Kat,
I have a 22 month old son who loves trains and yells Choo Choo everytime he sees one. I have all of my fathers old Lionel trains from the 1950's, but have not had time to get all of that equipment setup. I went out and purchased the Lionel Polar Express set last weekend, and I couldn't be happier. It is extremely easy to setup with the FasTrack, and it is a really solid locomotive and set. My son loves it, and spend hours on end laying in front of the tree sayinh Choo Choo. It was a great way for me to ease back into model railroading, and I will be able to incorporate all of my fathers old trains down the road as my son gets older. Hope that helps.
SK
Kat, Welcome to the diverse world of three rail trains from another SoCal resident. SoCal covers a very large area so if you are in the San Diego area or you feel like a road trip try visiting the San Diego Model RR Museum. There are full time exhibitors of O, HO and N gauge as well as a visiting Lego group. The "O" gauge club, the SD3Railers, also has a youth club that allows membership at 5yrs of age.
There have been a lot of good suggesstions of where and how to start. My only recommendation is to start slow and start small, dollar amount not gauge. If the interest and fun continues you can always add to the starter set but if not then the expense is also minimized. Also by starting with a less expensive starter set it will possibly allow the addition of an operating accessory to add to the so-called "play value".
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Kat-
Try a visit to your local hobby shop and pick up a Lionel catalog and the MTH Set catalog. Some dealers charge $2-$5, some give them away free.
One other thing. If space is REALLY a concern you might consider creating your own 027 "set". Start by purchasing a Thomas Lionel O set for about $120. Save the fastrak for later when you have more room or want to run on the floor (say on a rainy weekend). Next add 027 Lionel (or K-line) track in its smallest diameter (027) curves and a power lock on. Add a few straights. This will add another $20. O27 is the old "set" standard so it looks older than Fastrak and is a tad harder to assemble and keep assembled.
An alternative is to start with a K-line set. Or purchase one as an "add-on". K-line is out of business but the sets are sometimes available for $100 - $200 and usually have a lot of cars. They have track that can be made to work with 027 but the curves take more room.
Add-on number 2 is to purchase a "expansion" set for about $80 - $110. Once again save the fastrak for later. The freight versions give you 2 cars, one dump car and a truck plus more.
Add-on number 3 is an 027 remote uncoupling track ($10?).
Add-on number 4 is an 027 switch (manual-$14? or remote- $25?) and more track (about $1 or less per piece).
Add-on number 5 is an 027 cross over and curves to make a figure 8.
Add-on number 6 is scenery purchased or built (from Legos, card board, plastic, or whatever).
Add-on number 7 is a small engine like the RMT Beep ($70), K-line Plymouth switcher ($70-$89) or Porter ($100) or an MTH or Lionel trolley ($50 - $100).
One last thing about fastrak straights is that they can transition to O or O27 with an adapter piece set (about $10?) and a few shims. Once you have the transition you can use the remote uncoupling track and straights from the expansion set with your 027 curves.
Good luck and have fun!!!!
Jim H
First things first - - welcome to the forums!
Speaking now from my own experience, I learned to operate Lionel O27 by the time I was your son's age. (I also had learned how to reassemble the train after the inevitable derailments.) The key factor is fine muscular control, something which only you can judge.
The probability is that you have a lifetime train nut on your hands - something my mother had to deal with as well. You can use that bend in the twig to promote reading (children's books with railroad themes) and other favorable behavior. Don't be surprised if, some time down the road, a lot of his friends turn out to be budding (or blooming) rail buffs. Trains have led me into contact with a lot of fascinating people.
Looking into the future, I foresee nothing but joy for the combination of parent, child and trains.
(I have seen the child's perspective on this, and also the parent's. I am 66 years older than your son.)
All the best
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with toy trains)
I have nothing against Lionel, I own a lot of them. A couple of things to keep in mind. MTH also makes starter sets and they have a couple of advantages: 1. Better transformer comes with sets. 2. Realtrax is stainless steel and will not rust. 3. Realtrax is 031 diameter and will take up less space. 4. The locomotives are better quality and will last longer.
Number 4 is not my opinion but that of the local train store owner.
Just my 2 cents guys, don't start throwing rocks.
I have no problem with Lionels high end stuff or the older postwar stuff but their current starter sets leave a lot to be desired.
