Need help hooking my 9 year old grandson (Eli) into our wonderful hobby

[selector]

I began with my two grandsons on my knee watching youtube steam locomotive videos.  They couldn't get enough.  Parents bought them a used Thomas table and a lot of 'stuff', and they played with it for hours.  I also had a working layout when they were upwards of three years of age, so that helped.  At present they're across the country, so their current interest is beyond me. They've both started school.  I'm pretty confident that if they were on the left coast with us they'd be right into it.

[RR_Mel]

Thanks Bear!

 

The sessions have been running about two hours, the dinged switch machine went a little over 3 hours and that was too long.  I sent him a picture of the buildings today and got a quick phone call back from Eli saying that was ”cool”.  He sounded excited.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

["JaBear"]

Gee Mel, I reckon you’re being a bit hard on both you and young Eli.

 

“I guess I’m not a very good mentor; it only kept his attention for a few hours”. 

Heck, I know grown men that have the attention span of a gnat and are wandering off or wanting a coffee break after an hour!!

 

“Presently he is only coming over to grandpa’s house to work on his trains twice a week at this point.”

Only!!!

 

“He did well laying the cork roadbed.... He did good laying the straight track (Atlas code 100 flex)...... I had him install (glue) a Kadee uncoupling magnet....”

 

That’s a whole lot of positives there Mel, you’re giving him hands on experience which can’t be beaten. It takes a lot of patience to let someone do a task that you could do in a fraction of the time. Ok the defective point was a negative but overall it would seem to me that Eli is a bright young fellow who’s lucky to have a Grandfather who’s prepared to send the time (and money) to teach him new skills in a Great Hobby.

My only suggestion would be to consider the length of the sessions, otherwise you’re doing just fine.

Well done to the both of you.

Cheers, the Bear.

[RR_Mel]

Dave, (hon30critter) had suggested starting with a diorama, that sounded good to me so that’s where I began.  I guess I’m not a very good mentor; it only kept his attention for a few hours.  He was wound up when we started but his spring didn’t respond to rewinding.

 

 

The diorama is 18" wide by 48" long.  The messy workbench is mine.

 

He did well laying the cork roadbed and I did most of the work installing two turnouts.  He did good laying the straight track (Atlas code 100 flex).  In attempting to add a switch machine (new old stock, Lambert Associates) he got discouraged.  I fiddled with the switch machine for two hours before I finally tried a second one only to find out the first one was defective.  That dinged him, my fault!

 

I had him install (glue) a Kadee uncoupling magnet between the rails so that he could learn slow switching with his locomotive.  That helped.

 

I added some rolling stock to his GP40 and that worked for one cession.  Today I added four preassembled buildings (plastic kits retired from my layout) to his stash and he perked up.  The building are illuminated two have interiors, all four are complete and look very good.

 

Presently he is only coming over to grandpa’s house to work on his trains twice a week at this point.

 

I have supplied him with a toolbox pretty well stocked with tools of the hobby, that worked pretty good having his own tools.

 

It’s tough competing with today’s electronic goodies.

 

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.