{"id":3027,"date":"2024-01-17T08:35:44","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=3027"},"modified":"2024-01-17T08:35:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:35:44","slug":"the-ultimate-railroading-beginner-gift-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=3027","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Railroading Beginner Gift Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holidays are fast approaching, so it\u2019s time to think about the gifts we\u2019ll buy for the special people in our life. <\/span><\/p>\n

While helping someone discover the joy of model railroading is always amazing, it\u2019s a good idea to know the best ways they can get started in their railroading journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

First\u2026think about whether size matters<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we get into specific products, think about the person you\u2019re buying for and how much space they have to build a model railroad. <\/span>Read our blog<\/span><\/a> post about model train scales to give yourself an idea of the types of model train products you might want to add to your holiday shopping list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at <\/span>our guide to the most popular model railroading brands<\/span><\/a>, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, what about those gifts?<\/span><\/p>\n

When getting started, you can\u2019t go wrong with a train set<\/span><\/h2>\n

A <\/span>train set<\/span><\/a> is undoubtedly the best thing to buy someone completely new to model railroading. Your gift will give them everything they need to get started, including a model train, rolling stock, and enough track pieces for a basic layout, typically an oval.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five train sets that will make great gifts for beginner railroaders this Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bachmann HO 00691 Thoroughbred Starter Set<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

This is a fun Bachmann train set that gets its name not from a horse \u2013 although there is a horse on the box! \u2013 but from the range of iconic railroads featured in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

With pieces from Norfolk Southern, Norfolk and Western, and Southern Railway, this is an excellent beginner train set and a brilliant gateway to learning about the history of these railroads, today merged under the Norfolk Southern name.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this boxed train set, you get:<\/span><\/p>\n

F7 Norfolk Southern diesel locomotive #4270 with operating headlight<\/span>
\nOpen Quad Hopper, Norfolk and Western #12988<\/span>
\nGondola, Southern Railway #1246<\/span>
\nWide-vision Caboose, Norfolk Southern<\/span>
\nBody-mounted E-Z Mate couplers<\/span>
\n47\u2033 x 38\u2033 oval of snap-fit E-Z Track, including 12 pieces of curved track, one piece of straight track, and one plug-in terminal rerailer<\/span>
\nPower pack and speed controller<\/span>
\nIllustrated instruction manual<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy this <\/span>train set here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Bachmann HO 00647 Santa Fe Flyer Set With E-Z Track<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

The Santa Fe railroad is one of the most iconic in American history, and this train set from Bachmann is your chance to get someone up and running over the deserts, mountains, and cities of their own landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n

This Santa Fe train set includes:<\/span><\/p>\n

EMD FT diesel locomotive with operating headlight<\/span>
\nOpen quad hopper<\/span>
\nGondola<\/span>
\nOff-center caboose<\/span>
\n36\u2033 circle of snap-fit E-Z Track, including 11 pieces of curved track and one curved plug-in terminal rerailer<\/span>
\nPower pack and speed controller<\/span>
\nIllustrated instruction manual<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy this <\/span>Santa Fe Flyer train set<\/span><\/a> here.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Bachmann N 24025 The Stallion Train Set, Norfolk Southern<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Another Bachmann set with a horse-inspired name and theme, this time in N-scale and sticking wholly to the Norfolk Southern theme.<\/span><\/p>\n

This excellent starter train set includes:<\/span><\/p>\n

F7-A diesel locomotive with operating headlight<\/span>
\nGondola, single-dome tank car, wide-vision caboose, 24\u2033 circle of snap-fit E-Z Track including 11 pieces curved track and one curved plug-in terminal rerailer<\/span>
\nPower pack and speed controller<\/span>
\nIllustrated instruction manual<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy <\/span>The Stallion train set<\/span><\/a> here.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Kato N 1066285 Intercity Express, Amtrak (Phase VI) Set<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re buying for a beginner railroader who\u2019s more likely to want to build an urban landscape than a rural one, then <\/span>this Kato Intercity Express Set<\/span><\/a> is an excellent buy that will kickstart their hobby while ensuring their model railroad passengers travel in style.<\/span><\/p>\n

