all those things to use as fodder for a kit-bash!"
To which I reply:
"Why would you want to use something that was not good enough for a 'Starter Set'?"
I guess my question could be:
"Does anybody make a Starter Set that can be ADDED TO without first having to be REPLACED in a piece-meal fashion?"
Or, since I already know the answer to that is, "There are none." then is it possible that some manufacturer might someday recognize that there might be a market for such?
Get the set from Alphabet Soup company #1...
They make a great Starter Set, but the track is only good for a couple of seasons trips around the Christmas tree and is no good outside, you'll want to go with brass/aluminum/stainless steel/nickel silver/cobalt titanium/U-plutonium 238/unobtainium track from Alphabet Soup #2... it is great (as long as you get the newer ties with the UV protection in the plastic formula). Oh yeah, they don't make switches so you can get adapters from Alphabet Soup #3 to mate to switches from Alphabet Soup #4.
They make a great Starter Set, but the locomotive power block is a piece of junk, you'll want to replace it with one from Alphabet Soup #5... their's are made right and will last a long time.
They make a great Starter Set, but you'll want to replace the plastic wheels with metal ones from Alphabet Soup #6... they won't ruin the track.
They make a great Starter Set, but while you are replacing the wheels you may as well replace the trucks with the more prototypical ones from Alphabet Soup #7... this lowers the cars to a more prototypical height and allow them to go around much tighter curves. You will probably want to paint these new ones as the fluorescent hunter's safety orange they come as is not prototypical.
They make a great Starter Set, but the couplers are lousy, better replace those with the ones from Alphabet Soup #8... they'll couple with anything (but if you replace all your couplers with those, who cares what they will mate with?).
They make a great Starter Set, but the details break off too easily, you'll need to take an oxyacetylene torch to cut them off and replace them with something from Alphabet Soup #9... their stuff is so much more realistic.
They make a great Starter Set, but you'll have to replace the power supply with one from Alphabet Soup #10, because it will handle more than one train and you'll probably want to run two engines sometime, or add lights to a car or two.
They make a great Starter Set, but I'd take out the lousy sound system and install one from Alphabet Soup #11, It'll fit if you use a 5-pound hand maul to force it.
They make a great Starter Set, but the you'll want remote control, so buy the Alphabet Soup #12 R/C system, it is so much better than the one from Alphabet Soup #13 and is glitch free.
They make a great Starter Set, but the colors are garish and all wrong for the RR it represents, you'll want to repaint and weather them all after you get new decals from Alphabet Soup #14, he's a great guy to work with.
They make a great Starter Set, but if you want a smoke unit that actually smokes and won't burn out if you run out of fluid, replace it with the one from Alphabet Soup #15, just never run it indoors as it will set off all your poison gas detectors.
So now, some of you are saying, "Yeah, so what's yer problem?"
Well, I'll split the question into two related ones:
Does anyone make as "Starter Set" that does NOT come with: track, a locomotive power block, wheels, trucks, couplers, details, power supply, sound, remote control, is unpainted/unlettered, and has no smoke unit built-in?
Likewise, does anyone make a "kit" of: track, locomotive power block, metal wheels, prototypical trucks, workable couplers, correct details, a power supply that will handle more than just barely one engine, a sound system, paint, decals (and instructions on how to use them), and a good smoke unit?
I, personally, didn't start with a "Starter Set" because all I wanted was Live Steam of a particular form and then I needed track to run it on and a consist to add resistance the locomotive could work against. But if I were to want to enter the hobby just to "run trains" I think I would be quite put off the whole subject given the state of the "Starter Sets".
My point is that I am a "frugal" Yankee (or stingy, some would say) and I utterly HATE to spend my money on things that will end up in the dust bin.
I also realize that I will get some answers of;
"Just save all those things to use as fodder for a kit-bash!"
To which I reply:
"Why would you want to use something that was not good enough for a 'Starter Set'?"
I guess my question could be:
"Does anybody make a Starter Set that can be ADDED TO without first having to be REPLACED in a piece-meal fashion?"
Or, since I already know the answer to that is, "There are none." then is it possible that some manufacturer might someday recognize that there might be a market for such?