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The 8 Best hobby train diesel locomotives of 2025

Are you trying to find hobby train diesel locomotives among various brands on the market but aren’t sure where to begin? To assist you in finding the right one, we’ve put together a list of the 7 best to help you pick the perfect one!

We investigated and evaluated a number of the top-selling hobby train diesel locomotives on the market in order to create our list of the best. Making a decision among the many options available is never simple. There are an infinite number of models available, each with a distinct price. And as you’ll find out, the best options aren’t usually the ones you imagine! This comparison is rich and relevant because of the numerous factors that were employed. You will find products featured in this ranking not only based on their pricing but also on their features and other customers reviews. To write this review, we completed 15 hours of research and did 62 hobby train diesel locomotives tests. You won’t need to pick products at random any more. If you’re unsure of what to look for, browse our list and consult the buying guide!

An overview of our top picks

Table of contents

The best hobby train diesel locomotives you can buy today

No. 1
Walthers Trainline HO Scale Model EMD GP15-1 - Standard DC - Conrail (Blue, White) for Unisex Children
  • 1: 87 HO scale
  • Heavy die-cast metal frame for added pulling power
  • All-wheel drive and electrical pick-up
  • Body-mounted magnetic knuckle couplers
  • Rp-25 metal wheels
  • These are hobby grade products securely packed for protection in shipping
  • Please handle with care when removing from package or breakage could occur
SaleNo. 2
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 Diesel Locomotive - MKT™ #231 (with Dynamic Brakes) - N Scale
  • Highly Detailed GP 40 Model with Operating directional dimming (Rule 17) headlights
  • All-wheel electrical pickup and drive
  • Skew wound motor with bronze bearings, Die-cast chassis
  • Performs best on 11. 25" radius curves or greater.
  • N Scale 1: 160
No. 3
Walthers Trainline EMD GP9M Standard DC Burlington Northern #1709 Collectable Train
  • Package Dimensions: 4.318 cms (L) x 11.938 cms (W) x 25.654 cms (H)
  • Product Type: Toys And Games
  • Package Quantity: 1
  • Country Of Origin: China
SaleNo. 4
EMD GP40 Diesel Locomotive UNION PACIFIC® #508 (without dynamic brakes) - N Scale
  • Operating directional dimming (rule 17) headlights
  • All-wheel electrical pickup and drive
  • Skew wound motor with bronze bearings, die-cast chassis
  • Performs best on 11. 25" Radius curves or greater.
  • N scale 1: 160
SaleNo. 5
1997 Hallmark 1950 Santa Fe F3 Diesel Locomotive
  • 1997 Hallmark Ornament 1950 Santa Fe F3 Diesel Locomotive
  • Second in the Lionel Train Series
  • Comes with original box and packing material
  • Item length is 4 inches
  • Box has slight shelf wear
SaleNo. 6
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP38-2 DCC Ready Diesel Locomotive - GMTX #2103 - HO Scale, Blue (Packaging may vary)
  • DCC-ready with a factory-installed 8-pin socket for DCC decoder installation of your choice.
  • Die-cast chassis, and all-wheel drive
  • E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Preforms best on 18" radius curves or greater
  • HO Scale 1:87
No. 7
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 - DCC Equipped Diesel Locomotive - Southern Pacific™ #3086 (Speed Lettering) - HO Scale
  • DCC Equipped for speed, direction, and lighting
  • Highly Detailed Painted Bodies with Precision Graphics, Operating Headlights, All-wheel Drive, Precision Can Motor, Die-cast Chassis
  • Dual, precision-balanced flywheels, finescale handrails
  • Blackened metal wheels, with RP25 wheel contours, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Performs Best on 18" Radius Curves or Greater, HO Scale: 1:87
No. 8
Kato USA Model Train Products N Scale EMD F7A 2 Locomotive Set - New York Central #4008, 4022 (106-0440) Grey
  • Brand new tooling for these New York Central specific engines
  • DCC friendly and ready to run out of the box on your Analog(DC) layout
  • Powerful 5-Pole motors
  • Classic "Lightning bolt" paint scheme
No. 9
Bachmann Industries EMD GP40 DCC Equipped Locomotive Santa Fe #3508 HO Scale Train Car, Blue/Yellow
  • DCC Equipped Locomotive
  • 8-wheel drive
  • Performs best on 18" radius curves or greater
SaleNo. 10
Walthers Trainline EMD HO Scale GP9M Ready-to-Run Sante Fe, unisex-children
  • Ready to run
  • Dual fly wheels
  • Knuckle couplers
  • 1: 87 HO scale model
  • Quality construction and features
  • These are hobby grade products securely packed for protection in shipping
  • Please handle with care when removing from package or breakage could occur
