Rail Chief HO Scale Train Set by Bachmann

Rail Chief HO Scale Train Set by Bachmann

Like many boys, I became interested in trains when I got my first model train set. I vividly remember setting it up on the floor of my grandparents’ living room on Christmas morning and watching my train go around and around. Both my model railroad collection and my modeling skills have increased exponentially since then, but I will be forever grateful to my late grandparents for making that train set possible.

Bachmann’s Rail Chief HO Scale train set has been around in various forms (although it’s name may have changed) for decades and for good reason. It’s the easiest way to get a young person into the hobby of model railroading because it has everything they will need to get started in one box. There is a locomotive, four cars, power pack, signal bridge, miniature figures, railroad signs, street signs, telephone poles, and enough track included to make a 47″ x 38″ oval.

Bachmann’s E-Z track includes nickel silver rail (the industry standard) attached to molded gray roadbed. While some modelers do use it on their permanent layout, E-Z track is designed to provide a stable setup for running trains directly on the floor or on a table. It’s easy to setup and disassemble for temporary operations.

It’s not a problem at all to add turnouts, wyes, and crossings later on if you become bored watching your train run in circles. Most hobby shops carry a wide selection of E-Z track and accessories.

Bachmann Industries has really stepped up their game in recent years and has been working hard to shed its image of a “toy train” manufacturer to a “model train” supplier. Bachmann’s products are certainly not in the same league as Athearn, Walthers, and Scale Trains in terms of prototypical detail and build quality and they don’t pretend to be. Instead, they balance functionality and durability, which is exactly what a train set that will be operated by a child needs to be.

You can spend a lot more on a Digital Command Control train set with highly detailed locomotives and rolling stock, but you really shouldn’t. A simple Direct Current (DC) set like this with fewer details to break off due to careless handling is the best way to get a young kid into the hobby. If it sparks their interest, they will have the rest of their life to build super-detailed models and program DCC CV codes in $300+ locomotives as their skills progress.