Where to Start?

[Anonymous]

Based on my 2-year-old grandson's fascination with trains of all kinds and also on my fold memories of my Lionel train set when I was a kid in the 1930s, I want to get into the world's greatest hobby so I can steer him into it. But where to start? I've heard that HO scale is the most popular and has the most options and parts.

My inclination is to start with a ready-made train set in which I won't have to make anything but a plywood base. I could lay out the track and buildings. Is that too simple?

Is there a recent article in Classic Toy Trains that is written more or less for an absolute novice such as I?

[Anonymous]

I would not recommend HO for a 2 year old. An O gauge set would be more enjoyable and the child could handle the trains without fear of breaking anything. Go out and buy a Lionel starter set and see where it leads you. Only my opinion.

[Anonymous]

The current issue of CTT has an the first intallment on a multi-part article on building a layout. The layout is an over & under figure 8 (one leg of the 8 rises & crosses over the other) and fits on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood.

The first installment discusses building the train table. You could start here.

Remember, depending on when the starter set you buy was manufactureed, you may end up getting either O-27 track, if it's an older set, or the new FastTrack track, if it was manufactured this year. The layout was designed for O-27 track, which means a circile of track is 27 inches in diameter. The FastTrack curves are O-36 in diameter; which means that a circule of track is 36 inches in diameter. You will have to make adjustments to the layout in order to get the FastTrack to fit on the table.

Tony

[marxman]

Go visit a hobby shop that deals in trains and look at starter sets. The owners would be glad to show you all the options available. There are many manufacturers today beside the Big "L" that make entry level sets. But I also would recommend O or 027 trains for children. They are big and small hands can handle them. There are trains at both ends of the price range, but the cheaper starter sets can be a good choice. When the child gets older more expensive trains can be added, but until then an inexpensive set can be added to with accessories and other rolling stock as needed. Have lots of accessories, horns, whistles and lights that can be turned on and off with trackside buttons that they can operate. Have loads for the flatcars and gondolas, that the kids can load or unload themselves each time the train comes by them.

This can be a wonderful time for both Grandfather and Grandchild and can become a great bonding time. I certainly have enjoyed my Grandchildren who all love to come and play with Grandpa's trains. Enjoy the trains and the Grandkids at the same time.[:)]

[brianel027]

I agree with Marxman. Visit a local shop. The prices may be a little higher, but if the shop is a good one, you'll pick up tips and info. As Tony said, all the new Lionel sets come with their new FasTrack. It's good for the instant floor layout, but the actual dimension of the circle is 40 inches because of the molded roadbed, meaning you won't get more than an extended circle on a 4'x8' layout. I personally like 027 track. Yes, it has limitations... you won't be able to run many of the more scale sized engines because of the 27 inch diameter. But you probably won't be buying any of those any ways. As a loose rule of thumb, most diesels 14 inches in length will be fine on 027 track. If you bought a FastTrack set, maybe the dealer would exchange the track for 027. Or you could save the FasTrack for the holiday floor layout. The 027 track (and switches) are definitely more affordable.
Train sets to avoid:
- The Lionel N&W steam set from a few years back and the Construction Zone set for a couple years ago - engines runs forward only.
-The recent Lionel RS-3 sets (Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, Great Northern). These engines have plastic frames and only one motor. Very light weight engines that don't pull but a couple cars. Though if you're inclined, you could add some auto tire weights to inside the engine over the motorized truck which will help. These sets at least run forward-neutral-reverse, and they are as affordable as you get from new Lionel. If you know someone knowledgeable, you could try going to a train show... you may be able to pick up a vintage MPC Lionel set (1970's) for a deal. Lionel did make a wide variety of sets during the MPC era with a wide range of features from utter low cost to deluxe.

Depending on your budget, from current new Lionel, I'd recommend any of the Lionel NYC or Pennsy Flyer Steam Sets. Decent little die-cast steamer that puffs smoke with whistle. Last year's Lionel Chessie Diesel set or this year's Southern Diesel set are nice. The Southern set this year comes with Lionel's newly improved 80 watt transformer.
You could look on e-bay for the K-Line Cross Country Set. That came with a small S-2 diesel, four small cars and a lighted caboose and came in several roads (Santa Fe, Chessie and C&NW). The K-Line Wabash Set from '96 came with some extra buildings and had the Alco FA diesel. Also the K-Line Chessie Diesel set with the MP-15 diesel is nice. These sets are no longer cataloged, but you may find them on e-bay or in a shop as older inventory. All the K-Line sets came with 027 track.
For around $200 the MTH Railking Dockside sets are nice. You don't get much in the way of ccars or track, but the diecast Dockside Steamer is very well made. There's also a current Santa Fe diesel set from MTH reviewed in the current O Gauge Railroading magazine (along with 2 other sets).
Most of all, just have fun. My neighbors came over to see my trains. Their little 7-month old boy was just amazed!! And their 7-year boy wants a train now. Their dad is inclined to buy HO because of price. But he'll change his mind... the Lionel size is way more fun for kids. Plus it's the right size to make things, like the upside down soup can for an oil tank. Or cut down artificial X-mas tree branches for loads of pine trees. One used artiticial tree from a yard sale will make a forrest!
Good luck!
Brianel