A great feature of Kato is the available rolling stock options. Model railroaders can mix and match their cars or create long intercity trains, all sporting the same cars throughout.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Lionel O 1923040 Flyer LionChief Set With Bluetooth, Union Pacific<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

An iconic railroad and perhaps the most iconic model railroading brand in history, this is the ideal gift if you\u2019re buying for someone you know will love this hobby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Combining stylish design with the latest modern features and technology found in model trains, this stunning set will help any budding railroader get up and running in minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this boxed train set from Lionel, you get:<\/span><\/p>\n

0-8-0 Steam Locomotive and tender<\/span>
\nUnion Pacific boxcar<\/span>
\nUnion Pacific tank car<\/span>
\nUnion Pacific caboose<\/span>
\nEight pieces of O36 curved FasTrack<\/span>
\nTwo FasTrack 10\u2033 straight track sections<\/span>
\nOne LionChief FasTrack Terminal section<\/span>
\nOne Plug-Expand-Play Power Lock-on section<\/span>
\nWall-pack power supply<\/span>
\nLionChief remote for locomotive<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy this amazing train set here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Help them get started with their layout, too<\/span><\/h2>\n

Do you want to do even more to help your lucky gift recipient get started with their model railroading journey? If so, then why not gift them some accessories, too? These also work great if you\u2019re buying a gift for someone you know is getting a train set from someone else, and you want to buy a thoughtful stocking filler to complement their main gift.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of our favorite multi-scale accessory choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Woodland Scenics TR3525 Gum Trees, 2-1\/2\u2033 To 3-1\/2\u2033 (3)<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Trees are a great starting point for turning a train set or collection into a full-on layout. These <\/span>Woodland Scenics trees<\/span><\/a> are suitable for N, HO, and O-scale layouts and come with planting pins and an optional detachable base.<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy a few of these Woodland Scenics sets or combine them with another tree set to enhance realism and allow the recipient to build their own woodland.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Bachmann SceneScapes 32154 4\u2033 To 6\u2033 Pine Trees With Snow (24)<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

If you want to go a step further when buying a tree set, this <\/span>24-pack of snow-covered trees <\/span><\/a>\u00a0from Bachmann SceneScapes is an excellent buy to kickstart a winter scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

While these trees are best matched to HO layouts, they\u2019re suitable for all scales and ideal for creating a dense hillside forest or a woodland railway scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Realistic Backgrounds 704-12 Mountain And Lake Scene 13\u2033 X 38\u2033<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

A fantastic way to start moving towards a layout is with one of our <\/span>background images from Realistic Backgrounds<\/span><\/a>. These are ideal for railroad layouts in the corner of a room and will make people look twice at photos of your scene!<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Blair Line Z\/N\/HO 1550 Laser-Cut Billboard: DIY Custom Signs<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

We have a host of signs and billboards here at Model Train Stuff, but there\u2019s nothing like making your own!<\/span><\/p>\n

This Blair Line pack<\/span><\/a> contains everything your gift recipient will need to create their own signage, whatever scale gift set you buy them.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. City Classics HO\/N 501-4 Gasoline And Auto Repair<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

If you decide to buy a gas station building as a gift, or you know your soon-to-be model railroading enthusiast enjoys coming up with their own creations, <\/span>these stickers<\/span><\/a> are a wonderful gift to adorn a gas station in any layout. Another potential use for them is as billboards \u2013 they can stick them on to small pieces of wood or card to use throughout their layout!<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to share your pictures!<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re around at Thanksgiving or on Christmas Day when gifts are unboxed and new model railroads come into service, remember to grab a picture and<\/span> tag us on Instagram<\/span><\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy railroading!<\/span><\/p>\n

The post The Ultimate Railroading Beginner Gift Guide<\/a> first appeared on ModelTrainStuff Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post The Ultimate Railroading Beginner Gift Guide<\/a> appeared first on ModelTrainStuff Blog<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holidays are fast approaching, so it\u2019s time to think about the gifts we\u2019ll buy for the special people in our life. While helping someone […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[295],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-model-railways"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t