Target has a very nice Lionel train right now (about $250 but watch for sales). If you purchase a train for Christmas or Birthday be sure to test it before the big day. Quality problems can happen.
If he still likes Thomas, I would start with the Lionel O gauge set. It is inexpensive and fun. If he really wants a steamer or more modern diesel I would consider starting at a local hobby shop unless you can not swing the shop price premium (about $30 -$60). Hobby Lobby also has a selection of trains. If you get on their email list they will occasisionally give a 40% off coupon which brings thier overpriced trains down to just below the best mail order prices (about $160).
Some more options for you. The Lionel Fastrack can be assembled into an oval and then when done just picked up and hung on a wall. My friends (and I) have also found using a hollow core door also works very well. That is what my friends in a condo unit do. The largest door is 36" wide so you might have to add a few wood strips to the long sides so that Fastrak will fit. Or use two 30" wide doors and assemble them on the floor to use and split apart to push under a bed or behind furniture. You can also hinge them together.
Check out this site for additional information
http://www.greatesthobby.com/
or go to the trains.com home page for downloadable articles.
I agree that a "real train" starter set is the way to go (since he has already been the Thomas route). You don't say if this will be a "surprise" gift. Better that it is not. Set a dollar limit, and let him help decide on how to spend it (freight set, passenger set, type of engine, etc).
I'd worry a bit about exposing the trains, tracks, etc to high humidity (patio or garage). A roll-out, under-the-bed set-up may be best for now. Lionel starter sets come with FasTrack, so the track does not have to be attached to the board (4 squares of 2-sided thin foam tape will do).
If you decide on a raised platform, don't "over-engineer" it. A hollow-core door on 2 plastic saw-horses will do for now. Your child sounds like my 2 year-old Grandson...a total train nut, and running his own simple "O" gauge set on the floor. All the best, Joe
I have a 4yo son and a 2yo daughter. That said, we have both the wooden Thomas trains and the Lionel O gauge trains. The wooden trains are great for the young children, but it is also great to have the electric trains for something they can look forward to doing with Mom and Dad. We have a small train table in my son's room and he and my daughter can play relatively unsupervised. Until I started my big layout, we had a nice small layout that would roll under the bed. If you or your husband have very basic woodworking skills, it would be no problem to build one of these.
Lionel makes a "Thomas" set in O gauge and also in G gauge. I would go with the O starter set, you can get one on the internet, or through some of the advertisers in Classic Toy Trains for a little over $100.00. One of the nice parts about this, is that they also sell "expansion packs" that will allow you to buy gifts for future events like birthdays, etc. While these trains are not indestructable, they are relatively durable and should withstand the punishment of the small children. Again, the electric trains will require your supervision, but in the end, it is well worth it to spend some focused time with your children while they are still young and want to play with you instead of going out on dates.
Good luck and please return often as any questions arrise.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
Hi, Welcome aboard.
A Lionel starter set was mentioned. Here is a link so you can see what they look like.
http://www.lionel.com/Products/Catalogs/Catalog.cfm?CatalogUID=A1D98741-B8B4-F5A5-9867DF780CEE5190&PageID=843
Its a great place to start. Add to the set as he gets older. Buy a copy of Classic Toy Trains magazine and read a little bit about the hobby. Good luck.
Two thoughts come to mind...
For a train that your son can play with now:
Playmobile makes a "1-2-3" line of toys. One of them is a non-motorized train. They used to sell it as a set that included track and you could add track, bridges, etc. The parts are large enough and solid enough, that they aren't going to come off and go into the mouth.
Playmobile now has remote control battery operated trains that run on the same track.
Here is a link. Check out the "1-2-3" pages, and also the "Transport/Train" pages from the menu on the left:
http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/ViewProductDetail-Start?ProductRef=6734%40Sites-US&CatalogCategoryID=TQIKAANpnQ4AAAEOlRwUFTeM&JumpTo=BrowseStandardCatalog
For an electric train:
Do you have room for a "shelf layout"? This would get the trains up off the floor until everyone is older, but still let them watch them right now.
A shelf layout is mounted up on the wall on a shelf that circles the room. The shelf can be made with a simple "L" brackets (or a ledger board) and some plywood. You can use O gauge (Lionel, or Mikes Train House, or Williams Trains), or the larger G gauge trains (LGB or Aristocraft) with this.
