Model Train Guides
Model Train Sets: Choose Scale, Track and Control
A first train set should give you a complete way to enjoy the train you actually want: a small steam freight train, a larger diesel freight train, or steam operation with digital sound. The useful starting point is the combination of train, track and controls. Once that combination suits your plans, scenery and extra rolling stock can follow.
Three Bachmann sets in the Muncle Mikes train-set collection illustrate those choices. Yard Boss 24014 offers a compact N scale circle; Thoroughbred 00691 supplies an HO diesel train with conventional controls; Echo Valley 00825 pairs an HO steam train with DCC and sound. Each includes track and the equipment specified to power and control its included train.
Start with the experience you want on the first evening
If watching a freight train make its rounds is the main attraction, a conventional set already gives you that activity. If the whistle, steam sounds and digital controls are central to the appeal, make them part of the initial purchase. A set that matches that expectation is more useful than a box chosen for its piece count.
| Set | Train and scale | Included track plan | Included controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yard Boss 24014 | N scale steam freight | 24-inch circle | Conventional power pack and speed controller |
| Thoroughbred 00691 | HO scale diesel freight | 47 × 38-inch oval | Conventional DC power pack and speed controller |
| Echo Valley 00825 | HO scale steam freight with digital sound | 56 × 38-inch oval | E-Z Command Plus DCC system |
These are Bachmann's dimensions for the supplied track plans. Allow additional space for the controller, wires, access and a margin around the train. The 24-inch circle is 24 inches across, not a 24-inch radius. The two HO sets also need different amounts of room: Echo Valley's oval is nine inches longer than Thoroughbred's, despite their shared scale.
What makes a set complete?
For these three examples, the package includes a locomotive, cars, a track circuit and the listed power and control equipment. Yard Boss and Echo Valley also include the tender that accompanies their steam locomotive. You supply a suitable operating surface and an appropriate electrical outlet, then assemble the track and connect the equipment according to the set's instructions.
A ready-to-run locomotive sold on its own is a different purchase. It can be an assembled model without being a complete railway. Similarly, a pack of freight cars does not supply a locomotive, track or controller. When comparing the total cost of getting started, put the complete running package on one side and any separately required equipment on the other.
Decide whether digital sound belongs in the first purchase
Thoroughbred's conventional DC controls provide a straightforward starting point for running its included train. Yard Boss likewise includes a conventional power pack and speed controller. Neither should be bought on the assumption that digital sound or a DCC system is included.
Echo Valley includes a DCC-equipped sound locomotive and the E-Z Command Plus control system. DCC sends commands to a decoder in the locomotive, allowing compatible locomotives to be addressed individually. This set supplies one locomotive; additional trains and any equipment needed for a larger layout are separate choices.
If sound is the feature that makes a steam train interesting to you, Echo Valley supplies it from the start. If your aim is simply to run the included freight train, the conventional sets already meet that aim. Do not base a purchase on an assumed future decoder conversion: the exact locomotive and proposed equipment would need their own compatibility check.
Which of these three sets fits your plans?
Bachmann Yard Boss 24014: a compact steam freight train
The Yard Boss combines an N scale 0-6-0 steam locomotive and tender with a boxcar, hopper and caboose. Its 24-inch E-Z Track circle and included power pack and speed controller make it the smallest supplied track plan in this comparison.
Consider it when a compact operating area matters and you enjoy the appearance of a steam freight train. N scale models are smaller than HO models, so also consider your comfort placing small wheels on the rails and handling couplers. A smaller layout does not automatically make the models easier to handle.
Bachmann Thoroughbred 00691: HO diesel freight with conventional controls
A Norfolk Southern F7 diesel leads a coal hopper, gondola and caboose. The box also supplies a 47 × 38-inch E-Z Track oval, power pack and speed controller. The photograph shows the train; it does not show the complete oval or the controls.
Thoroughbred is a useful starting point when you prefer a diesel freight train in HO and want conventional operation. Its larger models come with a larger track footprint than Yard Boss. Make that trade with the actual available surface in mind.
Bachmann Echo Valley 00825: HO steam with DCC and sound
Echo Valley supplies a 2-6-0 steam locomotive and tender, gondola, coal hopper and caboose. Digital sound, E-Z Command Plus and a 56 × 38-inch E-Z Track oval are included. The photograph shows the train, while the track oval and control equipment are separate parts of the package.
Choose this example when steam sound and digital control are part of the experience you want immediately. It also requires the longest track plan here, so the extra features need to fit both your interests and your available space.
Leave room in the budget for how you will use it
A table or removable board may matter more to the first purchase than another freight car. If the train must share a dining table, decide where the assembled track can sit during a session and where the equipment will go afterward. If you already have a suitable surface, you may not need a separate base at all.
Buildings, landscaping and additional track can wait until you know what you want to do with the train. These examples supply a circle or oval for continuous running. A siding where you can leave a car would require a different track arrangement and additional compatible pieces; a freight theme by itself does not supply that activity.
Choose the complete package that matches your first run
Start with Yard Boss for the smallest track plan of these three, Thoroughbred for HO diesel freight with conventional controls, or Echo Valley for HO steam with DCC and sound already included. Check the exact product page for current purchasing options, or return to all model train sets to compare other complete packages.
