toddlers and trains

[Anonymous]

I have some old (1970s) HO scale train stuff from my childhood that I'd like to set up around the Christmas tree for my son, who's now two and a half.

I know, I know, he's way too young to play with an HO set, but I thought he might enjoy watching the train while I run it--or maybe he could run it with close supervision. When we go into a store here in town with a train set in the window he's mesmerized.

Just wondered if anybody has any experience with toddlers and trains. Any tips? Warnings? I realize they probably don't have the dexterity to handle HO scale cars, but I'm not going to go out and buy a new layout in a different scale. Am I stupid for even trying this? I think the truth is I'm dying to set up the train for old time's sake, and I know he'll be very excited to see it run. It's not fancy or collectors item stuff--just an old Tyco set plus some later Athearn and Atlas add-ons.

Thanks.

[Jetrock]

Just be prepared to have him break some stuff. One thing you might try is getting him some Brio or Thomas the Tank Engine trains, and have him play with those while you have fun with the HO stuff.

[cmitcham]

the stats on the main forum page show there's 144885 of us here. all of us know it's you that wants to play with the train, we promise not to tell your wife.

for those of us like you and me that had layouts long ago and then abanded them, thank goodness for the kids, or the grandkids!

so yes, he'll break things, but so will you! [:(]

way more importantly though, he'll love trains forever. (how could he not?)

calvin.

oh yeah, go ahead now and forget thinking this is just a Christmas thing, start making room now...

[Anonymous]

IT'S YOU! I have been thinking about a trian for my kids ever since my father gave me his childhood A Flyer 2 years ago. My Girls are 7 and 11, I set it up from time to time and they have enjoyed it but they always want to touch it while it's moving! AHHHHH!
This year for X-mas I got them a Lionel due to a little larger and a little more durable.
I will run it with them all the time. BEATS BARBIE ANYDAY. Although Skipper may ride?
Carpenter matt

[Anonymous]

No kids but I have fond memories of my grandparents toy box. They had far too many grandkids and so had a well stocked toybox that included a Hornby 0 gauge clockwork set. I was apparently a year older than your son when I was so concerned with proper operation that I attacked my interfering older cousin when she derailed the train I had setup. About a year after that I was rescued by a frantic and hysterical mother after I had climbed aboard the footplate of a steam engine at our local station and was demanding the driver tell me how it all worked.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is about 2 1/2, and she enjoys watching my trains go around the layout, but she plays with her Brio and Thomas.

My advice would be dependent on how he is with other toys. If he is quite agressive and likes to take things apart (accidentally or on purpose), you might reconsider. You might also reconsider if you are especially attached to your old train.

Having said that, I think he will probably get quite a kick out of just watching it go around with you.

Andrew

[lupo]

Kids and trains
when my son was 2 we gave him a plastic x-mas train (battery operated with very LOUD jingle bells blasting from the tender) he loved it but just looking is not enough he wanted to discover and play with it , that ment moving it around himself, hand powered, so I took out the electric motor and battery so it could move around more freely
He also loved arranging the train: coupling and uncoupling so I fitted the plastic train with home made Heavy duty couplers Then he went on discovering his world (house) with his train so he soon left the tracks alone and took his train througout the house. at this time he also got a Brio train and tracks for building, but mostly he played his plastic train because it looked more like a real train ( it was black and bigger than the brio trains, so his name for this train was obvious: BigBoy)
At age of 3,5 I made him a small Ho layout, just track hammered on a plank, and gave him his first Ho loco and cars That was a bit disappointing, he was not quite able to put tracks together like with his Brio train wich frustrated him very much, and when he picked up his loco and it fell from his hands (these things happen with kids) his heart was broken. Overall it made him very sad that and he lost interest So quietly we put it aside in a closet for a while and let him play with his wooden and plastic trains.
When he was 5 I took out the small lay-out again and now he was more confident in handling the small engine and cars without derailing and he has lots of fun with it.

my advice: I think is not good for his self-confidence (and daddy's heart) to let him play with your Ho trains allready, Let him watch YOUR train but give him his own simple plastic train to play with, my son didn't have any problem with the fact he only could Look at daddy's trains because he had his own, he stages his trains and shows this to me, I show him my trains. Once in a while my engines visit his lay-out and his engine run on my track, so we now a great hobby together
next to dad, playing with trains for bigboys.

[Anonymous]

If you look at the big picture the tree and all its ornaments is in about as much danger as your train and chances are the child probably is not allowed to be near tree by himself for the simple reason the tree is more of a danger to the child than the child is to the tree. same idea with the train. Let the kid have fun as these memories will stay with him a lifetime. It might also teach him to have respect for valued treasures.

[FThunder11]

Brio is the greatest. Before i started scale model trains i always played with brio. So at his age definately brio because i always thought it was better than thomas the eank. or you can just sit and have him watch you run it.

[CP5415]

My daughter is 2 1/2. She love to go play with the choo choo's!
I let her at the controls, with close supervision. Except for the fact that the passengers are slightly shaken up from the constant on & off of the throttle, everyone arrives alive!!
If she picks something up, she always has two hands on it. She hasn't broken anything yet. She's bound to though & I prepare myself for that.
Set your stuff up & see how your son is going to react to it. Play with him while it's set up.
How is he going to learn to be careful unless you teach him.

Just my 2 cents.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

My 23 month old is fascinated by trains....particularly Thomas. So, when my husband found a Bachmann HO Thomas set, he couldn't help but buy it. Because the kids wanted to play with the train (as long as it was moving, all was fine, but as soon as we stopped it, the train was snatched up) and quickly broke the coupling on Annie, my husband came up with a great way to display the train safely out of harms way. He built a shelf encircling the kids' room about 18" from the ceiling and placed the track upon that shelf. Ok, so the train is safe but I sometimes wonder about the strain on the kids' necks as they stare up at the train for extended periods of time!

So, the bring a train safely to their level, we are currently working on a new project. Using N scale, I am designing a small layout which my husband is building a coffee table around. We are sure this new piece of furniture will delight all the kids who visit....from 1 to 91!

[Anonymous]

We've had Lionel trains and LGB trains running around the Christmas tree. It wears out very fast. The only one really interested after while is the cat. Much pleasure in knocking the cars of the track. Both of my kids (boy an girl) where constantly surrounded when they were growing up with trains, train shows, rail fanning and so on. They knew the old man was wacky and tolerated and integrated into my eccentricity. My son build some great models, my daughter loved to wire and solder. Both are grown now and show no interest in model railroading. This may sound bad. Not really. The basement is mine again with no interference. .

[Anonymous]

like everyone's already said, you can't go wrong with brio. as for the HO, kids love it, and also love to TOUCH. unless you're prepared to get your trains "broken in" so to speak, brio or close suppervision are the best choices.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FThunder11

Brio is the greatest. Before i started scale model trains i always played with brio. So at his age definately brio because i always thought it was better than thomas the eank. or you can just sit and have him watch you run it.

I started with BRIO too. What I like about it is that they have some powered engines. So instead of pushing on turn on the powered engine and watch for hours going around the track with some freight cars.