My First Rollingstock

For Christmas 2013, I was lucky enough to receive my first tranche of rollingstock - namely a Fleischmann SBB DCC Starter Kit - sourced from Reynaulds Euro Imports in the US (perhaps one of many purchases to come):

Contents:

• One electric locomotive Rh 4/4" (Re 420) with interrupt voltage decoder
• 3 EW IV passenger carriages
• 1 Fleischmann Multi Maus, 1 transformer, 1 amplifier
• 7 straight tracks (3 x 9100, 3 x 9101, 1 straight feeder track)
• 8 curved tracks 9120
• 2 uncoupling tracks 9114
• 1 left curved turnout 3168
• 1 right curved turnout 9169 and
• 1 rerail equipment 9480.

All tracks form an oval railway layout with a track radius of R1 and long fast track. Dimensions of track layout: 85 x 45 cm. Length of track: approx. 3.20 m.

Details

I have to say, I was immediately impressed with this as it came out of the box - especally how well packaged the whole things was - everything in its place - perhaps winning me over to the brand for sometime to come. What got me was how the DCC transformer had the Re4/4 preloaded into the controller (see below) so it was very much a "Plug and Play" experience.

But there were a few other things also stood out:

• I was impressed by the smooth operations of the consist - the loco was lovely and heavy (a far cry from the old Hornby stock that would tumble over in a gust of wind)
• The rerailer was a godsend (for anyone who's tried to rerail N-scale rollingstock) and
• The feeder track - what simplicity:

I can remember trying to get power to our old layout back in the 1970's using either a fiddly Hornby slide in contact (which never worked) or trying to seamlessly solder wires to the track (which used to constantly fall off in our heat and humidity).

Stereotypical I know, but it seems to ooze German efficency and quality - something I've long dreamt of and waited for - so I'm now happy to have waited this long to bring it to fruitition. Oh, and don't get me started about the opportunities of DCC (we'll leave that for another time!).