I was doing some Christmas shopping at Target when I ran across these battery-operated Power Trains toys. They're hardly prototypical models but they seem like a great way to get kids into the hobby. They're a step up from Thomas and they're cheap.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
GP-9_Man11786:
It looks like a neat system but I am having a little trouble believing the prices. If I understand correctly, you can get an engine with track for just $9.99. Before I would spend much on the system I would buy the basic set and run the devil out of it, or at least check it out carefully. I am concerned that something that is that low priced won't stand up to too much handling by young kids. I would also make sure that the track is easy to join together.
The one other thing I would point out is that they apparently don't sell turnouts separately. If you want more turnouts you have to buy the whole add-on kit, which really isn't too bad considering the prices for the kits. Even the side loader at $39.99 would be a kid's dream come true.
For the price I would check it out by buying the basic set, and hope that it isn't a piece of stuff that dogs leave on your lawn.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!