LGB Freight set or Passenger set (whats more interesting for a small boy)?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My soon to be born son already has a ceiling layout in place.  I ended up picking up a cheapie diesel engine (for testing) and a starter set 1 amp controller (both purchased for under $100.00).  So, the layout works, tested, etc.

I am almost positive I want to go the steam engine route (it looks more interesting), the room color is a very light yellow, so a dark engine should stand out nicely (IE easy to see). 

I cant figure if I should buy a cheapie NYC starter set & then upgrade when my son is older, or if I should get a Mike & either add some freight trains or passenger cars.

I think the passenger cars would be nice as they would light up, but I bet I could find some freight cars that light up too. 

I think the NYC set has sound & smoke but the engine size seems a bit smaller than the Mike engine size.  Then theres the Diesel Gen III with cars as well.

 

Any suggestions would be welcome!

 

Thanks,

Rich

 

[Benjamin Maggi]

Freight cars, while not lighted, can almost certainly come in more colors, shapes, and sizes than passenger cars, so I would elect a freight car train.

Something to consider: depending on what the size of your room is, your selection of rolling stock will be limited. If you want a mikado and you don't go the LGB route, or if you want full length passenger cars, you will need 8 or 10 foot DIAMETER curves. Freight cars usually are shorter than passenger cars, at least for american prototypes, and that might be a better choice for this consideration too.

[vsmith]

Inside smaller stock looks better , I'd go with the LGb set, plus its more likely to be running when he's old enough to start tossing it (And robust enough to survive!)

[Anonymous]

LGB freight set  and maybe a lighted caboose  - more interesting by far and has been pointed out more suited to the application

[RR Redneck]

I would go with the frieght set, that offers a veriety in the cars. That is one of the biggest reasons that I like frieght trains better than passenger trains.

[Anonymous]

The opinions of people on this forum are only that; opinions. If a good marketer wanted to find the true answer to this question, they would ask a group of small boys. That is what i would do!

Rgds Ian 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice.  Maybe getting a cheaper NYC set is the way to go.  I am using the R2 curves btw.  I notice that some LGB freight is pretty long, while others isnt so long.  Does the NYC set (which seems to have sound, smoke & a headlight) have a whistle?

There seems to be a long freight (500) vs the smaller cars (250), it seems to be a strange mix indeed.

 

BTW, how many cars do you think that engine could pull?   I would want to ditch the caboose & find a lighted caboose.  Plus I would love to add another 5 cars (engine, tender, caboose + 5 cars).  Would that work?

[Anonymous]

Rich, I was a small boy when my older brother received a Lionel train for Christmas. It was a passenger train modeled after the first streamliners that had wheels under the vestibules so could not be uncoupled easily.  Looked great, had lights in the cars, but had no play value except watching it run round and round. Later I traded some stuff with a friend and got a very old Lionel passenger trains with hook and loop couplers (more complicated than LGB), Now we had play value, trying to keep the two trains from hitting each other (but not trying TOO hard).

Much later, as a teenager, I bought a cheap freight set; much higher play value, cars uncouple, you can load and unload cars, etc.  HOWEVER, the tops of LGB starter train passenger cars do snap off very easily (replace easily, too, and they have open end platforms!) and my two little girls just loved putting passengers in the cars or on the end platforms when the train stopped at the station and then getting them out after the train looped around. 

But I think they liked putting stuff in the gondolas (often called coal cars) just as much if not more. 

[Anonymous]

I would have to agree that a freight set would be more interesting to a small boy simply because that is what you tend to see going down the tracks nowadays (unless you live near amtrak).

Just my .02

[Rene Schweitzer]

I would have to agree that a freight set would be more interesting to a small boy simply because that is what you tend to see going down the tracks nowadays (unless you live near amtrak).

Just my .02

I second this. My nephew (5)  prefers freight over passenger because that's what he sees on the tracks and can more easily relate.

