Reddit reviews Hornby Santa's Express Christmas Toy Train Set R1248, Red, Blue & Yellow
We found 3 Reddit comments about Hornby Santa's Express Christmas Toy Train Set R1248, Red, Blue & Yellow. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
A decorative touch to the seasonal décor that offers a highly detailed steam engine, a wagon full of presents a closed car. The track is a circular layout that is meant to fit under the Christmas tree, but separate Hornby track can be purchased to create a larger layout.The gift of a Hornby train set is the gateway to a whole new experience, a world of model railways where nostalgia is shared between generations and new memories are forged. Hornby is a household name and is famous as an international brand leader in the model railway hobby.Comes with everything needed to run the train right out of the box.This train set is OO Scale while the track is HO scale. The set is electric and comes with a US transformer that plugs directly into the wall.The perfect holiday train to set up around the base of the Christmas Tree! Watch Santa's Express pulling a car full of presents and a box car containing Santa's Seigh. A delightful festive track for all ages.
I'd advise sticking to one of the scales used by model railroaders because it means you'll be able to easily add to it year after year. I also recommend avoiding battery powered trains because they're kinda meh whereas trains powered through the rails typically last longer if cared for. So for scales look into O and HO and decide what you think would look best around your Christmas tree.
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For the traditional O scale train from the likes of Lionel:
here's one for $99.99 but it's a smaller diesel train.
here's a steam version but it's $109.99
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O scale doesn't really come cheap so if you wanted you could opt for the smaller HO scale:
here's a Bachmann set for $85
here's another Bachmann at $92
and another Bachmann at $81
the cheapest Christmas train I could find is from the British company Hornby for $65 this one is OO scale but is compatible with American HO scale as the track gauge (size between rails) is the same. Apparently there's two versions of this and this one is $60.
You should be able to find reviews for all of these products very easily on YouTube.
You could get a Christmas train (basically a decoration) for £50~ and set it up around the tree just to test the mood/interest and then expand on it.
But you'll need to know what era/country/scale/railroad company etc he likes to get something specific.
I also saw a Hornby starter set in the middle aisle of Lidl yesterday if you have one near you
First, decide on your scale. HO, N or Z. Then, decide whether you are modelling any particular country. If not, you can pick up for example the Christmas Train packs for quite cheap. That will give you an analogue controller, a loco, and a loop of track. Hornby (OO scale, compatible with HO track), sells their Christmas train pack for 81 euro om Amazon.de...
https://www.amazon.de/Hornby-R1248-Santas-Express-div/dp/B07N8BSFPS/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=hornby&qid=1573392910&sr=8-2
All DC analogue locomotives are compatible with each other. Digital (DCC-fitted) locomotives will not run on analogue track. DCC locos expect a fixed high voltage. Analogue locomotives expect variable voltages. Some digital systems will allow you to run a single analogue locomotive along with the other digital locomotives. If you want to play around with digital, again I suggest looking at a DCC starting set. Hornby has one coming in for around 200 pounds...
https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/shop/all-sets/digital-train-sets.html