Edit topic

Updated your discussion topic below.

Subject
Enter a subject for your topic. Maximum 150 characters.
Post Body
Enter your post below.
My daughter got hooked on the Polar Express book/movie/SeaWorld Ride and wants a Polar Express train for Christmas.  For the past several years we have been buying toy battery powered trains for around the Christmas tree, but they end up back in their boxes when the tree comes down and are never seen again.  I was going to get her a Lionel train this year in the hopes she might play with it longer than a few days.  I come to find out that Lionel is offering two Polar Express sets, one a battery powered G gauge with wireless remote, and an O gauge set with power transformer for about twice the price of the G gauge set.Someone who used to be an avid collector (I am not) suggested I get the larger G gauge version as he thought that is what the outdoor trains are these days and set up a "permanent' outdoor layout as a remedy for the "only-used-during-Christmas" syndrome.I don't plan initially on making any landscaping changes to the yard to accommodate this Polar Express train.  But we could set it up on the patio somewhere and leave it up as long as she plays with it.  If she gets hooked we can think about designing and installing a more permanent landscaped layout.The local hobby shop train salesmen are telling me that battery operated trains are better for outdoor use because I won't have to worry about getting power to the train through the rails.  Evidently, not a simple matter when dealing with heat, cold, rain, dirt and weather's effects on electrical connections between track sections.  They explained the DC and DCC to me and I think I understand the basic difference,  but I don't know if the Lionel battery operated G gauge set is DC or DCC.  Would I be better off getting the O gauge/transformer set for around $290 or the G gauge/battery powered/remote controlled on for $140?  The batteries in the cheaper kit are supposed to last a couple hours of running time.  I don't know if a 5-year-old's attention span would require it to run more than 10 minutes.  But just from a convenience/cost perspective, is it possible to use rechargeable batteries in place of the dry cells?  If we decide to go to a transformer DC setup later, is it possible to convert the engine to run on DC? (hope I'm using the right terms here.)As you can tell, I don't have a clue, but hopefully I can get something she'll get hooked on and we cn get something the whole family witll enjoy doing together.  Her Mom is an avid gardener and I enjoy building things.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag
E-mail Subscribe
Check the box below if you want to receive e-mail notifications when replies are made to this thread.

Receive notifications