Which is the best train set for a young child?

[Anonymous]

I was at the LHS last week and noticed an older couple with what turned out to be their grandson, looking at train sets. While the boy was oohing and ahhing over everything from O gauge Lionel to HO flex track, they were obviously at a loss over where to begin. After about ten minutes of this I tentatively asked if they were having trouble deciding what to get him. The woman asked if I could give them any advice about what kind of trainset would be best (the boy was about 6). She told me he already had a Thomas the Tank Engine set and wanted to get a DC type train set. I pointed them toward a Bachmann HO set (DC) with the EZ track, so they wouldn't have to deal with ballast, plus they could get trains running right away. What I'm wondering is what others would recommend for a child at that age. What train set is best, you think?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by yankeejwb
I pointed them toward a Bachmann HO set (DC) with the EZ track, so they wouldn't have to deal with ballast, plus they could get trains running right away. What I'm wondering is what others would recommend for a child at that age. What train set is best, you think?

What you showed and recommend is EXACTLY what I would have done as well. There is not alot of fuss to deal with setting up the train set,and it should be enjoyable for everyone. One note though,make sure that there is adult supervision,as a 6 year old boy,most likely does not know alot about electricity,since he probably has been "pushing" the Thomas train. So......this will be something completely different to him. Again congrats you did the right thing.[:D]

[Anonymous]

I would agree with cnwfan, a simple set like the Bachmann system is the way to go for younger modellers. If anything gets broken replacements will not cost huge sums, and it would allow them to move into more "finescale" models in years to come - Bachmann cars (and their better locos) make great first detailing projects. I would recommend the Nickel-Silver (Grey roadbed) rather than the brass track (Black roadbed), mainly as it'll reduce the amount of cleaning needed to keep trains moving. Good choice!

[Train 284]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Railroading_Brit

I would agree with cnwfan, a simple set like the Bachmann system is the way to go for younger modellers. If anything gets broken replacements will not cost huge sums, and it would allow them to move into more "finescale" models in years to come - Bachmann cars (and their better locos) make great first detailing projects. I would recommend the Nickel-Silver (Grey roadbed) rather than the brass track (Black roadbed), mainly as it'll reduce the amount of cleaning needed to keep trains moving. Good choice!

I have to agree here!

Matt

[ben10ben]

I'll be the dissenter here and say that a Lionel O gauge set is the best. HO, snap track or no snap track, is really not suited for floor operation in any way, shape, or form(and I speak from experience). O gauge won't be stopped by a spot of oxidation on the track, a loose joint, a carpet fiber, or derail from uneven track. Track can be stepped on and remain fully useable. Engines and cars are large enough to easily put on the track, and have deep flanges that keep them on at all but the highest speeds. O gauge engines and cars are large enough and heavy enough that they can be thrown across the room with minimal damage to themselves. There are countless operating/loading/unloading accesories that make trains really fun for young people. Hotwheels, Matchbox, and other sized cars are almos the perfect size to go along with O gauge trains, and most young children will usually have plenty of those. Boxcars and gondolas are plenty large enough to carry the aforementioned cars, as well as most other things that children will have that they may want to carry in their train.

I could go on and on about why I think O gauge is a better choice, but I'll spare you all.

[IRONROOSTER]

Unless there is going to be an adult involved in building a train table (and other things), I would not pick HO for a 6 year old. If this is to be a floor toy, I would recommend something more rugged like Lionel or American Flyer. With both of those you can also get operating accessories which will appeal to a 6 year old.
Enjoy
Paul

[TurboOne]

Jim, I would and did look at options last December.

I picked HO Thomas the train with EZ track. My six year old loves it. We put it on a spare dining room table and it is so simple. Wiring is two wires, he can put together the track and he calls it breakable Thomas so he knows its different than his wooden Thomas.

Thomas is available in O and G scales also.

You did great, and hopefully their grandson is enjoying trains.

Wish more choices were available for entry folks, some disney and other cartoon characters would be great.

Tim

[3railguy]

For a sixish child, I would recomend an 027 starter set such as The Glacier Express. I would not choose HO unless under full adult supervision. For a tenish child, an Athearn set would be my choice along with a decent power pack. These sets are relatively inexpensive considering the quality and can grow should he decide to expand.

[Anonymous]

My first train set was a Marx O guage, and I took pretty good care of it. It didn't have a lot of little fragile details to get broken and was easy to set up and run, so that's the type I would recommend.

trainluver1

[Anonymous]

I dissagree with ben on one point, lionels placed on bare carpet have a tendancy to burn and melt the carpet, while not notably dangerous it will permanetly ruin your carpet in places, while on the other hand, the snap track doesnt burn ormelt the carpet and it is running at lower voltages so it is less dangerous. none of this to say that lionel is in any way bad, they are high quality and wil run forever, I have one of the ZW transformers, and oother than the outer two control rods not working becuase of such extensive use, it runs the trains like any other transformer would.

