My nephew loved his new Lionel Train

[Anonymous]

I agree. I don't like all the "extras" on these new trains. That is one reason I like Williams trains so much. Good quility, inexpensive, and none of that extra stuff. All I need is a bell and a horn.

Bill

[brianel027]

Hey Tubine682, I'm with you all the way. Sure, the new electronics are fun I suppose, and pretty amazing. BUT electonic circuit boards and 3-rail trains don't always mix. Those electonics are sensitive to all the changes in track voltage. I've read the return rate on that stuff has hovered near 40-45%. I know no one using the current modern control systems who hasn't had to return something to be repaired - sometimes right out of the box. My friend ordered the new Lionel S-2 and it was dead on arrival.
I run trains for FUN, not frustration. I'll stick with my decidedly non-scale K-Line S-2's. I use this amazing little thing called "imagination" that I still have today. It requires no electronics and is easy to maintain. I look at my less-than-scale-detailed trains and by gosh, I can imagine that they look and sound just like the real thing.

AND Santa Fe, your nephew should fear not. Yes, the old operating Milk Car was a big hit for Lionel. You can typically find one of the smaller 9-inch operating Milk Cars for around $35... look on ebay or check train shows. You might not get the milk stand with it, but you can always make one. MTH makes a repro of the milk stand also. I got lucky - I got my milk car with the stand for $35... the car was in great shape, the stand was a little beat up, but the stand is easy to repaint and restore, so that's what I did.
brianel, Agent 027

[turbine682]

Way to go! Great to get kids involved and you're off to a good start, too. Looks like a great job on that 1666 (?)

Prototypical? I'm not going to spend $500.00 on the latest and greatest when I can get a 50-yr old Lionel work-horse for half that price. Good enough for me cuz running those babies is where the fun comes in for me. Noise, noise, noise! Just keep those engines, cars, and track clean and well-maintained and they will run for YEARS.

Happy Holidays!

[Anonymous]

It's really great to see that you're getting him involved in toy trains. It's always good to know that there are kids who take an interest in them. I'm sure he'll have lots fun with it for many years to come.

[Anonymous]

Ya he's so buried in "Bionicals" and Lego monstrosities I was hoping to steer his interest into good old fashioned toy train technology. Its something you can always add onto on Birthdays and Christmas. Plus its something us ADULTS can relate to when he's describing every last detail. [;)] I made sure to get him tons of track so he can make virtually any layout he wants and not get bored too quickly.

Its funny, after playing with my old set last year, one thing he asked while opening the extra cars we bought him was; "did I get the milk car?" [:D] My sister mentioned to him how expensive that milk car is, but maybe somebody will get it for him for his birthday. BTW- That milk car is supposed to be the most popular Lionel train car.

[brianel027]

Glad to see and hear this! We tend to hear from the adults on their trains and what they want... which is fine. BUT it's also important to not forget about the kids. Looks like your nephew has a pretty good setup to start with. I've had a couple of those NYC stater set steamers for years now and they run just fine. I don't have the Railsounds, and I know it is very cool, but I don't miss it either. I got my nephew one of the MRC Sound Stations so he can make a whole load of steam or diesel sounds by just pushing buttons, which kids love to do. And I've noticed kids don't get too upset about blowing the whistle on a diesel engine! Because that's part of the fun, which at one time was called P-L-A-Y before the word "prototypical" took its place.
Hope there's someone around who will continue to help him with his initial interest in trains. And I love that first photo! Your nephew can take pride in being one of the few kids in this generation to get a train set. My nephew tells his friends about Lionel trains... the kids have never heard of it before.
brianel

[Anonymous]

First off I hope everyone had a ncie Christmas! [:)]

OK I have to post some brag photos. What is a Christmas without a Lionel Train? I bought my 8 year old nephew a MIB 2001 New York Central Flyer set and my sister picked up a bunch of accessories for it. Boy was he surprised! And boy did his uncle have fun with it. (he-he) Aside from some mix ups with 027 and 0 gauge track, everything ran smoothly. And the Rail Sounds are very cool. Never had that when I was a kid.

Here's some pictures to share:







I managed to set up a small track under my tree with the little time I had. Not what I was hoping for, but hey, I've got the weekend free, so maybe we'll run it around the house. Here's a shot of my buddies restored 1946 loco. It runs like new. We set it up with his 5 year old on Christmas eve.



-Scott