I remember during my years away from the O gauge hobby, at some point, I don't remember when, the "age recommendation" for model trains (including O gauge I believe) went from 8 to 14. Can anyone tell me when and why this happened? My dad and I of course followed the age 8 and above reccomendation to the T when I was younger .....
I got my first Lionel when I was 5 or 6 years old. It had a number 242 plastic scout engine, a turbo missle car, a "Van Camps" plug door bov car and an SP caboose. No age recommendations back then. I am 56 now.
George
I would guess that is the age a toy company thinks a child can run the train by themselves. Only reason for that age would probably be plugging the transformer in.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
It's simply governmental regulation. CPSC and the like. Lionel even had to modify whistle circuits on motor driven whistles to lower the sound output.
Rob
I got my first Lionel O gauge train set for Christmas 1949. I was 7 years old. My parents taught me how to take care of it and how to operate it safely. I still have that train today. And it runs.
I think the manufacturers have to display an age on their products according to law. Probably because they don't want to be sued because some kid got hurt playing with one. That was the reason they stopped making smoke pills.
Chuck
I have been involved with trains for 50 years as stated above and I have never heard of anyone getting hurt with an O, HO or N gauge train. I've never heard of anyone being electrically shocked or swallowing any small parts from a toy train. I have never heard of anyone being injured with live steam trains and these are actual pressure vessels that could theorically explode, if not operated right. I guess it has happened to someone along the way somewhere , but I have never heard of it.
Kids used to get to play with cast iron locomotives, wet cell batteries, Uranium and all kinds of educational toys that are verboten these days. Yet somehow they (and we for that matter) all managed to survive our childhoods.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Well George and others, here you are. I got a strong shock from the AC plug, when my small hand slipped as a child of about 6 as I was plugging the Z transformer and touched the plug blades. Might have happened twice as I am a slow learner. Obviously I still remember it as it was quite a jolt. Also not a locomotive, but a replica steam engine; I got burned a couple of times on the hot boiler, again by accident.
Kids are not as careful as adults.
Lynne
On one hand, I don't think HO and N scale trains in the hands of MOST children (who are not railfans) may not last, and certainly, one probably would not give a $300 N scale train to a child that young who is not a model train enthusiast ( I say this being an N scale enthusiast as well and as someone who owned N scale at a young age). However, I don't see why this has to apply to ALL trains especially those O and G, who at least at the starter set end I think would be designed to take rough handling.
And Johnny Cash apparently agrees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4M0D5hYhtI
Especially when we have Thomas (and now Chuggington) in the various gauges (although I think those might be exempt). I don't know, I just hope if there is a random parent who wants to get his/her child a model train, and walks into a train store and sees "These are models, not toys, for ages 14 and up" turns around and doesn't get it for him/her. Certainly if the parent knows the child will destroy it, that's one thing. I got my first Lionel train (and LGB) train in 6th grade and both trains survived (I knew the Lionel was considered an antique so I ran it "respectifully" altho I knew the LGB could take it, and it survived many, many staged collisions and abusive running and to this day runs like new and is still one of my favorites to run). It would be great if there's a hobby shop owner on here who could shed some light into why the industry went that way. I can see it for smaller scales, but not for O and G.
The US Product Safety Commission lists electric trains as suitable for 8-9 year olds and older. But I could see where certain products especially kits might list an older age due to complexity or fragileness. Or cost - I'm not sure I would allow an 8 year old unsupervised play with a $2000 train.
I was 8 when I got my first electric trains, HO Fleischmann. My brothers were 7 and 6 and got electric trains also. I don't recall any problems or injuries to any of us. The trains were another story as we used to set up wrecks, collisions, etc. But it was fun.
Enjoy
Paul
I have a book, "A Century Of Lionel Timeless Toy Trains", which shows a picture of the Lionel 1942 catalog that says "For Boys from 6 to 12" .
As I understand from reading articles on the 'web', around 1973, a product safety commission concluded that certain electrical toys, because of their potential for overheating, suggested that the age guidelines be changed to age 8 and above.
Apparently Santa Claus didn't read any of the pronouncements of anyone's "product safety commissions," since he brought me my first Lionel train (a 2026 set) in 1951, when I was three.
The train still looks and runs as well as it did in 1951. Nor did it ever injure me in any way. How lucky I was!
My first born, Jarrett, was operating our Lionel layout at 2. By then he was also using the plastic railer to put HO trains on the track, building up his own consists and sending them on their way. Due to size, weight and cost of the Lionel, he was not allowed to remove them from the track.
When you see age recomendations on toy trains, or any toys for that matter, you're seeing the fine hand of the risk management and corporate law specialists. Simply put, it's "CYA" on the part of the company. Better to be safe than sorry.
Of course, YOU know your kids better than anyone else. If you think a toy train is OK for them, whatever the age, go for it!
At any rate, they "can't shoot their eye out" with a toy train!
well how about those missile launchers, they might be able to JK JK I mean, I don't want this to get political, but I 'm not anti -gov. regulation in general, like I said I just hope a parent doesn't see that and immediately turns around and a chance to get someone into model trains (either with O gauge or other scales) is lost. That and seeing this http://modeltrains.about.com/od/toytrainsforchildren/tp/O_Scale_Issues.htm yes, some valid points, but not much else in my opinion. I had someone tell me O and G scales are "only good for holiday displays." You can do them in small spaces, you just have to be creative and willing to compromise.
although I think this is a great reply http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ab-modeltrains&tid=78
#5 for me was why I got out of HO (this was before EZ track) and into the larger scales/gauges
Whoops! I fogot about those missile launchers!
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