So my girlfriend wants a train around our tree this year so I decided to purchase a decent set instead of a $60 set. I am also thinking about using the train for other holidays, maybe some Halloween cars for Halloween etc. So I have a few questions.
1. Brand - Lionel? They make a few Christmas sets between $200 and $300 and a polar express set for like $430. Any of those would be fine, but wondering your opinion. I've seen some negative reviews on a few of the Lionel sets, the coupling doesn't work at ALL.
2. What about a larger scale, there are some G scale sets from Bachmann trains or something similar?
3. Im guessing building from scratch is going to be much more expensive, is that true?
Brand - For me there is no other brand, Lionel is the best! I do buy some MTH and Williams by Bachmann rolling stock, but their service and support is no comparison with Lionel.
All entry level train sets can have problems, regardless of who makes them. It's a simple trade off, price/quality. When you adjust for inflation Lionel is much cheaper today than they were in the Post-War era and even into the early days of the MPC era. For example a $100 locomotive in an era of $1.25 per hour federal minimum wage. A person would have to work 80 hours. Today we can buy some Lionel locomotives for $200 or even less with discounts. With a federal minimum wage of $7.25 a person only has to work a little over 25.5 hours. All manufacturers have problems. Usually the lower the price, the more problems.
It's true Lionel has had some problems with the couplers used in RTR (Ready to Run, entry level) train sets, but it is greatly exaggerated! I have bought dozens of Lionel RTR sets for myself and as gifts. I have had only 3 cars out of hundreds that came with those sets with coupling problems. Simply contact Lionel or an authorized dealer and they will replace the coupler for free! In a matter of days.
See for yourself the testimony of people with getting support from other manufacturers. Good luck getting any results in weeks! Lionel service and support is unmatched and in this era of price/quality, serivice and support is the most important factor when deciding what brand to buy.
A side note just incase you need it. A piece of transparent tape like you use to wrap presents, will be enough, in most cases, for a quick fix if a coupler fails. It will get you through until you can get it taken care of properly.
Scale - In large scale (O&G) O has the biggest variety, selection and availability. If you are looking to have a versatile railroad, Halloween, Christmas and much more O is your clear choice.
Something else to be aware of in scale is; scale within scale. Traditional (O27, RailKing, Semi-Scale and others) and True Scale. Traditional scale was made to run smaller radius track and was the mainstay of Lionel for decades and is still the biggest seller. True scale (Lionel calls it "Scale O" it use to be Standard O) is more recent and usually requires larger radius track. They can and do work/play well together, provide you have the proper radius track. The traditional scale is a bit smaller and is sometimes noticeably smaller. That depends on individual pieces. With boxcars being the most noticeable and flatcars the least.
This is why you will often hear O being referred to as O Gauge, to include all variations.
Sets or Individual pieces. - Here is where your budget comes in. RTR sets are far cheaper, but if your budget supports it individual pieces are great! Personally I started with sets and still buy sets. Buying sets is the cheapest way to build a railroad. On the other hand, I love my high-end Vision Line and Legacy pieces.
Bottom Line - It all comes down to where you are going with your trains. That can be hard to say. I never dreamed that the Lionel RTR Traditional O Polar Express set my daughter gave me would lead me so deep into this great hobby. I thought I would just use the set to run under the Christmas Tree. For me it turned into a passionate, year round love this hobby.
If you are only looking for a simple inexpensive and reliable train to run under your Christmas tree the Lionel G scale Ready To Play Polar Express set is great.
If you think you might be interested in something more or just want something better, a little more realistic with more features and add-ons. I would recommend the traditional O Lionel Polar Express LionChief Train Set with Bluetooth. Amazon has it right now for the fantastic price of $269.99
https://www.amazon.com/Lionel-Polar...44017139&sr=8-4&keywords=lionel+polar+express
LionChief sets are simply fantastic! They are the most versatile sets on the market! They can operate in any environment, DC, traditional conventional AC transformer control, or LionChief power and remote or app for your device. (Apple or Android) Another benefit of LionChief is you can run your set on a Legacy layout using your remote or your device. No modifications or additional equipment to buy!
LionChief is where Lionel is focusing much of its efforts. They offer Plug-n-Play accessories and many different sets and even more realistic LionChief Plus locomotives.
Legacy is the high-end command control system from Lionel. Just incase you catch the model railroad "bug" and become obsessed, like I did!
What ever you decide have fun with your trains and don't be a stranger to the forum, post some pictures of your tree and train if you can, we love pictures!