I liked the Williams NYC Starter Set

Hi Skip. Don't know if you saw it but the Ten wheeler Christmas set looked real nice! I liked the colors they did on it. Kind of reminds me of a Disney engine. I may pull the trigger on that around Christmas. The one running in the Williams booth ran very smooth.

These starter sets are nice, but I'm intrigued by their use of the oval of Atlas track.

They don't appear to stock any other pieces for expansion. All they list is tubular. I wonder if they will sell all the Atlas range? Yet another track type to complicate matters.

I, too, was very impressed with both of those new starter sets.  Very handsome!

N5C cabin car on a NYC set.  WBB has to get more types of Cabooses!

That may be, but I think you're failing to grasp the "starter set" concept! Lionel Lines cabeese came on a lot of sets, eh.

Pete

Don't let the MSRP scare you they can be had for less just like most other trains.

They are very nice sets. plus lifetime warranty, priceless

I really like the looks of those sets. I could care less about DCS, etc. Williams is a sleeper and they just getting their momentum rolling...Bachman has a lot of plug and play in all gauges..As Pete said, if you don't like it don't buy it.

I do like the NYC engine and will try to find a separate sale one. I do wish they did the older RR Roman style lettering instead of the post 1930's font.  With the fluted domes it does seems a bit anachronistic. I wish the boxcar was a standard brown boxcar as well but I'm OK with it. The Pacemaker seems more of a unit train to me that would rate a bigger newer engine. The set would have been a great Putnam line Commuter train with two green NYC coaches. The Put was home to a lot of the NYC 10 wheelers in later years.

This set with cars, transformer and track is only $100 more than the engine alone. Seems competative to me. Bolder sized grain of salt on that criticism.

I work in several different scales so I'm quite familiar with actual prices paid for Bachmann equipment by virtue of buying the company's offerings in N and HO scale. If the set's list price is $400, I believe it will be possible to find it in the $200-250 range without much difficulty. A BIG attraction of Bachmann's equipment is the unparalleled customer service support which the company offers. Bachmann stands behind its products regardless of age or type of problem. For example, a friend of mine purchased a used N scale ATSF 3700 class 4-8-4 at a show. It had clearly seen better days and quit running shortly after he got it home. He called Bachmann, they instructed him to send in the locomotive along with a check - I think it was about $15 - and he received a brand new, current production model in exchange.

I believe the Bachmann set offers excellent value as a gift or as a purchase by a newcomer. The company has upgraded the models in the product lines of its other scales and the announcement of the O gauge GP30 is a harbinger of great things to come. The locomotive which seems to be requested most often on this forum is a scale proportioned model of GE's 44 tonner. I'll bet Bachmann will be the one to finally bring O gauge railroaders a mass produced model of this locomotive. It, along with the 70 tonner,  is in both the N and HO scale product lines so I think it's just a matter of time before we see it.

Bob

The quality of Williams is superior and they can be upgraded very easily here is my 746 with a fan driven smoke unit and new headlight it took me less than five minutes to install both 

I want a Washington and Old Dominion 70 tonner. Put me on that list. And a 40 tonner or two.

The reasons CNJ listed could also be a reason LHS support Bachmann too. Because the pricing system allows the LHS to make a profit too.

15 positives and 1 negative

That's pretty good!

Stay tuned Jack. If Williams keeps doing good things there will be a lot more positives! Keep up the good work!

No reason to stop now...

I think the market does a good job of determining price/value.  I find it interesting that for a set that has an MSRP of $400, the price that people mention paying for it is 40%-50% off.  If something needs that steep a discount in order to sell, then it is priced way too high to begin with.

Some companies are figuring that out.  I heard one of the car companies is going to stop discounting its cars and focus on better service and quality.  Hmm.  Do they know something?

A good idea for WBB would be a scale set with the new GP30 locos and some freight cars. Something like the Lionel "Limited" sets from the 80's, no track or transformer.

I agree with Chris, I like the **** set also. Has a "toy train" look to it, which would appeal to a lot of first time buyers, especially at a friendly price.

In addition to running well at low speeds, I favor the tall stack and domes of the B/W Ten Wheelers. Along with their skinny boilers, many kept the the "tall" topside profile on up into the 1950s, running on branch and shortlines of Southern subsidiaries.

Several even wore the same Green'n Gold of the Ps-4s in their daily local passenger service[#949 at Mobile was often featured in the magazines].

I bought two and on one have already removed the headlight and bell for a "Southern Ry style" placement of new Precision Scale components. Headlight mounted on a shelf almost center of the smokebox door and bell top front of the smokebox. Will redecorate in black as Atlantic & Yadkin #113[originally Santa Fe in black].

A&Y was my hometown railroad [the first one I ever rode, 14 miles to Madison, N.C. with parents and sister to catch the N&W to Roanoke, Bluefield and parts north to Columbus and then to Dennison, Ohio to see Grandparents. Of course it was 1932 and I was 6 months old---so don't ask for details]. I do remember riding behind A&Y #109 and #113 many times to Greensboro, to Mt. Airy and to the Revolutionary War Battleground for July 4th celebrations during the 1930s. 

Chris

Precision Scale hasn't shipped the componets yet! I will install the bell and head light but will have to get someone else to redecorate it. I am really too shaky now to be doing any type of engine or railcar work.

Yes, when done I will display it. The second engine is Southern Green, I will change out the headlight and bell on it also but not sure I will have it repainted.

If you want to buy it, go right ahead. I'm just not a big fan of 1950's technology...

I own a WBB 10 wheeler and a number of other Williams and WBB units. The 10 Wheeler is the deal of the decade to me. Well under $200. The starter sets will be a good deal I bet nearer Dec.

And because I'm '50's I kinda like tech of that era.....I put it on the track and it runs and runs.....and I don't have to wait on a replacement chip from MTH!!

Well, with deference to you New York Central folks, I'd be more inclined to go after that UP passenger set.  At least until they come out with one for the late, great Pennsylvania Railroad. 

Curt

I just spent about 15 minutes doing surgery on this thread, deleting inappropriate responses from a few members. I truly do have better things to do than baby-sit a few children on this forum.

I swear that some of you people are not happy unless you are trying to start a brand war. We don't need any more of the "My trains are better than your trains!' crap here. If you don't like the Williams set and think it is overpriced, then DON'T BUY IT! It is really that simple. There is no need to bash WBB and praise another manufacturer just to make your point.

Some of you are so blinded by your loyalties to various manufactures that you have forgotten how to enjoy the hobby.

A transformer and 2 wires to the track...it always works.

PUT ME ON THE LIST FOR A GE 70 TONNER WITH THE ROAD NAME TALLULAH FALLS R.R. #501

Rich:

You forgot something:  Plug the BIG cord into a wall socket!

Concerning other brands:  I was a little afraid of MTH and W/WBB at first.  Then I bought a RK caboose for one of my UP engines, then a W boxcar.  I was impressed with both.  So I go after roadnames and car type I want, not by brand.  I do run conv., so I tend to run W/EBB locos.

Try it, you might like it.

Now how about a UP set with an O-27 FA, and 3 2499 yellow passenger cars for UP, not Luxury Lines.  That would be sharp!

I mentioned in the early part of this thread, the Atlas track that's included. It's similar to Fastrack, and the ballast color is nice. I gave an oval to a friend/customer to try.

He reported it was terrible to use, with electrical conductivity problems. I will stick to Fastrack in my RTR sets with MTH Z controllers. It's the best starter combo in my opinion.