My trip to Horseshoe Curve was a family success.

[Anonymous]

Hey Chip:

Heres a link for the RR museum:

http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/

They run a 1:1 scale Thomas - (or would that be ~27:1 scale since the original Thomas is kinda little). Your boy would be in hog heaven for sure!

It's not too far from Hershey Park too. Nothing better than fresh Hershey kisses IMHO.

Have fun!

-slim

[simon1966]

Good for you Chip, they are great toys!

[SpaceMouse]

Just picked up this little beauty for $4.25.

[simon1966]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JnM Lines

Simon, the wooden train link is great. My son is 5 and absolutely loved Thomas until we got the electric trains. He then told me he thought Thomas was dumb. We talked about it a while and he has now reconciled with the Island of Sodor. But, maybe a few trains from wooden trains would be a nice thing for him.

Mouse, Thomas is why I am here. My son will take that track and build, what he now calls a layout through the entire house. He has branchlines to his sister's room, and the kitchen etc. The track is easy to manipulate and adheres to a mathmatical sytem in terms of sizes. There are also a number of videos and dvd's that he enjoys watching. It really isn't a bad way to go.
Currently he has taken over the benchwork I built for the HO layout we were going to do together and has his Thomas stuff all over it. I guess its good someone is getting use out of it[:p]

Just my [2c]
Jacob

Jacob, my boys are 5 and 7. Neither of them will play with Thomas anymore and have not for at least the last 2 years. The Whittle trains are used every day. They love them and they have signifiicantly exetended the play life of the wooden train track in our house.

[mecovey]

My wife and I were at the curve and the Altoona Museum on 5/26/05. I hadn't been to the curve in about 20 years. We had a great time and got to see 2 trains (one eastbound and one westbound) in the 45 minutes we were there. The trip was a side juant on our way to the re-opening of the B&O Museum in Baltimore. Had a great time in both places.

[Anonymous]

Simon, the wooden train link is great. My son is 5 and absolutely loved Thomas until we got the electric trains. He then told me he thought Thomas was dumb. We talked about it a while and he has now reconciled with the Island of Sodor. But, maybe a few trains from wooden trains would be a nice thing for him.

Mouse, Thomas is why I am here. My son will take that track and build, what he now calls a layout through the entire house. He has branchlines to his sister's room, and the kitchen etc. The track is easy to manipulate and adheres to a mathmatical sytem in terms of sizes. There are also a number of videos and dvd's that he enjoys watching. It really isn't a bad way to go.
Currently he has taken over the benchwork I built for the HO layout we were going to do together and has his Thomas stuff all over it. I guess its good someone is getting use out of it[:p]

Just my [2c]
Jacob

[Anonymous]

Its "Strasburg" Pa, just east of Lancaster. Not the East Stroudsburg University up on I-80.

Strasburg is train city. Your boy, and you, would love it. I spent so many weekends at that place when my boys were younger. Absolutely worth the trip. You guys can even sleep in a real caboose ...... Red Caboose Motel ..... right in the middle of everything.

The Pennsylvania Museum of Railroading really is great. You and your boy will be climbing on stuff all day. Lots more train stuff. You would probably even want to come back alone, to really check out the train stuff on an adult level. I did.

Its in an Amish area. Lots of that stuff.

There is a large Christian theater than puts on really cool plays with animals and stuff ..... my family loved it. Noah's Ark, Christmas, etc.

I am *the* expert on family weekends in Strasburg, if you want to know anything. lol.

As mentioned, Steamtown in Scranton is also great, though, I think with small kids, Strasburg would be better. Just my opinion.

And those wood trains, my kids spent countless hours playing with those things. What a great toy. Many years ago, when my boys were small, we ended up spending so much money on what was 'Brio" back then, but what a great investment. And don't force the kids to keep the layout on a board., let them build their own layouts all over the room' sfloor...let their minds work. The more track and accessories , the better.

Ken

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

That is a positive note, Chip, that your boy is regaining an interest in trains.
How have you progressed towards an HO layout? Any new developments?

I was about to answer there was no progress, as I still haven't finished the cheapo engine house I started about a month ago. But in that time I have read Realistic Operations, Freight Yards,]and Logging Railroads of the West.. The major obstacle is that when my mother-in-law moved in with us 3 years ago, she brought a whole house of furniture (and a ll the other things that go with it--vacuum cleaner, toasters, dishes, exercise bike, etc. etc. I still have to do a clean sweep of the basement where everything we didn't know what to do with landed.

[selector]

That is a positive note, Chip, that your boy is regaining an interest in trains.

How have you progressed towards an HO layout? Any new developments?

[SpaceMouse]

Just won this on eBay.



My son's birthday is on the 21st.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by simon1966

hi Chip

I have a fairly high functioning Autistic nephew. He has also started to show an interest in trains. My boys have really got a lot of play out of the wooden train track systems. What they like to play with when their cousin comes around are the more realistic wooden trains made by the Whittle Train company here in St. Louis. www.woodentrain.com great products that reflect the trains that the kids can see in real life. Anyway, just a thought for you if it helps the transition to the HO scale stuff.

I just priced Thomas and these wooden trains. They cost as much as HO! The Whittle Trains one's are cooler IMHO.