Some people use G gauge in children's room shelf layout because they are larger and more colorful. However, the downside with this is that G gauge takes a lot more space that O gauge. So as the child grows it gets difficult to "build" a layout without going outside.
O gauge is small enough that with the right size (say O-27) you can build a layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and then expand it to a second one. There is a good example of such a layout on page 28 of a book called "Classic Lionel Display Layouts You Build" by Roger Carp. Your local library may have it (the book was plublished by Kalmach Books, the plubisher of Classic Toy Trains).
My son has the Brio Thomas the Tank Engine trains - he loves them and has been playing with them since he got his first set for his second birthday (yes, he was already obsessed by that age! :) ) Trains have actually been his favorite thing (full size trains, toy trains, model trains, pictures of trains, movies about trains... you get the point) since he was just over a year old. This is why we're looking to get him something of more lasting value. Both my husband and I grew up with a train hobbyist in our families, so it's something we'd like to pass on and are looking forward to doing ourselves.
Kat
Size. The most popular scales are G, O (1/48), S (1/64), HO (1/87), and N (1/160). G is quite large and intended for use outdoors; the scale varies greatly among manufacturers. Of all of these, O and S are usually considered to be "toys" while the others are usually called "models". All but G take up about the same space for the track, since the larger scales generally use sharper curves in proportion to the train size. It is common in O particularly to make the trains somewhat smaller than they should be for the scale, especially in length. The approximate track gauges (the spacing of the rails) in inches are: G 1 3/4, O 1 1/4, S 7/8, HO 5/8, and N 3/8.
Realism. Many accurate models are available in O and S, but most O and S gaugers do not stress this aspect of the hobby. O track in particular uses 3 rails. O gaugers overlook this lack of realism because of the simplicity of wiring 3-rail track. HO and N gaugers usually consider themselves "model railroaders" and place great importance on accuracy of the models.
Durability. The larger the scale, the more rugged the trains tend to be.
Cost. The larger the scale, the more expensive the trains tend to be. In O and S, there is a collecting aspect to the hobby. However, most old O and S trains are not particularly valuable.
Simplicity. In all scales, there are simple traditional ways to run trains and modern digital control systems, which can usually be adapted to older trains. Traditional 3-rail O scale is probably the simplest electrically.
Bob Nelson
Kat, my wife is a kindergarten teacher and she uses the BRIO type trains in her class room. The kids love it! BRIO is somewhat high priced when compared to other wood type trains. I would imagine CostCo or Sam's Club might have some real nice wood sets. Of course if you are comfortable with EBAY, just type in "wooden trains". Even some of the model train shows will have wooden trains.
BTW, the photo to the left of this post is of me running my first Marx train at age 4 1/2. My grandfather put the track on a board and it sat on top of the freezer in the kitchen.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
He's 3 1/2, so right now this is something we will build and he'll get to watch running. :) We'd like to start out pretty simple so he can add to it as he gets old enough to participate.
A floor layout probably wouldn't work for us because, while he is careful enough, we also have a 9 month old son who loves more than anything to get into his brother's trains. We do, however, have a fairly large patio where we could build and move it into the garage during the rainy months (we live in Southern California).
That article sounds interesting, though... it might be just the right thing to have it stored under his bed. A great big basement would be even better, though. ;)
What a wonderful Mom! Welcome to the CTT Forum and you are in for a pleasant suprise. In the November 2003 issue of Classic Toy Trains (CTT) Magazine, the folks that sponsor this forum they had an article on how to contruct a layout that will roll under the bed. If you can't find the magazine at your local public library, you can still buy back copy on this web site: http://www.trains.com/ctt/default.aspx?c=i&id=2&iid=28
BTW, I would also like to suggest you move to Ohio, where we have big basements for trains. Housing is cheap, too!
My oldest son loves trains. I don't think it would be possible to overexaggerate his fascination with them. My husband and I would like to start working on building something for him to enjoy and to enjoy with him.
I'm totally lost, though! I have no idea where to start. All I know is that his favorites are the older steam trains and whatever we do can't take up too much space because we live in a condo.
I'd really appreciate any pointers on where to start.
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