How many of us remember our first layout? I remember mine…it was a simple loop of track that Santa (my dad) gave for me for Christmas when I was about 4. Unfortunately it’s long gone & all I have left of it are the memories. I’ve had several layouts since, some I’ve finished & some not but none like the frst.
I tried introducing my kids to the hobby but I think maybe I sarted when they were too old & had already found computers & video games. They are all off to college & beyond now so I’ve pretty much lost hope for my own kids…maybe I’ll get lucky as they get older. Not sure how long I’ll have to wait for grandkids.
Well, my stepdaughter has a godson that is now 1 1/2 years old. Both my stepdaughter & my wife adore this little guy & her is over here all the time. He was over the other night & my wife brought him out to the shop where my n scale layout is and he couldn’t get enough. That’s when I decided a boy needs his first train. I think he’d like to have a layout that he can play with when he’s here.
I’m thinking something of the 4’x8’ variety for obvious reasons, has to have impecceble trackwork because there is nothing more frustrating, especially for a child, than trains that don’t run properly. Probably a basic loop of track, or double loop, with a few sidings…nothing too complicated. It’ll be wired for DC but able to be upgraded to DCC later on if the need/want arises. Probably Athearn blue box locos as they are reletively inexpensive, fairly reliable and durable & pretty easy to come by.
This will probably go against every principle of model railroading, but this is going to be more of a toy than a model railroad.
What are some elements that I could incorporate into the layout to make it more fun for him? Tunnels? Bridges? Some of the old Tyco Action cars? Any ideas would be helpful.
I know 1 1/2 years old is a bit young, but Rome wasn’t
Michael, I understand where you are coming from…I myself do not have any kids but I have my nephew who I converted at an early age. I bought him his first train set at the age of 3 and he’s been hooked ever since. I am now in the porcess of building my version of MR’s Virginian project railroad. My nephew is loving the tunnels and bridges. Some of those old action cars might grab his attention you may also think about things like the old operating crossing gates I think were made by Bachmann.
I would recommend a lionel O scale (I think?) train set, they are made from plastic that shouldn’t break. They had some at walmart. When he gets older, you can go with HO scale.
If you want a HO scale layout, I would recommend going on eBay and buying old cars. However watch out for lead paint, it is fine for 10+, but young kids are bad at washing their hands, or even worse sticking it in their mouth.
Your LHS probably sells tunnels that you can just set down over the track.
Maybe somebody with a background in early child development should weigh in here. I personally don’t think a child that age would be ready for anything as delicate as HO, and I’m not even so sure about an electric train at all. Have you considered an unpowered wooden push-toy type of thing? Later, he could graduate to a Lionel set until he gets to at least second or third grade or so. Then maybe HO. Manual dexterity has to develop, and a temperamental or overactive kid might be too rough on an electric set, even though he might not intend any damage. A broken train would lead to frustration, so I’d stick with something not easily broken.
From my own experience, kids would much rather have hands on play than watch. He will have a lot more fun with a BRIO-type set for quite a few years. More creative for him, too.
Gidday Michael, when I think of the amount of fun my young fellow had, from the age of three, with a “Brio” type wooden train set, that is what I would also recommend. The kindergarten he attended had a huge set and he and his friend would spend as much time as they were allowed building the empires that came from their imaginations.
He does have your layout to look at, and learning to “look but not touch” is another valuable lesson.
Yours is an admirable proposal, but I feel that it would be best saved for when he is older, and even able to give you a hand.
I have a grandson, age 4, and I can vouch for the fact that age 1 1/2 is too young for an electric train set, let alone an HO scale train.
At 1 1/2, my grandson loved to observe my layout in action, and then he got the Thomas the Train wood set. He also started watching Thomas the Train episodes on television.
At age 4, he was ready for his first electric train set. I posted on this forum for advice, but I got scared off from starter sets of the Lionel and G scale varieties. Much to my chagrin, my daughter bought a Bachmann HO scale Thomas the Train set. It came with steel EZ-Track set in black plastic roadbed and a DC power pack. It included enough track to complete an 18" radius oval and four straight tracks.
I must say, the track stays together, the train does not fall off the track, and he can safely operate the train. Of course, I expect him to get bored fast with the oval, so I will not be able to resist buying some turnouts, another oval of track for a double main line, and another train.
I recently fought for a 4’ x 8’ table, but my daughter correctly scaled that ambition back to a 4’ x 6’ layout. Bachmann has a lot of structures that can be added to such a layout.
Just some thoughts from someone who has been there.
Having shared the hobby with three grandchildren who now range from 6 to 15, I can tell you that a child of 1 1/2 would get much more use out of a wooden Thomas the Tank Engine set.
When the time comes to move up, the HO Thomas set is not all that fragile. At 6, the youngest is beginning to prefer the real HO trains. Thomas and Hogwarts will soon be moving to the display case.
Our grandson, now 12, started with Thomas. I bought the $49 (then) layout board and built a table it set into that his cousins, now 2 and 4, now use. If you’re interested in the table woodwork plan let me know. It’s not that large and you’d have the option of putting it at his house where he could use it daily.
If and when it gets to electric for your little friend, I see you are planning an electric set at your his place in addition to your layout, just for him. My reaction to a 4’ x 8’ N scale is that’s perhaps more elaborate than needed for that scale. Perhaps narrower would be fine, and give him more ability to reach things as he gets older. I’d guess he could handle HO stuff easier, plus I’ve enjoyed enlisting my grandson’s help in building HO items for his 4’ x 6’ layout.
So, just to share my experience. I have 3 boys who were all exposed to Brio and wooden Thomas layouts almost from birth. While they all enjoyed it, only my youngest reslly became a train nut. For a while, every time we traveled, we had to take a small tote filled with track and some trains. We still have that stuff, safely packed away for grandkids. For Christmas when he was 5, I got him a Bachmann Thomas HO set, and spent just about every evening for the month before Christmas buliding a table and transformer stand next to my layout in the basement. He was thrilled, and handled the trains wonderfully (admittedly, they’re a bit tougher than average HO equipment). He ran that layout for 3 years, adding roadbed, scenery, and structures, much of it with my help, but increasingly independently. After three years, he announced that Thomas was “stupid”, and that he wanted “real” trains for his layout. That year for Christmas his grandmother gave him a Conrail GP-40, and we wemt to the Amherst Train show a month later, where he spent his Christmas money for more Conrail stuff. Now, at the ripe old age of 10, he does all the work on his own layout, including soldering, and has announced that he wants to convert to DCC and expand his track plan. Moral of the story: start 'em on Brio, and graduate them to their own layout as soon as they show the maturity and dexterity to handle it. Start with something kind of rugged (LEGO electric trains are also a good starting point).
Thanks, Rich. I do confess to being a little disappointed that only one of three boys really took to it. Another thing that I think is key is having his layout next to mine, so that it’s something we do together.
My nephew is going to be 3 in march and he just got (for christmas) one of those wooden tabletop push around trains. He sorta gets it but I’m not sure…he spent a half hour pushing a train around on Christmas in a continuous circle. I also gave him a wooden train whistle to annoy mom & dad with and they can’t take the batteries out. [:D] He always wants to see my trains run on my layout when he visits.
I just browsed through this thread and did not see any mention of the Thomas the Train layout that David Popp did on MR Video Plus. I think that would be a great first layout.
just a thought, but what about a LEGO train. I have seen their products in action at local train shows and I think that this type of train set would be a great time for a young train enthusiast. Most young children have some kind of lego, which he could then also use to let his imagination go wild with the LEGO train set.
Once he is older he and still has the interest he could then get a HO layout.