The Model Trains Guide | atrainsz.com

What are some recommended model train companies?

July 25th, 2009 admin Posted in Hobbies & Crafts |

jaigooroo asked:


What are the well known/recommended model train companies? Thanks ahead

Kansieo.com

Tags: Ahead, Model Train, Train Companies

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1. Wifey_wants_2_know Says:
   July 27th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

   I’m 50 years old and have been a train nut from before age 4; I remember receiving an engineer suit on that birthday as a complement to what I already had.

   The hobby of Model Trains has many small manufacturers. Some products, even great products, come and go in a seeming instant. (Part of the fun in this hobby is hunting for what is out there.) Many work in one size (scale), so I’ll concentrate on HO Scale.

   Although intending to start out as a manufacturer in 1932, over the years Walthers became THE major model railroad distributor. It was started by a guy very interested in trains, and until recently, the reins had been passed down to family members who understood the customer’s passion, even if not bit by the bug themselves. I think of them as carrying quality goods.

   Now, Horizon has been THE major distributor to Hobby Shops, but tended toward urging manufacturers into agreements to be the exclusive distributor. (Some R/C and flying items are “branded” under Horizon .)

   In 2004, Horizon bought Athearn, a major force in Model trains, so Walthers cannot carry Athearn (or Model Die Casting, which Athearn had bought previously.) Subsequently, Walthers bought the line formerly known as Life-Like (which seriously improved quality in at least their “proto” series since the 1990’s )

   So I’d go to the Horizon and the Walthers sites and see what manufactures they carry. I’d recommend those. See those other sites for further clues on where to hunt.

2. DKS Says:
   July 30th, 2009 at 3:24 am

   That’s a difficult question to answer because it leads to more questions. Do you mean manufacturers or retailers? American or European? What scale? Each of the major scales (G, O, HO, N) is dominated by different companies; plus, there are hundreds of smaller companies and thousands of “cottage industries.” There are also many other scales (S, Z, T, etc).

   Scale-wise, the dominant manufacturers in G are Aristo-Craft, Bachmann, LGB and USA Trains. In O scale, there’s Atlas, Bachmann, K-Line and Lionel. In HO scale (the most popular of all the scales): Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Con-Cor, Intermountain, Kadee, Kato and Walthers, just to name a few. In N scale, there’s Athearn, Atlas, Bachmann, Bowser, Con-Cor, Intermountain, Kato, Micro-Trains, Red Caboose and Walthers.

   The “overlap” companies between the different scales could rightfully be considered the industry leaders. Most companies also have “specialties” where they play the largest role; for example, one company may specialize in rolling stock, and another in structures, etc.

   These Wiki pages provide more details on model railroading in general, as well as the most popular scales:

   Here are links to some of the key manufacturers:

   This should get you started, and perhaps inspire more specific questions.

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