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Trains and Train Supplies For Sale Atlas, Bachman, Athearn, Walters and Others
Martin is new to model railroading and would like to hear any opinions others have about brand preferences and brand mixing and asks:
“I am new to ho model railroading. I have seen many brands of trains and supplies for sale. These include Atlas, Bachman, Athearn, Walters, and others. Are some of these brands much better than others? Does the locomotive, DCC control unit, and power pack have to be the same brand?”
Add your opinions below.
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In my opinion, all the brands you list are quality brands with quality merchandise. It seems to hold true in model railroading as much as elsewhere, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. The lesser priced (unless on special sale) are generally lesser quality. That doesn’t mean that they won’t work.
The only thing that has to stay “same brand” is the DCC setup. Digitrax doesn’t mix with NCE or Prodigy, for instance. Most of the major DCC decoder manufacturers stick to the NMRA standards so most decoders will work with any of the DCC systems. In DC, the power pack can be from any of the manufacturers.
When choosing DCC decoders, look for the model that features the functions you want. Some provide motor control, lights, sound, etc.
Hope this helps.
When buying Bachmann, stick with the Spectrum line.