[ghelman]

Rich, LGB makes some nice Toy Train sets. My 2 and 5 year old grandsons really enjoy the LGB toy train that I run more than any of my other trains. I have the LGB Toy train construction and the only issue is my grandsons want to play with the front end loader and dump truck all the time. Thats OK though because LGB makes this stuff for small hands and rough treatment.

 

 

[vsmith]

All I can say is whichever route, go with the shorter cars, for the size room described in another thread, 10x 13, an Aristo Pacific and two streamline coaches would look absolutley ridiculous even a bit scary, in such a sized room even if they could handle the curves.

 

I like the idea of the LGB 2-4-0 starter set loco and with LGB, Aristo, and Bachmann's short freight cars are a good match size. It will not overpower the room and with a string of 4 or 5 short rolling stock  and a short caboose behind will give the impression of a much large train.

[Anonymous]

LGB is my 1/2 cents.

If you have to for a caboose just add  a small light with on/off switch.

William 

[Anonymous]

That is a good idea look at some of LGB toy stuff i think it is called "Gnomy"; bright coloured small and definitely for kids, comparitively low cost as well. As far as how many wggons, most engines will pull a hell of alot of wagons providing you don't have steep grades and or tight curves.

Rgds ian

[Anonymous]

I still am going to side with Ian on this because the color issue and LGB.

William

[Anonymous]

Good on you William I will send you that can of beer in the ail that i promised!

Rgds Ian

[John Busby]

For this one.

It has to be the LGB toy train range for rugged reliability and colour then colour.

Also the operating cars like the bubble car and if its still made the Nemo car and a couple of others they do these are made with little kids in mind, rather than us big kids.

The other manufacturers seem to try to be more in tune with us rather than young children.

that's worth

regards John

[Anonymous]

Yes that Gnomy stuff looks really cute and should be of great interest to kids in general.

Ian

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice.  Maybe getting a cheaper NYC set is the way to go.  I am using the R2 curves btw.  I notice that some LGB freight is pretty long, while others isnt so long.  Does the NYC set (which seems to have sound, smoke & a headlight) have a whistle?

There seems to be a long freight (500) vs the smaller cars (250), it seems to be a strange mix indeed.

 

BTW, how many cars do you think that engine could pull?   I would want to ditch the caboose & find a lighted caboose.  Plus I would love to add another 5 cars (engine, tender, caboose + 5 cars).  Would that work?

 

Howdy!

I love that NYC LGB set, and yes it does come with sound.  It has sync chuff, bell and whistle--and these are REAL railroad sounds, digitized sounds from the real thing.  The Freight sets for kids I would think are much preferred---its true, the passenger cars can have people figures, but for a young boy a freight set--the idea of getting dirty with big machines---is really the thing that sets them going.

The engine, realistically, could pull about 8  to 10 cars with no problem.  I don't think you should ditch the caboose that comes with it--that is my favorite LGB caboose!  Well, I know, you are not getting this for me...sorry....but all you have to do is add lights to it, which will save you $$$.  Get a LGB lighting set (ebay,etc.) for $10 and metal wheelsets if you want lights for it.

Note:  Yes, the little engine is somewhat "toy like" for a American steamer--but its the PERFECT engine for young hands with big ideas. The big wheels and the weight of the loco really make out like the "real thing". I would wait and down the road save up for the Mikado...its too big for such a little one and much more fragile (heavy) if dropped.

For other cars to go with it....how about a crane car?  Kids love cranes!  And LGB has several crane cars to choose from.  You really should get one of the recent LGB catalogs and take a look at the whole program before adding too many cars.

Note: you might be tempted to get all those "modern" big American freight cars, but the shorter cars have quite an appeal for small hands.  Gondolas , crane cars, and medium size boxed cars will really give the kids something to do for hours.

Regards,

 

Tom M.

P.s. You have very good taste to go with the NYC Set--I want to give that set to my Sister and her husband (who have no kids on the way!)...but they live in NYC...and have yet to have a train around their Christmas tree.

 

 

[RR Redneck]

Well it seems that I was in the majority here.

[Anonymous]

In this instance "Gnomy" is the way to go!

Ian