Actually gentlemen, I was concerned about the tracks not being compatible. Steam Gene mentioned the 1982 being brass tracks. What are they now, and can they be used together?

Thank you Steam Gene. Benjamin already owns the same Bachman set minus the Chef Boyardee, and 22 years newer. We have also purchased additional track pieces so he may expand. He wants to combine the two. I hadn't realized there would be a difference in fittings and such. Will it cause a problem?  What is the difference between the HO and the on30? He actually has a couple different HO sets I think both are Bachman. He also has 3 different larger sets, the ones that you can get a Wal Mart for Christmas. (Not sure what kind or size, they are the cheap sets though, one year 3 different family members decided he needed one)

Barry - That certainly is my hope. He has gotten to that careless stage, where he doesn't exactly take care of or respect his belongings. Of course, he gets very upset when he discovers things not working properly or worse yet..........broken.

To all you Gentlemen........

I appreciate your time in answering my question, also the kind words in regards to bringing him up right, and how intelligent my son is. He is my world. I encourage him to pursue his interests, and help him any way I can. May be one day Benjamin will be chatting with you about your common passion. Amazing how diverse a group of people can be yet completely enjoy each others company. I know Benjamin would be thrilled to talk to someone else about trains!

Thank you all for your advice. Benjamin has had Trains of the Brain since he was old enough to tell the difference between a Train and  a Truck. Ironically, a lot of the gifts I recieved at my baby shower were train related. The first Christmas ornament we purchased to mark his First Christmas was a train. He has quite the library of videos as well. Amazingly enough he most always appreciated the documentary style over anything else. By the age of four, he could tell you what all the different cars were used for, and the differences between the engines.
As it turns out, on my Fathers side of the family there were quite a few train workers , and many more model enthusiasts. So, the Rails are in his blood and whether I let him have the set or not....(He will get it when  he gets home from school...fear not Train collectors! LOL) His passion is already stoked. Even without a fireman he is full steam ahead!

Thank you Kevin.




Thanks Scott.
I just didn't want to make a mistake and feel sick later after finding out he could have sold it for a lot of money either now or in the future. I don't know much about collectables, what I do know is that in an original package, things can be considerably more valuable. I did see the car on e-Bay. That was the first place I looked. What we have is a complete set 3'x3' circle track lighted locomotive, engine with three cars with the power pack.

Hello everyone! My name is Susan and I have a question. My son was just given this train set, still sealed in it's original box. The original shipping box has a post mark of April 6 1982. There is a number on the train box10626. Of course, what 8 year old wouldn't want to rip right into it and start playing?

I on the other hand have told him that I would like to research a little on it to see if it would be worth hanging onto for a while. If the value isn't too great now, and won't increase much, then He may have it now. I can't expect an 8 year old to appreciate a collectable if he can't see the value. Can some one please direct me to an appraisel? Then I may show him what it was appraised for, and make a decision from there.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Susan