[simon1966]

hi Chip

I have a fairly high functioning Autistic nephew. He has also started to show an interest in trains. My boys have really got a lot of play out of the wooden train track systems. What they like to play with when their cousin comes around are the more realistic wooden trains made by the Whittle Train company here in St. Louis. www.woodentrain.com great products that reflect the trains that the kids can see in real life. Anyway, just a thought for you if it helps the transition to the HO scale stuff.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy
I'm still working on getting junior interested. It's a struggle. Of course, maybe if I actually got the layout functioning it might seem more interesting to him!

Exactly the reason my wife wanted me to get off my duff and resume building my layout! She thinks our son will develop an interest when there are running trains involved. She suggested I create a scenario were he will want to prove he can do something "better than dad" and take over that particular project. [hmmmm...what about installing decoders?[;)]]

OTOH, my 6yr-old daughter is always at my side when it comes to trains!

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

QUOTE: SpaceMouse: What part of Mexico? I've been to 24 Mexican States.

Tuxpan, on the Gulf Coast in the northern part of Veracruz state, about halfway between Tampico and the port of Veracruz.

I think you've got me beat on visiting different states down here. afaik I've only been in 21 or so (without doing a detailed count).

I'm still working on getting junior interested. It's a struggle. Of course, maybe if I actually got the layout functioning it might seem more interesting to him!
Regards
Ed

I was all set to say I knew your city, but I don't. One of my favorite nights (but only looking back) was just out side of Veracruz. We camped out on the beach and it seems we were in the middle of a crab migration. I woke up covered with one on my face. We moved a little further south and were then driven out by no-see-ums that got through our netting. Beaten we started traveling toward Yucatan and ran into these huge chartreuse moths. There were so many and they were so big that covered the windows with gook. We couldn't see and wiping only smeared them. We ended up pulling over and sleeping--three of us, in a two seater Datsun 2000.

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: SpaceMouse: What part of Mexico? I've been to 24 Mexican States.

Tuxpan, on the Gulf Coast in the northern part of Veracruz state, about halfway between Tampico and the port of Veracruz.

I think you've got me beat on visiting different states down here. afaik I've only been in 21 or so (without doing a detailed count).


I'm still working on getting junior interested. It's a struggle. Of course, maybe if I actually got the layout functioning it might seem more interesting to him!



Regards

Ed

[howmus]

Hey Chip! Nothing like a visit to the real thing to get people (even us old F--ts) back into the hobby. Sounds like you had a great trip! If you haven't done so yet, schedule a weekend at Steamtown in Scranto, PA. A little farther from where you live but well worth the effort. If you like to camp, there is a State Park about 10 Miles North of Scranton that is really nice. My oldest son (38) and I went there last fall for a Steam Excursion that was simply fantastic! The museum is awesome and has just about every aspect of steam covered. You can also go into the roundhouse and watch them recondition engines. Have fun, and I hope your son (and daughter) grow in their love of trains. After all we know it is the best hobby!!! [:D]

[Anonymous]

Stratsburg, PA is home to a large PRR railroad museum. They run steam and have a great display. Well worth the trip.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Slim Jerkins

Chip:

I'm in Pittsburgh and have yet to get to Altonna - believe it or not! Have you been out to Strausburg yet?

-slim

Not in a Model railroad context. What's out there? My brother taught for a year at East Strausburg and I when to see him a couple times.

[Anonymous]

Chip:

I'm in Pittsburgh and have yet to get to Altonna - believe it or not! Have you been out to Strausburg yet?

-slim

[Anonymous]

Id like to go to horshoe curve too. but im not much closer than ed. Good luck with getting your son back into the hobby. Maybe when he is a little older and more mature he will appreciate it more. I didnt really start to like HO until i was 9.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by egmurphy

Congratulations on your progress and your continued family involvement.
Wish I could get to Horseshoe Curve, but it's a bit of a haul from here.
Regards
Ed

What part of Mexico? I've been to 24 Mexican States.

[egmurphy]

Congratulations on your progress and your continued family involvement.

Wish I could get to Horseshoe Curve, but it's a bit of a haul from here.


Regards

Ed

[SpaceMouse]

Many of you know that I got into this hobby because I thought it was something that I could share with my 8-year-old autistic son. When it took on a Harry Potter theme, my daughter got, and lost interest, when she figured out that I expected help with building the layout.

My son liked running the trains at first, but got frustrated when first his Bachman Hogwart's Express derailed often, then the same happened with the MDC Roundhouse 4-6-0 failed to ride the track. (Actually I just got the track tuned to the Hogwarts when it broke.) His idea of fun was running his oversize plastic cars on the track, which unfortunately breaks stuff. So he has come away thinking trains are boring, since the come off the track and you can't run your cars around after them.

Anyway, my plan was to get him to Horseshoe Curve and the Altoona Train Museum and let him see these things close up. While I think he enjoyed the curve and seeing a couple trains, and he thought it was fun to pretend to drive a saddle tank 0-4-0 and a CG1, he most liked playing with the museum's very large and intricate wooden Tomas the Tank Engine set.

When we got home, I had to go to a meeting, and while I was away, he pulled out his plastic Thomas the Tank Engine set and has been playing with it since. I think it will make a nice bridge to HO in the next year or so if I play with him and we do some "operations."