Value of a 37 year old Bachman HO set

[LFSchiro]

In 1988 I purchased a Bachman Empire Builder HO set.  All inclusive Engine, cars, track, power pack etc.

Circumstances being what they were,  I never opened the box until today 8/30/2025.  Would anyone have an Idea on what this set may be worth? I am never going to set it up or use any of it's contents thus want to sell it. 

I know they are not collectibles, but I certainly don't want to just give it away.

Thanks for any feedback you can provide me.

[email protected]

[Len]

If this is the #97318 set with the pancake motor loco and horn-hook couplers, it usually shows up overpriced on eBay for around $200, plus shipping & handling.  The eBay sellers are taking advantage of the fact there is a newer N-scale set with the same name and higher price to confuse people.

Assuming the loco runs, complete with the box, somewhere around $100 would be a more realistic price for the HO set.  Aside from the pancake motor loco, the biggest issue is the horn-hook couplers are not compatible with new equipment that comes with knuckle couplers.

Len

[trainman203]

With very few exceptions, used train sets have almost no resale value.  If it was me, I'd get a lot more pleasure in giving it to a kid than getting a lousy hundred bucks out of it.