[Eriediamond]

I'm an HO modeler now but got started back in the 40's with a Lionel Scout set at about the same age. So from experience, I would take the side of the larger more rugged Lionel or K-Line type trains. To set the record straight here, unless Lionel has made some drastic changes, the track and accessories voltage is the same as HO. Only difference is that HO is generally DC and Lionel is AC, but still the 0-16 volt output on the transformer to the track. The only melting I ever encountered was those lead icycles we had back in those days falling off the Xmas tree and laying on the track but then those are now long gone. Another advantage with the O or O-27 train is if the six year old will have a child hood train for under his Xmas tree for years to come when he is older and has kids of his own.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Australia, but here it makes no difference: Bachmann is about as good as you'll get for a little bloke. End of story.

Allan Lees

[ben10ben]

I've been running Lionel on the carpet for over 10 years, and I've never done any permanant damage to my carpet. I've had some pretty serious derailments too, with sparks flying three or four inches and the circuit breaker on my transformer not closing. I use a 190 watt KW, which can put out quite a bit of power, too.

Newer sets have transformers with circuit breakers that act almost instantly. If something derails, the circuit breaker trips before you even have a slightest spark. If something is sparking too much going down the track, the breaker will trip also(yes, I've seen it happen). Most sets now are also coming with a plastic roadbed track, either Realtrax or Fastrack that keeps everything off the carpet.

[robengland]

I think three-rail is a good idea at that age - no reversing loops etc. Noone mentioned Marklin: three rail AC, made out of metal (or at least the old second hand stuff is). I bought some for my son. part of the reason was sentimental - that's what my Dad started me on. It also has nice easy colourcoded wiring.

The shortcomings are because it is HO: a bit fiddly for them. Carpet fluff does get to it eventually. The American Flyer and Lionel stuff might be a better choice, although I gather the second hand market is pretty pricey (we don't see it much in New Zealand).

If they are loaded, I'd point them to G scale LGB. it might even grow up into a garden railway as the kid grows up

[bcammack]

I got my six year old grandson a nice Life-Like HO set with their Power Loc track. At that age I essentially considered it a "disposable" introduction to model railroads. Decent stuff, but I got it at Tuesday Morning for $50 and knew that a six year old is not going to be very careful with his toys.

I think you made a good choice for them.

[MidlandPacific]

MTH makes some great O scale starter sets - they come with smoke and sound, and the track is set into a plastic base, which will protect the floor. They also have an instructional video (which a friend claims his son enjoys almost as much as the train) for novices.

[cwclark]

I think a basic O gauge lionel is the way to go for kids that age...they are rugged enough to put them on the carpet and take the abuse 6 year olds can hand out to them ...HO and N scale do horribly on carpet..the rails come apart (if you can keep the rails straight at all)...unless grandpa puts it on a board with the track secured properly, then O gauge is the best for youngsters...chuck

[darday]

A few comments:

1) If price is a consideration, and it usually is, an O scale starter train set is quite a bit more expensive than an HO one.

2) Some 6- and 7-year-olds still like to pu***he trains, so you have to be sure they won't get rapidly bored with watching an electric train run around a circle. My eldest son loved his Brio and Thomas wooden sets. Then my wife bought him a Bachman HO starter set ($20) when he was 7, but he rapidly got bored with it. He also found the scale modeling aspect to be intimidating, perhaps because his Dad is into detailed modeling. So he decided he really wanted a Lego train set that he could manipulate more. (Those are rather expensive, too.)

3) The Bachman E-Z Track with black ballast has steel rails. To my surprise, I found it did not tarnish much at all. I've only had to clean the track about once every two months over the four years that my son's set has been in operation. However, it was only running on the floor for a couple of weeks, before I built a 4x6 table top for my son to set up the track on.

4) Animation of any sort is usually a big hit with younger kids. Look for operating accessories that you can add, or one of the MRC sound generating systems. Once I added a SoundStation 312 to the Bachmann starter set, even my 3-year-old son wanted to play with the trains: so long as he could pu***he sound generator buttons. Figure you are going to have to expand the track plan in the near future to maintain interest, too.

5) I had an American Flyer set that my Dad bought when I was 2 or 3, but I prefered my Brio-type hand-powered trains until I was about 7. By then, the American Flyer had been taken down and put away, so I was without trains for about 4 years. I got my first HO set at age 11, an Athearn, and have been with the hobby ever since.

Bottom line: I don't think there is a best answer for everyone, it depends on the child.

[Anonymous]

Any non tiny bachmann (suuh as a gandy dancer or john bull) they are more lightweight than athrean & more durable than lifelike or kato. Good pick.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bcammack

I got my six year old grandson a nice Life-Like HO set with their Power Loc track. At that age I essentially considered it a "disposable" introduction to model railroads. Decent stuff, but I got it at Tuesday Morning for $50 and knew that a six year old is not going to be very careful with his toys.

That brings up another reason I hesitated to recommend O gauge stuff. Who's to say the kid won't lose interest two months after you get him a set? I figure if he really likes it and you want something a bit more durable, then an O gauge set may be a really good idea.