Greetings all,
My layout is now at a point where all the tracks are wired and I can run the trains. My sons Gordon engine (from Thomas the Tank Engine) has a decoder in it but it is not being run much as my son likes the lights, sounds, and smoke from my steam engine.
I am thinking about taking him to the LHS to get him an engine but I would like some suggestions. He will want lights and sounds (smoke could be optional). I know he will want to handle the engine himself and he is very good at getting the wheels onto the tracks so, I do not want an engine that is so fine and detailed that he will damage it and be sad.
Suggestions?
Christopher
Anything from IHC will be unexpensive and should stand up to his abuse…
David B
Any basic F unit (P1000 or Athearn blue box); the only details are cast on; which makes it an easy engine for a 4 year old to handle. Decoders and lights are easy add ons…
These units will also negotiate 18" radius curves…
There was no indication of what scale or size we are talking about here. The prior posters have assumed HO…??
The problem with both IHC and Proto-1000 is the lack of sound. Both good recommendations but you will have to add the decoder and sound. From the factory with sound how about a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0. Might have some detail that will get broken off but maybe not. Even if so it should not take away from the operation and sound. I think Roundhouse has an “old time” 2-8-0 that has been released with sound.
As for Diesels Trainworld in NY has a BLI blue line C30-7 or RSD-15 for $89. All you would have to do is add the decoder. At that price so what if the son breaks off some of the detail.
http://www.trainworld.com/broadwayltd/BROADWAYBLOWOUTS.htm
Greetings,
You are right. I did forget to mention the scale. HO is what we are running. The Thomas engines are Bachmann.
Thanks for the suggestions. We will be going out on Fri. or Sat. so, please keep making suggestions. Engines that have the lights and decoder in them already would be best, plug and play would be the second choice. The idea of wiring up lights and adding the decoder myself for an engine that he may drop and break is not appealing.
Regarding the details breaking: He is very careful with the HO Thomas trains he has, but he is also only four therefore I know things will break.
More ideas welcome.
Thanks,
Christopher
Most engines come with the headlights already installed so that’s shouldn’t be something you would need to worry about.
Engines that come with decoders - unless you’re buying an engine with a Tsunami or QSI sound decoder installed at the factory - often use kinda cheap decoders that don’t really offer much. Most any new steam or diesel engine you buy (except for Athearn blue box diesels and a few others) are going to have some provision for a drop-in or plug and play decoder. It’s not hard to pop the tender body off, remove the dummy plug, take a decoder with an eight-pin plug built into it, plug it in and put the tender body back on.
I do like my Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0 that came with a Tsunami decoder installed, but it seems like it does have a lot of small parts that could get broken off in the hands of a 4 year old. I might lean more toward an IHC engine as someone mentioned earlier. I believe they have ‘plug and play’ receptacles in the tender. BTW you can plug in a sound decoder too, assuming you have room in the tender for a speaker.
I don’t know how many of the Model Power “Mantua Classics” are actually available now, but they would be good too. The old Mantua engines had metal boilers and limited detailing. They were very rugged and durable, and the later ones that came with can motors ran quite well too.
If you think he might want something more recent that he might see if you go out watching trains with him, you might look at an Atlas Trainman engine like their GP-38. They use the same high-quality motor and chassis as the more expensive Atlas engines, but have bodies with less detail - if you want grabirons on the nose you have to add them yourself. But in this case having fewer details to break off might be a virtue.
Get one of those model power all metal sets…
If he doesn’t mind a diesel, a Bachmann FT might be a good choice. They’re cheap, reliable, and have no separate detail whatsoever (except horns on top). If he likes sound, putting in a sound system shouldn’t be hard. If you decide to get one, remember to make sure it’s new, because the older ones are powered by a 4-wheel-drive truck that’s not so good.
Adding sound to a loco not designed for it is an order of magnitude harder than a plug and play decoder.
An additional thought. The only locos I know of in HO scale that have DCC, sound, and smoke are Trix and MTH. BUT you will pay a pretty penny for either of those brands, and are probably not good choices for a very young child.