New to hobby - need advise

[Anonymous]

Hello, my son is 7 and has a passion for model rr. We want to get him started but have no real knowledge of the hobby. Our local "big box" hobby store carries Bachman & Life Like ready to run HO sets. Which is best for us? We welcome all input.

[88gta350]

If you're doing this purely for your son, then I'd suggest starting with one of the starter sets that usually comes with a loop of track, a locomotive and some cars, and maybe some scenery materials. The big box retailers won't have much of a selection. You could find more at online hobby stores or your local hobby shop. Most starter sets are in HO scale. If you think that's too small for your son to handle well, you could try O scale (Lionel size) and pick up a few basic pieces cof track and rolling stock.

I started at about that same age, and we just set up a 4x8 sheet of plywood, laid a grass mat on it and ran some track. It's great if you can let your son build the models, and do as much of the work as he can. It may not come out looking very realistic, but it'll be a world of fun for him, and he'll feel as if it's his own.

[Anonymous]

Go to our home page www.trains.com left hand side, click on "Trains for the young".

[Anonymous]

Great to get into, I agree with 88gta350, a 4x8 with lifelike grass mat is excellent. I had one from when I was about five to when I was about 11. I'm 16 now, and have upgraded alot to a pair of 4x8s. I prefer Bachmann, they can handle about anything ( I tried to kill it about any way I could).