I'd like to help my son get into trains...

[Anonymous]

Hi there. My 10 year old son has shown an interest in real trains since before he could talk. Now he'd like to get into toy/model trains as a hobby. Where should I start!?

[Demon09]

Well, start by deciding what he holds more of an interest in, steam or diesel. Many of the major o gauge companies offer great starter sets around $200 that include everything you need to start, but many of them are steam engines. Lionel and MTH are the major companies that offer starter sets, and if you look you might be able to find K-Line starter sets still (they recently were bought out of business). Many people on this forum will argue that one is better than the other, but it really isn't true. It is all a matter of taste for the user, and at 10 years old I doubt your son will complain if he recieves one rather than the other. From there you just need to find a local hobby shop and pick up the set that you've decided on, set it up somewhere and let him have fun.

At some point you might consider getting him a subscription to the train magazine that runs this forum as well. It offers many articles that will teach him how to begin a layout, maintain his trains, and includes advertisements for many helpful train stores across the US. This will help him get an idea of how far he wants to take the hobby by showing him what others have done and what is available. (but with him at 10 years old, maybe you'd find the magazine more useful.... then again, who knows...)

Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

You could buy a starter set. It would include a short train, a transformer, and enough track to get going. Then, if he takes to it, you could expand as much as you want. The starter sets aren't the high-end stuff, but that way you don't have to spend a ton right off the bat before you know how "into it" he (and you) will be.

Lionel makes the classic O gauge trains (and the shorter O27 that uses the same track). The smaller HO gauge is the most popular, partly because you can fit more items per alloted space. Bachmann is a good company to look at here. Both have starter sets.

Here are their sites:

www.lionel.com
www.bachmanntrains.com

One more thing is if you know anyone with layouts, or if there is a local hobby store that sells trains, seeing first-hand will help you decide on gauge and size.

[Jumijo]

Bring your son to a hobby store that sells electric trains and let him pick out a starter set. Also let him pick out the gauge he wants. He might just prefer N or HO to O gauge. N is small, HO is half as big as O. At ten years of age, he's old enough to operate any of those sized trains successfully.

Jim

[wrmcclellan]

chjh,

Welcome to the CTT forum.

Not knowing what part of the country you are in, I suggest the following:

a. Seek out a local hobby shop that specializes in toy trains. Their Yellow Pages ads usually reflect if they are a Lionel and/or MTH dealer. Go there and talk to the owners and also ask to be introduced/speak to some local folks that regularly buy and operate toy trains.

b. Look at the web sites for the Lionel Operating Train Society (LOTS - http://www.lots-trains.org/), the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA - http://www.lionelcollectors.org/), and the Train Collectors Association (TCA - http://www.traincollectors.org/) and see if there is a local chapter and meets in your area. Most of these organizations have a focus area for kids (i.e. TCA's Kids Club - http://www.traincollectors.org/kidsclub.html). These folks can provide you advice and some ideas.

c. And there are those of us here on the CTT forum that are always happy to provide some advice [2c]

You may wi***o investigate purchasing a starter set from Lionel of MTH, one that comes with everything you need to get started - track, transformer, and train. Your local hobby shop as mentioned above will typically carry these sets. Make sure what you buy has some good play value. Typically a freight set with a box car and gondola which can be used to load and unload things is a good starting point.

Lionel and MTH both have their catalogs on-line so you can see what they currently offer. Look in the sets area.

www.lionel.com is the home page; http://www.lionel.com/Products/Findex.cfm is where the catalogs can be viewed. Look at the 2006 Vol 1 catalog.

http://www.mth-railking.com/ is the home page; the 2006 Vol 2 catalog is linked from their home page.

Regards,
Roy

[spankybird]

See if there are any local train clubs to visit or seek out other hobbiest at your local train store. Most of them are more than willing to invite you over for a visit.

[dwiemer]

One thing you don't want to do is just leave it at the starter set layout, if you just go with one oval, he will get bored. be ready to make a few purchases to keep him going. One idea is the expansion packs that Lionel has for several starter sets. These add action to the layout and include a switch to vary the layout.
Dennis

[JeffPo]

Don't even consider HO gauge. O gauge is the way to go with kids. As others have mentioned, a basic starter set is a great beginning. Add some extra track when you can, for a siding, etc. Also, as someone said, get a freight set (i.e. not a passenger set). Kids can get more play out of a freight set. My kids, especially my son, loves cars that light up. Lincoln Logs are also good for building your own buildings beside the tracks.

[Demon09]

yeah, I'd agree on the lincoln logs.... when I got my first set I was 7, and that was probably one of the more fun things to have along side the trains.... allowed me to use them as freight and to make buildings and things.... helps keep interest longer than just watching the train make circles in the loop.

[corton]

If you're looking for a starter set, you might also consider Hobby Lobby. Most carry at least 1 K-Line or Lionel starter sets. The thing about Hobby Lobby is that every other week, they print a 40% off coupon. That's a chunk of change.

This week is the "on" week for the coupon. www.hobbylobby.com and click on the current week specials, and you can get the online coupon.

[thor]

Everyone has given you good advice here, my two cents worth is:-

Trains quickly get boring unless they can be played with, that is put things into the wagons, have a lot of operating. That means being able to switch tracks, couple and uncouple and an operating accessory such as a wagon that dumps logs or coal and can be loaded.

O gauge has it all over the other scales for this aspect alone.

Chances are your boys interest will be directly linked to your own active participation. So I hope you like playing with trains too.

[Anonymous]

A lot of very good suggestions so far. As one poster mentioned, go to a couple of hobby shops. The atmosphere will definetely inspire a 10 year old. Find one that has a good operating layout to give your son an idea of the type of world he can create with his own layout.

If you have any train museums in your area that would also be a good place to learn about trains. I would also recommend the Tom McComas "I love toy trains" series of videos to get your son involved in the hobby.

Finally, I would offer to help him build his layout together as partners.

Steve Tapper
Northern Central High Railers