Hi. Sorry for not giving more info. It's an unlettered Bachmann HO Prairie 2-6-2 w/ Tender w/ smoke. Supposedly not used but pre owned. That's all I know.

Hi y'all. I have found an "unlettered" Bachmann locomotive and tender on ebay. Is this something to stay away from or is it considered "okay" to use? Thanks for your suggestions. 

Ah, thanks, Rich. I suppose I should have realized that.   Y'all, (yes, I say y'all, being from south Texas, ) I don't suppose there is any way of adding weight to the small trains such as the De Witt or others and possibly a different motor to the locomotive to make them work correctly is there?

jbrock27, thanks for the info/suggestion on using a plastic drape on my display to keep it clean. I agree, anything actually touching the display may cause more harm than good so I'm still trying to think of a good way to do it. I had thought of the plastic sheets stretched over a light-weight wooden framework suspended from the ceiling but realize that is a huge undertaking so still "thinking". 

Doneldon, thank you for the info on making sure the EZ track is put together correctly as well as the suggestions on power pack. Under "normal" use, "about" how long can I expect the power pack that came with the set to last? Also, thanks for the suggestion of a drape for the display. I am still trying to figure that one out.   

Hi again Rich. Thanks for the additional info. I hate to admit it, but I don't know what you mean by "rolling stock". I am totally new to this (although have wanted to do it "forever"). 

Doneldon, thank you for your information. I agree, some of the larger scale trains are really interesting, but based on the amount of space I have to work with and wanting to make the most use of it, I need to stick with HO size. I will keep looking for "early years railroad" trains and go from there. I am very pleased with my Liberty Bell set and hope I can find something else in the historical venue as time goes by. Thanks again. 

Rich, thank you for your answer. I am trying to find trains from the early days of railroading and thought these would be appropriate. But after reading about them, I can see they would not be a good choice. I will keep looking for other "railroad early years" style trains. Thanks again. 

I have seen several 00641 HO Dewitt Clinton Sets on ebay and like the different style and "old fashioned" look but have read they are too light to run well. Are there any other HO trains that have a different old fashioned look anything like the 00641 HO Dewitt Clinton that DO run well? Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

jward, thank you so much for the information on the different tracks and the Marklin trains being incompatible! I certainly don't want to have a short circuit and possibly burn up or damage anything. The great people on this forum have been very helpful and I really appreciate everyone sharing information and suggestions with me. I am happy to be part of this wonderful hobby/experience.

ebtnut, thanks for the reading information link. I will definitely check it out. Is it possible  to combine the EZ Track and other track later on down the road or must I decide once and for all right now which system I will use? I'm glad you brought up layout. It is my intent to eventually build a LARGE set up and leave it all up permanently. What would be a good way of "covering" the layout, buildings, etc when not in use to protect it all from dust, etc?

Hi jbrock27. Thank you for the welcome. The track road bed that came with the train set is black however, my hubby bought me many additional sets of track and they came in gray. I have not opened them yet in hopes I can send them back and switch to all black. They were purchased online so don't know if I'll be able to get them switched or not yet. I like the looks of the black better. Other than the looks, is there any advantage to one vs. the other?

Wow, Doneldon, thank you so very much for all the wonderful information!! I plan on sticking with EZ Track since my hubby also gave me many sets of additional track to go with the Liberty Bell train set and I like the way the pieces fit together easily. As to making the track look more realistic, could I add to the layout height all along the track to make it look "lower", more on ground level? I can see there will be a LOT to learn, but that's fine. I enjoy learning.  As to the power control source, I will use what came with the set and then see what seems the best choice as I add trains. I believe the control that came with the set is DC. Thank you again and I look forward to years of enjoyment with my trains and interacting with other "train people".  There are probably many terms/acronyms that I will need to learn along the way so hope I don't step on any toes while I'm learning. 

Thank you for the information, Bach-man. I definitely am planning on sticking with EZ Track since it's what I have and am getting used to using. It's great to know all HO trains will work together if I stick with the one track and controller. As to the power controller, I'll stick with what came with the set for now and then see how it works as I add trains.

Hi. I received a Bachmann HO Liberty Bell train set for Christmas. BIG smile!! I have wanted a train set for decades/"forever". Santa was good to me this year and gave me my first set! Eventually, I'd like to add other HO trains and track but I don't know whether ALL HO are created equal as far as compatibility. The Liberty Bell set is HO 2-6-0. I am looking at some HO 4-4-0 online but don't know if these will work together.

I particularly want steam locomotives and "days gone by" styles, not modern looking trains. Also, can the Liberty Bell have the smoking attachment added to make it smoke?

Thank you very much for any information you can give me!!