American Eagle set

[LarryR]

Hi Guys,

I'm a newbee modeler, and I just purchased, from my neighbor who was moving, an old American Eagle HO set.
The set has
Union Pacific diesel with lighted engine #on engine is 824
6 other cars including caboose
81" x 36" track layout
17 Piece bridge and trestle set
36 signs & telephone poles
Operating crossing gate
18 figures

Everything is in the original packaging and looks brand new.  I did a search for American Eagle and got no results so I'm thinking that this is a pretty old set.

Do any of you have an idea as to how old this set is?  And was it worth the 36-pack of beer that I paid for it :-)

Thanks
Larry

[ACY]

Can you post a photo, and is it a Bachmann set or if not who made it?

[LarryR]

Yes it is a Bachmann.

I couldn't post a pic due to the upload folder is full.  So I posted it here;

http://www.r-i-b-s.com/active/trains/

Thanks,
Larry

[ACY]

It appears to be from the early 1990's to late 1980's. It is worth about $30 collectively, maybe $35.

[LarryR]

OCY,

That's about  what I paid for the beer.

Is it  worth using this to start my  a 4x8 layout?  Or would you buy  individual pieces and start from scratch?

Thanks

[ACY]

I would buy a new loco, as your loco is not too great. And if that track is steel, then I would buy nickel silver track.

[LarryR]

OCY,

Thanks for your input.  I just might give it to my  grandson and we could make something together .

[Doneldon]

Larry-

Your set should be a good test of just how interested your grandson and you will be in model railroading. It's not much to use as a serious foundation but it should tell you all you need to know about the future. If it turns out that trains are just something to set up and play with once in a while, this set will suffice. If it turns out to be an ongoing interest, you'll have learned that at a low cost.

It looks to me as though you have track without roadbed attached. It's probably brass, too. These are two characteristics which are a little problematic. The brass oxidizes quickly and that oxidation interferes with electrical transfer to the loco. You can clean rails with an eraser-like item you can get at any hobby shop. You can also use an ink eraser or even metal polish. Just don't use sandpaper or (ABSOLUTELY) steel wool. Your rolling stock probably has plastic wheels; these gunk up the track faster than metal wheels but I wouldn't worry about that for now.

Not having attached roadbed, which was standard 20 years ago, means the track won't stay properly connected and aligned very well. That is a major problem on carpet, or even hard floors. Your best bet would be to attach the track to a piece of plywood. That should keep things lined up.

Without knowing the age of your grandson I can't predict how your he'll take to trains, but I can tell you that all kids, especially boys, seem to get a kick out of controlling trains. Add a pair of switches and you might well find that you and your grandson have somethiing fun to share. 

Good luck with your introduction to model railroading.
                                                                                            -- D

[LGBfan17]

I have a Bachmann Old Timer HO set that I got from someone who's friends with my parents.  It has brass track and a transformer with screw terminals for track power.  If the set referenced by the original post in this topic is as old as my Old Timer set, its track is brass.

[LarryR]

lgbfan,

The track is steel.  The wheels on the rolling stock are plastic.

I'm going to take Doneldon's suggestion and add a couple of switches and see where it takes us.  My grandson just turned 9 and when he was little he loved his Thomas the Train set that he played with for years.

Thanks