Both the Bachmann Whistle-Stop and the Empire Builder Starter Sets were excellent investments for me. Once I had both, I had two beautiful-looking steam locomotives with separate tenders, 9 cars of different freight rolling stock including reefer, boxcar, tankcar, hopper, gondola and TWO offset cupola cabooses in different colors! Combine that with EZ Track and the two controllers– and the introduction to N scale trains for me was complete.
I liked how easy the EZ track was to put together and take apart. I liked the simplicity of the DC and the DCC controllers, and how they even matched! I was learning about feeders (the EZ Track system does not make adding feeders easy, but I didn’t know this yet!) and the most basic fundamentals of DCC operation. I quickly retired the DC controller in favor of the DCC. I could still run my DC Empire Builder loco with the DCC, albeit with the annoying whine you get with DC locos on DCC track.
The real joy of running trains emerged when I could run the Whistle-Stop DCC loco, ring the bell and sound the horn! Watching (and hearing the sounds of) that steam loco traveling on the track, pulling 10 freight cars including a bright red caboose behind it, its drive wheels and connector rods chuffing in perfect unison– oh gosh. I was hooked.
James' N Scale Train Layout Project 
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