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Re: Oh Come On Now!
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Yes, yet someone else with an opinion - not that it will be any better. <br /> <br />I am in the process of building my 8yr old son HIS first table. When it comes to my personal layout, it takes less than 10 minutes before his attention is drawn outside the room. So why would I would build him his own layout? Well, it is because I don’t have the things he is currently interested in as I like to keep it mostly hands-off. A 4x8 was chosen because he is a kid and is not big enough to grab a car much more than 20” from the end of the table. His layout is a rather involved and has a planned expansion point. He (nor I for that matter) did not design the layout, but he did put in his thoughts on what he wanted to do with the operations. Surprisingly, when I listened to him, what he was mostly interested in is hands on stuff. Things like loading coal, freight, timber. How his cars would get around, and what would be in the water. I am installing DCC so routes can be changed with minimal effort on his part. Running the trains was, and still is, the last thing on his mind. Even with his current snap tracks it’s about what is happening to the trains when they are stopped and how the environment reacts with the trains as they pass. <br /> <br />My son likes to play by interacting with things. X-BOX and Game Cube are fun for him, but pushing buttons on a controller will rarely get more than 10-20 minutes of his time. Give him some Bionicle’s, or a box of snap track and a bucket of Lincoln logs, and he is occupied for hours. <br /> <br />So what does this mean (beyond the fact that I have the ability to ramble)? I interpret it as he does not like to stare at the trains, and the mathematics in switching is a bit beyond fun for him. My son (kids?) likes to play by interacting with things. When he gets older he may change to where he would rather sit and watch. Or he may be more like me where more time is spent on creation and modification than actually operation. Time will tell. <br /> <br />Two last thoughts (one borrowed): <br /> <br />Not every kid will be interested in trains. <br /> <br />If we measured the longevity of MRR by how exciting it is or is not, then it will be alive and kicking forever. -Gone fishing anyone? <br />
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