Hornby R1126 Mixed Freight 00 Gauge Digital (DCC) Train Set

I like this set. Two locos and DCC control are good fun - independent control of two locos on the same track is great ("normal" sets require the electrics switching to individual bits of track to allow control of more than one loco at a time).

Both Diesel and steam loco move smoothly even at very low speeds and there are enough wagons to be entertaining.

The controller suffers the usual problem with modern digital devices - not enough buttons! Access to most features are a combination button presses or press-and-hold so not really intuitive. It also has the odd quirk - such not being able two switch control between two running trains smoothly.

I ran this set very briefly on the carpet and it picks up vast amounts of fluff so really wouldn't recommend it. The track mat it comes with is nicely printed but where it's been folded shows even when stuck down. The other more important thing is that fixed to a single full-sized board it's BIG and unwieldy so unless you've somewhere to leave it up then it's really no fun to lump about nor find a home for it when not in use.

For a bit of wet-afternoon-fun you can still temporarily fit together a loop and siding on the dining room table and run the trains round - it's certainly doing-it for my 4 year old son who has learnt to put trains very carefully on the tracks as well as work the controller! He's surprised us all with his care and interest but consider (for enthusiastic dads like me "buying it for their sons" ahem) that it really is a model not a toy.

Well after much deliberation about which manufacturer I finally took the plunge with Hornby.
There is from what I can gather nothing wrong with Bachmann and the local modelling club are making good use of Bachmann.
A train set as a Christmas present for a young boy I think is going to be a huge success.
First things first. Just unwrapping the present and seeing the pictures on the box made his eyes light up.
Be prepared to be pestered for best part of the day , Dad can I have the train set out....nag, nag, nag.
Setting up the track is easy enough. Getting the fish plates to interlock is a little tricky at first.
I tended to miss one side a lot. This is easy to spot if you gently twist the track clockwise then anti-clockwise to make sure both rails are engaged in the fish plates.
Once the track is set up then the controller is an absolute doddle.
Two trains and four goods wagons. They are typically light and could do with a bit more weight to them.
My memories of playing with a train set some thirty years ago serves me well now.
A technical point - as I understand it, Hornby track is now made from nickel/silver. An important point as it used t be made of steel and prone to oxidation (rust).
Read the quick start guide for the engine set up. Shunter re-addressed within minutes followed by the black loco.
A technical point - whilst the engines are digital, they operate at the most basic level. There are no lights, whistles or bells. This is a starter kit. Don't waste your money on the more expensive models until you are sure the child is interested in playing with a train set. Train sets are built up over many years. I know, been there, T-shirt etc...
Running two engines independently on a single loop with one siding is no problem.
I was not the train driver. Five and half year old was doing the speed control and changing the points over. Picked it up very quickly. Swapping between loco speed control selections via the buttons after being shown.
The controller is easy to use and it was initially a bug bear of mine. I am now happy to say that having used it and seen the boy grasping its functionality so quickly I see no issue with it.
My bug bear was simply this - when changing from the shunter to the loco, I did not know how the speed control would be affected. It does require an element of memory from the train driver.
The speed change is easily over come by setting up the acceleration/deceleration of each engine. It is in the instruction manual and takes a couple of minutes. Once set, the swapping between engines and the speed is less noticeable. A compromise me thinks. The boy does not even worry about it.
I also bought extra track to provide an inner loop. It is not essential but if you do have more than one child then I would recommend it.
The controller does both engines so it is a good way to get siblings to share. I had too!
Alternatively, there is a 'Walkabout' unit (up to eight units if you read the spiel) which plug into the master controller and allows two or more people on separate controllers to play.
Not seen or experienced it working but I can see no reason why it wouldn't. Yet again, until proven that they have an interest in playing with a train set, hold off buying those extras.
Does my son enjoy the train set?
Yes he does, plays on it for about half an hour a day. He makes the chuffing/whistling whoo whoo sounds and is generally lost in the imaginative play time it provides.
We have put to use the tunnel that we made from cardboard some months ago. Creativity.
After another read of the manual and two minutes later, the two engines can be run together and has some novelty value at first. It is better to have them separately controlled.
After another read of the manual they are back to running independently of each other.
The track mat does provide a useful background and a layout to aspire to. Over time you can design your own layout. That is the idea of playing with a train set.
The best part of the day was getting the old GWR Castle Class out of the box. The DCC will operate an analogue engine. Only one though. The manual says it is not recommended so I was rather dubious about trying it out. It ran like a dream and my boys excitement at seeing that loco running around the track was a joy to see. Old Bessie as he like to call her.
A great little starter kit for any budding engineer and it gets them away from those console games.
Needless to say 'we are well chuffed with it'

I like to set-up a train set around the Christmas Tree each year and my Live Steam locomotive had gone for a service. I wanted an inexpensive digital set as an alternative and this one seemed to be fabulous value at the time being just under £100. Well, I must say that I'm hooked! My 16 year old son enjoyed it too and he has never ever shown interest with a train set before. To my surprise, the digital controller would successfully run an an old analogue diesel engine too! Maybe this is a bit of a loss leader, but I've already ordered all of the extension track sets, a DCC chip for my old analogue loco, automatic decoupler and a few other items. Superb and a very happy chap! Full marks to the supplier & carrier too for such incredibly fast delivery just before Christmas - Excellent.