Tyco quality?

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M

MitchyG

the new guy
I am looking to buy some used trains and want to know the quality of tyco rolling stock. Any suggestions? Any information would be nice.
 
Comparable to Life-Like. They are by no means high quality, but cheap and plentiful. I dont have any, but my grandpa does, and they are really pretty simple.
 
They are OK quality.
Not too detailed, but they look like what they are supposed to be.
Definitely recommended for a starting layout.
 


Depends on what you buy. Tyco had some AMAZING buildings, I have nearly all of the center street series:
http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/tycokitsandbuildings/id49.html

And some of the Contemporary Series:
http://www.ho-scaletrains.net/tycokitsandbuildings/id48.html

Great Tyco resource:
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/index.html

Motor quality was lacking, just like AHM, and Life Like train sets. All three companies made something that is still used today... The Tyco buildings went to IHC who made them until recently, Life Like made an amazing X72 boxcar, AHM had a decent Flexi-flo covered hopper...
 
Most of the Tyco rolling stock I've seen comes with horn hook couplers. They also probably need weight added to be reliable. I know you are looking to get a bunch of stuff to get started, but I suggest not being in a hurry.

Buy what fits your plan and not what you can get a good deal on.

Unless you are looking to have a very well stocked stuff-I-can't-use box.
 
in genral terms Tyco and quality are words that dont go with each other... Just my opinion. They are better left for kids toys
 
They're good to perfect your weathering techniques on, and OK for youngsters and really tight budgets, but there's lots of better stuff out there at reasonable prices
 
Actually the TYCO rolling stock is not bad.Some of the cars used either a Athearn casting or a clone there of.It takes probly 15 minutes to bodymount couplers and the trucks are usable with a little TLC.

I use a REBOXX Socket Tool to ream out the needlepoint axle recess on the origonal trucks and it makes a huge difference in the rolling quality.I would reccomend this tool to anybody modeling HO or On30.(MIcro-Mark has the same kind of tool )

Bachmann and LifeLike also have/had some very usable cars with a little simple reworking.
 


With the prices of Athern rolling stock being what they are, for a starter set Tyco stuff is okay. As was said, to make them reliable, you need to body-mount Kaydee-type couplers. IIRC, for awhile Tyco was marketing Mantua-made steam locomotives. Those were okay, and made some dandy bases for kitbashed locomotives. Their diesels were, IMHO, awful! But, if they run, fine.
 
The bodies are decent although you'll want to change out the horn hook couplers for at the very least some Kadee #28s. Body mounting some number 5s would be preferrable. Add some weight too.
 
Also If you're running old Tycos chances are the motors in the engines will probably be burned out by now. If they were made in the 70s to the mid 90s most likely they ran the Power Torque motors. Some were good and lived long service lives most were bad and burned out early. This guy's site has an article on how to fix `em. He's also got articles on Tyco freight cars.

http://goingincirclez.com/TycoTrains/Guide/PowerTorqueRepair
 
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One of the old Tyco locomotives I had laying around was a Tyco/Mantua F7-A. Here it is. It now has an Athearn chassis and is fitted with a Digitrax DZ125 decoder.

P1011237.jpg
 
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