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Suggest you get a very basic, possibly 2nd hand LGB G-gauge set as a starter for your 2 yr old. Its probably a little heavy for him to carry around and that's good. It's very reliable and robust. There's nothing worse than a train that stalls, falters, breaks or is hard to operate for a beginning model railroader; it's often a quick turn off and destroys further interest. Lionel O27 or 'American Flyer S gauge are good alternatives, especially if space is at a premium. They can often be found at swapmeets or on e-bay but avoid real old stuff , unless you can check it out first and have return priveledge if needed. All three have okay resale values if you want to switch to a different scale when he's older or could be added onto if space and budget permit. All three also have decent collectibility potential long term so you could just sta***hem away for his college tuition fund! Avoid any HO or N because it is too small and too fragile unless you are prepared to put it out of his reach,and that it is you who really want it! Don't be tempted by inexpensive-cheap G, O, or any other scale stuff because it IS cheap and he'll be mad at you (for being cheap). One other item I just thought of, for I saw it at a train show this weekend for the first time, are LEGO trains. They are large scale and look like they'd be a lot of fun for a young child and since they can be incorporated into a much broader spectrum of playthings-buidings, vehicles, bridges, etc. it is akin to developing a model railroad. My experience with two grown kids was that they played with LEGOs for a far longer time than they did any other toys. There are some small parts so exercize some caution about what he puts in his mouth (or ears or nose-yes they do that, too). Again you can often find LEGOs at garage sales and swap meets. Perhaps there are some forum members with more specific info on LEGO trains. Check out "Garden Railways" forum too. AS for the AHM set donated to you, I don't want to sound like a snob but if its 20 years old it may be on its last legs-it was never considered particularly good when new. Also, if set has brass track I'd change out to nickle silver Atlas code 100 or other quality brand; brass tarnishes almost immediately after you clean it and when dirty, the trains run poorly or don't run at all. Getting on a ladder to clean it would be a royal pain. G gauge brass track poses less trouble, but it too benefits from an occasional cleaning; there are quite a few track cleaning cars that have varying degrees of success at keeping the rails clean. LGB's is laughingly expensive but works great. Other scale toy trains, besides HO, can also be run around the perimeter of the room on an elevated shelf because they operate well on tight radius curves. Look in "Garden Railways" for vendors who manufacturer the actual track support brackets or shelving, or make your own. Problem with elevated display track-how is your son going to get any hands-on experience with playing with and operating his trains-that's usually the most rewarding part of this great hobby. Hope this has been helpful.
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