I'm not sure about some of you guys, but I think a train set is usually a great way to start a model railroad. You get the train and enough track to get you started. But sometimes, I feel if you want to start a model railroad, the train sets that come with accessories is a really good idea. Bachmann's sets that feature some kind of accessories would usually come with their signs and utility poles and (unpainted) figures, and I recall a few would even include their Plasticville suburban station building kit!


This kind of harkens back to the olden days of some train sets that would also include such accessories to add to the play value for younger ones and to also make the most of starting a model railroad; even some of Bachmann's older sets were like this:

It would be also a bit cheaper than buying the parts separately.

Any comments/opinions?

I'm sure anyone who purchased a Bachmann train set in the late 1980s or early 1990s will recognize this. As one way for them to try and step ahead of the competition at the time, Bachmann had a clever means of an instruction manual, done as a comic book; this way kids could also easily get into model railroading, and there's lots for them to get into. This may have also been the debut appearance of the Bach Man!



OK, so the story opens on a stereotypical "perfect" comic family (complete with a pet dog that thinks his own thoughts ala Snoopy and Garfield!), purchasing a Bachmann train set...

See what I mean by the "perfect" family? The "boxcar full of cookies" reminds me of how they sometimes did that with the model trains on Gumby.
Though the scaling isn't entirely accurate, I think they are supposed to be trying to set up an HO-scale train set here, probably one of Bachmann's "starter" sets.


Of course, the family is initially baffled by their attempts to get the trains going, even the father! I do find the boy's "Is that IT?" reaction amusing, as if he feels they were ripped off.


LOL at "No! Rugs are trouble." That's the case when using standard model railroad track, and this was before Bachmann developed roadbed track in 1994 with their "E-Z Track." I know back then, the only real option for playing with the trains on a floor was with some kind of layout board on the floor, regardless if it's a piece of plywood set on the floor, the layout mat included with Bachmann's old "Powerhouse" train set of the mid-1980s, or their arch rival Tyco's "TycoScene" layout board.


Bachmann changed the Simplimatic plug design some time in the early 1990s, and still uses that design today. Also back at this time, their train sets would always use a curved terminal rerailrer track, unlike the E-Z Track sets using an oval that come with a straight terminal rerailer. Also note the track in this looks like it's brass, though I think by the late 1980s all of Bachmann's train sets came with steel track...


LOL at the "All the other cars" sign.




Even though I use a more advanced MRC Tech 4 280 power pack on my train layout with an on/off switch, I still unplug it when my trains are not in use anyway.


Many of those accessories and buildings are still available today. Though some of their more interesting operating accessories, like the tri-level auto carrier, log loader/unloader, action depot and action caboose were discontinued once E-Z Track hit the market. (I think Bachmann should have made E-Z Track -compatible versions of the action caboose, etc. Some of those were pretty cool!)



I'm sure many of you will enjoy this trip down memory lane. I myself am into vintage (1970s - 1990s) model railroading products and accessories of the time, including what Bachmann had to offer back then!
Too bad this wasn't updated to reflect the new E-Z Track in 1994, if they did at all. I wonder what a more contemporary take on this would be like?

Quote from: Doneldon on September 14, 2013, 05:38:46 PM
Wiley-

Don't you recall Athearn from the 70s and 80s?

I'm actually considering a classic Athearn locomotive as well... maybe their Santa Fe F-7 or something. I am also thinking about getting a newer Athearn engine, along with a Santa Fe Proto 1000 F3A locomotive.
Unlike old locomotives in many cases, the old low-end rolling stock will still usually look good on freight trains, particularly if they are weathered. (I'd do that, but I don't have the time and stuff to do so.)
And for the heck of it, I am also thinking of getting a classic Santa Fe or Union Pacific Bachmann GP-40. But like I said, many of those old Bachmann X2Fs cannot be easily replaced due to their somewhat proprietary design (I think). Unless maybe an E-Z Mate coupler with a small makeshift adapter is used... Until then, at least I have a few "conversion" cars; in which they'd have an X2F coupler on one end and a knuckle coupler on the other. This was often used back when knuckle couplers were somewhat of a premium back in the 1980s and 1990s, instead of being the norm like today.

I am both a (currently) budgeted model railroader, and that I also enjoy classic HO-scale train stuff (especially from Bachmann, Tyco, IHC, Life-Like and Atlas.) So I thought that for my basement model train layout I can use a lot of that stuff, yet still continuously update it for the new millenium. So far, I have my trains running mostly on Atlas nickel-silver track, a mix of Code-100 and Code-83 (some of it is True Track.) A little of it is steel, but I am not going to bother with brass track on my layout. Right now it is a Standard-DC layout with blocking, but I will also probably eventually upgrade to DCC (I will probably so so by getting the Bachmann E-Z Command train set or something, but retrofit my layout to work with the DCC controls and locomotives.)
Like many model railroaders typically would, I usually like to vary in manufacturers of products, so that it isn't entirely a Bachmann layout, or a Tyco layout or whatever. This makes the layout seem more realistic.

