Introduction 

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For many enthusiasts their first introduction to the hobby may well have been a large scale “Starter Set” put together by enterprising manufacturers’ to attract new customers. In order to have any chance of competing effectively in today’s ‘high-tech’ world these sets have to be appealing, imaginative and proffered at a keen price.

 

A Starter Set is how many of us got into large scale model railways in the first place and there is much to be said for purchasing one of the many “ready-to-run” entry-level sets available as they normally come with everything you need neatly boxed at an attractive discount to the total cost of their individual components.

They also provide a way of evaluating, at relatively modest outlay (typically around £300 at the time of writing) whether the hobby will prove an enjoyable pastime. 

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Remember, however, that you don’t necessarily have to start with a set.  If you have a clear idea of your longer term aims it can be preferable to acquire items separately according to your individual tastes as this can prove far more satisfying. For example, most of the Bachmann starter sets include large oval of track but this is made from steel alloy and is unsuitable for use outdoors thus severely limiting your options.

 

When you come to extend your track using this proprietary 45mm gauge track you will discover that there are a very limited range of track types available and competing tracks from other manufacturers are not compatible. Probably far better to go for a set containing solid brass Code 332 track at the outset which will not only give you years of pleasure but will stand up to the rigours of being laid in the garden.

 

Should you find this form of leisure activity is not for you the set or individual items can be disposed of quite easily on Ebay (other auction sites are available) and you may even recover close to your original investment as prices are always rising. Frequent weakness in the sterling exchange rates has accelerated these cost increases as virtually all of them are manufactured abroad.

 

 

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There are a number of well-known manufacturers who tend to specialise in Starter Sets such as LGB, Bachmann Trains, Piko, and Lionel. Märklin also used to participate in this market but seem to have curtailed their activities somewhat following the acquisition of LGB.

 

Typically, these boxed sets comprise a locomotive, two items of rolling stock, a circle or oval of track and all the necessary basic control equipment and power packs to get you up and running without further ado.

 

Invariably they also come with set-up and maintenance instructions (sometimes on a DVD) but just in case they don’t I have embedded as many downloads of the most popular ones under each manufacturer.

 

In this module I will endeavour to provide an overview of the sets currently or recently available from these manufacturers but you are strongly advised to carry out your own market research nearer to the time of purchase as the ranges are always changing. Please note that a mention of any particular set is not a recommendation to purchase. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to speed the loading of this module it has been split into a number of sections with their own suffix i.e Module 15A features train sets from LGB, Module 15B covers trains sets by Bachmann Trains, and so on. To go direct to a particular section please use the main index.

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Also consult Module 14 about shopping for trains. The following section introduces trains sets produced by LGB over the years and may no longer feature in the company's catalogue but are quite likely to still be available from specialist retailers, online and from auctions sites.

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LGB Starter Sets