[Anonymous]

Ill try to keep this one simple :)

My grandpa has a Lionel train in the basement of his house. Each year till I was about 9 I would get a new train set. Mostly Ho, but my family also tried N scale. The old Lionel (If I recive it would be 4 generations old!) is still in the basement worn from years of play, but it still works. I still have bits & pieces of the HO stuff but only a car from the N scale still exsist. I got int the hobby in 2000. 20 years after my first trains I planned (And still do plan) to build an HO layout. My curent endevor is back into Lionel & O scale trains. I feel you will find Lionel & K-Line trains to become rewarding over the years......I know I STILL do!
Good Luck & Have Fun!

[wallyworld]

K-Line has some really good O starter sets inasmuch as they have great play value.
Check out their new Trackside Construction starter set which includes all sorts of goodies like a crane, three construction vehicles, construction figures, road signs, an operating dump car, etc. I think they have hit on a great concept which is to expand play value beyond watching the train go round.

[turbine682]

Hi,

I agree with looking into a starter set whether it is Lionel or some other O-gauge line. I highly recommend that you replace the power source (transformer) that comes with the starter set. Chances are that the transformer will be a poor performer and will lead to frustration with jump starts and poor train performance.

I highly recommend Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC). I recently purchased an O27 powerpack from e-bay for $20.00 - used to retail for 79.99. The tranformer had been used once..., and the power cord was still coiled in it's original factory condition. (Note: this is the orginal O27 powerpack, not the new Tech 4 600)

I'm sure others on this forum can offer advice about other power sources, but I think many will agree that a great power source turns a poor performer into a joy to run.

Hope this helps... Good luck!

[brianel027]

pojrail, seeing this thread still up got me thinking. We've all given advice on what trains to buy... as mentioned above there is an article on building a 027 4'x8' layout in the current Classic Toy Trains and will continue for the next 2 issues.
But I have built several layouts using a hollow core door. It has advanatages and disadvantages. One advantage is the light weight and easy to move size, since statistics show families move more today than ever before due to the economy.
The current door layout I've been building with and for my nephew Josh (who just turned 10) is with 027 track. It is pretty much an extended oval with a cut-across reverse loop, a passing siding and one yard siding. We made ties from black foam core board to help cut down on the rumble noice... as well as putting a piece of self-sticking foam insultation beneath every single metal tie on the 027 track. The switches are all manual and he has a small stick he uses to reach and operate them. The door is painted green with a road and ramp that he can roll his die-cast cars down. We have an operating K-Line barrel loader, junction tower, floodlight tower and bubbling tower. There is a MTH Railking Banjo Signal that is button activated instead of working off the track... kids love pushing buttons - part of the fun is making the signal work HIMSELF as the train goes by. Plus when he has a freind over, it gives the other kid something to do. The control buttons are right on the edge of the door. Wires run under the door and are duct taped in place. I also cobbed a kid's toy construction crane to work on his layout as well as making him an manually operated conveyor belt that he can load gondolas with. We are now going to build an elevated track above the back of the layout that he can use for putting extra cars on.
Many of the things I do on his layout are VERY simple and designed for imagination and KID PLAY action. Like we have a Lionel log dump car. Logs are easy to pick up. Tiny pieces of coal are not, so no coal dump car. On a Lionel flat car, I put a strip of grey self sticking foam insultation tape down the center of the car. This allows him to easily put any of his die cast cars or trucks on the flat car and have them STAY in place while the train is moving. I took some of the CHEAP Lionel Kickapoo Dump Cars - put metal wheels on them in place of the plastic ones, mounted 8 1.5 inch washers under the car for weight and painted them black to match the car and now he has some very simple but fun dump cars. We save the colored plastic caps off orange juice cartons (same size as soda bottle caps, only with no words printed). These caps come in blue, green, and orange depending on style of OJ. I cut the caps in half and they make a fun colorful load for his gondolas and dump cars. And again, unlike the coal loads, the caps are easy to clean up. We make scrap metal loads from snack fruit pie tins. For his farm, I found some small 8x10 inch pieces of colored felt at a craft store. So he uses yellow felt under the farm for straw and brown for the fields. None of the buildings (a farm, a diner, a gas station and a house) are glued to the layout - he likes moving them around. Same for the Life-Like Trees and telephone poles - we use a little piece of rolled up masking tape to hold the trees in place, so he can easily move them around when he wants.

Anyways, there's some ideas for you. This hobby has swung way to far to the expensive, electronic junked up, scale-sized, adult operator. We've all forgotten what it's like to be a kid and play with the trains, and what is important to a kid!
Well, I haven't forgotten. Watching Josh run the trains gives me a picture of how I played with my trains when I was his age.