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Overviews. I have it set up on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, because that's all we have room for, but you can get a lot done on a 4x8 layout anyways. The track plan is partially based off some of Tyco's "Layout Expander System" track plans. I refer to this land as "Sheffingtown." The main railroad I use is BNSF.


The controls. Note the Tyco blocking switch and buttons for "action" accessories. It should be noted that during the 1970s and early 1980s, Tyco was pretty much Bachmann's biggest rival when it came to HO-scale trains, so I use quite a bit of both.


I got this in today; the Bachmann action caboose! It was made some time in the late 1970s or the 1980s (latest I know it was still available was 1987.) I want to try and replace the X2F couplers with knuckle couplers, but this has extended talgo trucks, and they have unusual horn-hook couplers that must be screwed in and the holes are in a weird size, compared to other manufacturers' couplers, and I don't really want to take the body-mount approach with this caboose.


Residential area of my layout, including the nice little Plasticville Cape Cod house.


Life-Like downtown business center next to a Pola/Tyco/IHC Loew's movie theater with a customized marquee.


Plasticville post office. I got this because just about every town needs a post office, and I like the small size of it.


Plasticville school house. I plan to add a playground behind it (probably the Bachmann playground accessory set), and maybe even expand the building so it's not so small (or at least add a portable, like some schools do.)


Every town should have a fire station, too. I went with the Life-Like one because it reminded me quite a bit of the fire stations we have in my hometown of Brockton, MA.


A smaller, second train is parked on this inner loop - the "B" block. I still do like the classic look and feel of steam when it comes to model railroading. Maybe some day I'll get a nicer Bachmann steam locomotive.


Plasticville switch tower, at a rather convenient location.


Even though this is a "retro" layout, I mostly try to use more modern locomotives, like this Walthers Trainline ATSF Dash 8-40BW. It came with X2F horn-hook couplers (one of them was damaged), so I replaced them with E-Z Mate couplers, because I prefer knuckle couplers over the X2Fs.


Tyco crane car and maintenance tender, made some time in the 1970s. Very similar to Bachmann's current crane car and boom tender (which was introduced in 1979, apparently to compete with Tyco's version.)


A modified Life-Like KFC building kit. Since I like their chicken, I couldn't resist. Plus, it's a great attention-grabber on my layout anyways.


Used car lot, operating coal tipple and general store, all mostly from Life-Like. (Unlike several of you here, I started my model railroad using Life-Like products, which is why I also like that company's offerings  )


Tyco diesel switcher locomotive, again Santa Fe. The front coupler I found really difficult to remove, but I was able to replace the back coupler with an E-Z Mate knuckle coupler, to make it more compatible with my rolling stock, which I also mostly retrofitted with knuckle couplers (Tyco and Life-Like stuff mostly gets the SceneMaster knuckle couplers from Walthers.)


Tyco freight unloading depot. You press a button and hold it down, and the little plow scoops a pipe section off the flatcar. Very interesting, and it's too bad Bachmann never made a similar version.


Tyco piggyback loader/unloader and steam whistle billboard. Unlike the Bachmann electronic steam whistle accessory, this uses an electrically-operated air whistle, similar to the whistles found in old Lionel steam engines, that is activated via a pushbutton. It also sounds better than Bachmann's diesel horn storage tank accessory!


Life-Like dual operating crossing gate. Very similar to Bachmann's version they've had since 1976. This will only work with Life-Like's Power-Loc track (it came with my Life-Like "Freight Runner" train set), so I used special Power-Loc adapter tracks to connect them (these adapter sections will also work really well with E-Z track.) I am thinking of modifying it some day so the lights will flash and the gates will be motorized.


Tyco operating crossing signal from the early 1980s. It works slightly similar to the crossing gate, but when the train runs over the pressure sensor, it activates a small wind-up bell housed in the loading dock, and the lights flash alternately. The lights don't really work right now, but the bell does, and is pretty neat.


Tyco pressure-operated pipe loader.


A small accident scene I staged on my layout.


Life-Like stock pen with cow and pig figures. I haven't gotten around to painting some of the human figures yet.


Tyco lighted freight station. This was made some time in the 1970s, and is very nicely detailed.

http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/wiley207/railway/file-2212.jpg
Life-Like "Snap-Loc" train station building kit. This was introduced in the late 1990s, obviously to compete with Bachmann's Plasticville snap-together building kits. It came with my Freight Runner train set, and looks very nice (I also have a Bachmann Plasticville suburban station, but right now I don't really have any room for it...)


A small fruit stand next to an apple orchard.


Note the Tyco billboard in the background.


My other locomotives I often use on my layout. The blue-and-yellow one is made by Mehano, and I plan to replace its X2Fs with E-Z Mate couplers. The two Life-Like engines on the left are a bit low-end, but do look nice (the hi-nose GP38-2 came with the Freight Runner set I mentioned), and the other three have more powerful can motors and smooth eight-wheel drive. Once I get more cash, I might get a good-quality Bachmann (BN)SF locomotive of some sort, or maybe once I make the move to DCC or something.

Any comments/questions?