Is A 5 Y.O To Young For A Lionel Set?

[halifaxcn]

Hello Group,

Here is my question. My 5 year old son (he will be 6 in Feb) is nuts about trains and he loves to "help" me with my Lionel trains. I am planning to build a 6X10 layout over the winter. My problem is that my wife thinks that he is to young. I received my first set on Christmas 1962 when I was 5. (I still have it. Texas Special Alco FA, red caboose, blue gondola and a blue Airex scout sized box car. For thos from the Boston, MA.  area it cames from the old Lechmere Sales in Cambridge).

I think that he can handle it and is very careful when operating mine. I am looking at the Santa Fe Southwest diesel freight set with the add on. Anyone's thoughts would be most welcome.

Thank you for any and all help.

Regards
Frank San Severino

[Buckeye Riveter]

See that photo to the left of this message.  That was me at age 4 1/2 running a small Marx train around an oval of track

 

[riverrailfan]

He's not to young. My son started running trains at 3 with supervision. He is 5 and he will be 6 in feb. He runs my xmas layout with no problem but I still supervise him when he does. If he is into Thomas the tank engine than that is a good starter. Everything is easy to put on the track and not overpowering that it will come off. If he is not than any of the flyer sets will do. Even one of the dockside switcher sets will do. If he is a diesel fan than the santa fe set will do. My sons first set was the great nortern glacier set.

[Frank53]

never too young for Lionel trains at Christmas.

[lionel2986]

Started when I was 4 with a MPC steam engine (mostly plastic).. still runs fine today although when I was younger I liked to put too much smoke fluid in it :)

[1688torpedo]

 Five Is never too young to have a train. Just buy him a basic set that he can handle with no trouble & will not cost you $$$$ if something gets broken or lost. Take Care.

[Anonymous]

I just got my first train and my daughter runs it with me, she is 3. Of course I have to make sure she doesnt make it go too fast, but she loves making it sped up and slow down, and of course blowing the whistle.

[brianel027]

Well Frank, let me put it this way. I wasn't even a week old before I had my first train set. My mom said she she could have had a fit when he came home with an electric train set for a kid who could not even sit up yet. Needless to say, he couldn't wait for CHRISTmas either.

So my advice, is the very day you bring the kid home is already late. A week old is plenty old enough. Don't even wait... Get the train set before the kid is even born.

At 5 years old, I was well on my way to being the train nut I am today. To further the point, the backyard of the first house I grew up in was fenced in... the fence connected right to the house... there was no way for a kid, epsecially a little toddler to get out of that yard. To this day, no one knows how I consistantly got out of that yard. But I did.

My mom would put me out in the back yard and watch me. All OK. Then a moment later she'd look out the front window and there I was toddling up the street to the busy intersection to sit on the curb, watching the train tracks across the street and waiting for the train to go by.

Even I was perplexed when I paid a visit to the house and saw that big obstacle of a fence was still there. So are those train tracks too!!!

Many years later, I was doing some fill-in deliveries at work. When I returned to the office, I was asked if the truck was having engine problems? I said, "No. Why do you ask?" One of the sales reps said he saw the truck pulled off the side of the road and was concerned.  I laughed and said, "I heard the train coming so I pulled off the road so I could watch it go by."

Ah, not much has changed for me in that respect. Except as a kid I loved the Big Red (Lehigh Valley) and now I love the Big Blue (Conrail) with as much vigor.

[darianj]

I had my son operating the throttle and the whistle/horn since he was a year and a half. I of course have to put the train on the track and once that is done, he'll run the train for about 1 hour before he starts to get a little mischievous and is ready to start reaching over to touch the train itself. Under supervision, your son will be fine!

[otftch]

My grandkids are four and eight.They have been running my trains since they were both three.At first it was whistle buttons and operating tracks.Now the eight year old can run all five tracks and the four year old three.They learn fast and now I know if i'm not around and they touch the trains they won't hurt them.

                                                   Ed

[traindaddy1]

I think that "age" is not the question.  Only you know your youngster and, from what you have written, I would say he is ready.  Santa brought me my first train (Marx- My best friend's family was better off so he got the more expensive Lionel @ the same time) the year the Korean Conflict started and we have been "into" trains ever since. 

(If it were me, though, I wouldn't let him "play with"  my "high-end" Lionel without supervision but I certainly would let him "run" them. Accidents do happen, even to us "older" guys and repairs are sometime costly)

Have a great holiday.

 

[Roger Bielen]

Not at all.  The older Grandddaughter, now 9, started at 4 years old and the youngest, 5, has no problems.  One helpful item is the rerailing ramp that Lionel has for Fastrack, I believe it also works on other tracks.  It takes the frustration of getting cars on the track, all the child needs to know is how to open a coupler. 

I've found that hoppers and gondolas are favored for carrying little dolls, cars, and whatnots.  The thing to remember is that with a child it is a toy, not Daddy's, or Grandpa's, collectable.  Keep the collectables on the shelve.

[thatboy37]

i dont think so. my 5 year old nephew has ran his thomas the train set fine the first time he started running it, and has every since. so the answer to your question is no he's not. also if your thinking about the southwest flyer set and the expansion set are being sold at hobby lobby and has another coupon online for 40% off one item. you can print the coupon as many times you want. take your significant other with you and knock it out in one trip. either way 5 is great thats when i got my first.