No. 11
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 - Diesel Locomotive - CSX® #9704 - MOW - HO Scale
  • DCC-ready with a factory-installed 8-pin socket for DCC decoder installation of your choice.
  • Highly Detailed Painted Bodies with Precision Graphics, Operating Headlights
  • All-wheel Drive, Precision Can Motor, Die-cast Chassis, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Preforms best on 18" radius curves or greater
  • HO Scale 1:87
SaleNo. 12
EMD GP40 Diesel Locomotive SANTA FE #3808 (blue & yellow) (with dynamic brakes) - N Scale
  • Operating directional dimming (rule 17) headlights
  • All-wheel electrical pickup and drive
  • Skew wound motor with bronze bearings, die-cast chassis
  • Performs best on 11. 25" Radius curves or greater.
  • N scale 1: 160
No. 13
EMD GP40 Diesel Locomotive B&M #313 (without dynamic brakes) - N Scale
  • Operating directional dimming (rule 17) headlights
  • All-wheel electrical pickup and drive
  • Skew wound motor with bronze bearings, die-cast chassis
  • Performs best on 11. 25" Radius curves or greater.
  • N scale 1: 160
No. 14
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 - DCC Equipped Diesel Locomotive - CN #4011 - HO Scale
  • DCC Equipped for speed, direction, and lighting
  • Highly Detailed Painted Bodies with Precision Graphics, Operating Headlights, All-wheel Drive, Precision Can Motor, Die-cast Chassis
  • Dual, precision-balanced flywheels, finescale handrails
  • Blackened metal wheels, with RP25 wheel contours, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Performs Best on 18" Radius Curves or Greater, HO Scale: 1:87
No. 15
Bachmann Trains - EMD SD 40-2 DCC Ready Diesel Locomotive - Conrail #6446 - HO Scale, Prototypical Colors
  • DCC-Ready with a Factory-Installed 8-Pin Plug for DCC Decoder Installation of Your Choice
  • Operating headlights, all-wheel drive, precision can motor, die-cast chassis
  • Dual, precision-balanced flywheels, finescale handrails
  • Blackened metal wheels, with RP25 wheel contours, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Performs Best on 18" Radius Curves or Greater, HO Scale: 1:87
No. 16
Kato USA, Inc. N SD90/43MAC CP #9136
  • Powerful five-pole KATO motor with dual brass flywheels
  • Directional Headlight and preprinted numberboards
  • Kato magnetic knuckle coupler
  • DCC Friendly mechanism ready for drop-in decoder installation
  • Drop in DCC compatible with the Digitrax DN163K2 or Train Control Systems K2D4
SaleNo. 17
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP38-2 DCC Ready Diesel Locomotive - Norfolk Southern #5314 (Thoroughbred) - HO Scale (61721)
  • DCC-ready with a factory-installed 8-pin socket for DCC decoder installation of your choice.
  • Die-cast chassis, and all-wheel drive
  • E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Preforms best on 18" radius curves or greater
  • HO Scale 1:87
No. 18
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 - DCC Equipped Diesel Locomotive - Milwaukee Road #2022 - HO Scale
  • DCC Equipped for speed, direction, and lighting
  • Highly Detailed Painted Bodies with Precision Graphics, Operating Headlights, All-wheel Drive, Precision Can Motor, Die-cast Chassis
  • Dual, precision-balanced flywheels, finescale handrails
  • Blackened metal wheels, with RP25 wheel contours, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Performs Best on 18" Radius Curves or Greater, HO Scale: 1:87
No. 19
Bachmann Trains - EMD GP40 - Diesel Locomotive - Western Pacific™ #3508 - HO Scale
  • DCC-ready with a factory-installed 8-pin socket for DCC decoder installation of your choice.
  • Highly Detailed Painted Bodies with Precision Graphics, Operating Headlights
  • All-wheel Drive, Precision Can Motor, Die-cast Chassis, E-Z Mate Mark II couplers
  • Preforms best on 18" radius curves or greater
  • HO Scale 1:87
No. 20
Bachmann Trains Thomas And Friends - Diesel Locomotive With Moving Eyes , Black
  • Build your Thomas & Friends collection one friend at a time with this highly detailed locomotive
  • Metal wheels
  • Performs best on 15" radius curves or greater
  • Runs on HO Scale Track
  • International style hook and loop couplers
  • Build your Thomas and friends collection one friend at a time
  • Compatible with Bachmann HO scale E-Z track and other popular brands of HO scale track
  • Metal wheels
  • International style hook and loop couplers
  • HO scale train

How to choose a good hobby train diesel locomotives

Does the idea of finding a fantastic hobby train diesel locomotives make you anxious? When it comes to purchasing this product, specifically when deciding which model to select, has your head been spinning between options? You are not alone if that is the case. We are aware of the pressure involved in the purchasing process!

Your presence here indicates that you are interested in hobby train diesel locomotives. Before choosing which product would be the best for your needs after being inundated with information, locate a reliable source with genuine selections. You can get that information from a variety of sources, including buying guides and rating websites, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, online discussion forums where users can share their own experiences, product reviews that can be found all over the internet, and YouTube channels. You can only get the right product through exhaustive analysis. But you realize that’s not always simple. In order to ease your concerns, we have taken the time to develop a list of the top hobby train diesel locomotives products available right now. You might be wondering how we came up with the list. How was this buying guide developed?

First, we used our algorithms to gather as much reliable data as we could about these products. To verify all the data gathered, we used both artificial intelligence and a lot of algorithms.
Then, our experts used criteria that are recognized in the business to evaluate them according to their quality to price ratio, allowing us to choose the top hobby train diesel locomotives on the market right now!

The selection of the goods is not arbitrary. Before creating a list, we take into account a number of factors. Below are some of the criteria discussed:

Brand Value: What happens if you choose a dubious brand just because it appears to be a good deal? So the likelihood of receiving a product with a short shelf life increases. That is due to the fact that well-known brands have a reputation to uphold, while others do not. Top hobby train diesel locomotives brands strive to provide some distinctive traits that set them apart from the competition. So, hopefully one or more of the items on our list will be perfect for you.

Features: Useful features are all you need, not tons of them. We consider the important aspects and select the top hobby train diesel locomotives based on those.

Specifications: Numbers always help you measure the quality of a product in a quantitative way. We try to find products with higher specifications, but with the right balance.

Quality: A product’s quality may always be quantified with the aid of numbers. We look for goods with better standards that strike the proper balance. The best quality product that gets highly appreciated and recommended by experienced users.

Customer ratings:  Would it be accurate to suggest that the hobby train diesel locomotives were used by hundreds of customers before you? Superior ratings indicate that many customers had better service.

Customer Reviews: Like ratings,  provide you with accurate and reliable information about the product from genuine customers. Customer ratings are very important to all of us because they contain accurate and reliable information about the customer service we received from several hundred customers.

Seller Rank: This is very intriguing! Not only do you need a good hobby train diesel locomotives, you also need a product with rising sales that is trendy. It accomplishes two goals. First, the expanding user base proves the quality of the product. Second, given that number, producers must be able to offer greater quality and after-sales support.

Value: You get what you pay for, they say, so consider the value. Cheap isn’t always good and expensive isn’t always bad. However, that does not imply that spending a lot of money on a product that is flashy but underwhelming is a good idea. Before adding them to the list, we make an effort to evaluate how much value you can get for your money from your hobby train diesel locomotives.

Durability: Durability and reliability are closely related concepts. You will benefit from a strong and long-lasting hobby train diesel locomotives for months and years to come.

Product availability: Products come and go, and new ones replace the old ones. Most likely, a few new features and required changes were made. What use is it to use a supposedly good product if the maker no longer supports it? We make an effort to highlight products that are current and offered by one or more trustworthy sellers, if not more.

Negative Reviews: Yes, we do take that into account as well! The goods with the majority of bad reviews are filtered out and disregarded when we choose the best-rated one on the market.

These are the standards by which we selected our hobby train diesel locomotives. Do we end our process there? Hell no. The most crucial fact about us that you should be aware of is that we regularly update our website with current and pertinent information. We have one more layer of filtration since we place the greatest importance on reader satisfaction. Please let us know if any product included here is incorrect, irrelevant, subpar, or simply out of date. We always value your opinions, and we’ll work hard to make any necessary corrections to our list in response to them.

Why should you believe us?

There are now thousands of possibilities for these products on Amazon, but choosing the best one can be difficult and time-consuming. And what hobby train diesel locomotives should you purchase in 2022?

This guide is the result of more than 10 years of experience in researching, testing and writing about many topics. Each member of our team is an authority in their area. We read every article we could find online and every consumer review on every retail website for seven hours. Additionally, we discovered a ton of websites that offered helpful resources, including buying tips and thorough information on hobby train diesel locomotives.