hi everybody,
my name is john, I’m 24yo, i live in menasha WI, ive always enjoyed model trains but havent been able to do anything detailed because of not having the room to do so, infact i haven’t had a model train since i was a kid.
well now for the good news, i thought of a solution to my room issue, i recently bought my girlfriends son a loft style bed and for christmas i am building a trundle table to go underneath it, he really likes trains (he’s the most adorable 2 yo) so i am going to build a scenery for the table, i found the perfect train set for him on walmarts website, its only $120 or something like that, HO scale and it has two trains and tracks, one larger figure 8 (with a diesel style train) and a small circle (with a steam style train) to go inside of it.
anyhow my goal is to make a trainset that he will always cherish and that he will be able to keep without it looking childish (the reasoning we decided against thomas)
well i will keep you guys updated on my progress and im sure i’ll have a million and one questions.
Welcome back to the hobby John. Those trundle style train tables used to be a standard feature in the Sunday newspaper handyman’s project articles.
I am sure the WalMart trainset is cheaply priced and may be a good decision but beware because sometimes the quality can so low with cheap HO trainsets that the trains hardly run at all. It can be very frustrating. I think the William K Walthers Trainline sets are higher quality and obviously cost a bit more. Their Warehouse and factory outlet store are in Milwaukee at 60th and Florist. Not that far a drive from Neenah Menasha.
HO is a nice size so long as you are there to help him with it. He can run the trains with supervision but in a year or two he would be ready to put a Plasticville building together. Up to about age 8 the bigger Lionel size is easier for a child to deal with entirely on their own. But they are pricey for toys.
If you do build an HO layout put in plenty of Atlas rerailer sections. Getting the cars on the track is one of the hardest things for a child – getting pretty darn hard for me, too, by the way – and the Atlas rerailers, which must have been desigened by a genius, do a great job. You just lightly run the car over them once or twice with your hand and they are properly on the tracks. This would be particularly important when the layout is on a floor and you cannot eyeball the wheels very easily.
Two things to put on your calendar. First, in November is TrainFest in Milwaukee at State Fair Park, a two day show of layouts, train dealers, and other stuff that you are sure to enjoy. This year it is Nov 10 and 11 and the boy would get in free.
Glad to have you on the forum. You’ll find lots of information here. Don’t be afraid to ask questions - we were all new at this once, and some of us have been new at this more than once.
Just so you know, Bachmann does make an HO-scale Thomas set that will run on standard HO track, so it’s possible to build a “real” layout and still run Thomas on it for a while. Then, when it’s time to “graduate” from Thomas, you can replace the trains but still keep the layout.
thanks for the tips guys, definately going to keep the 2 shows in mind, they sound like tons of fun, i saw the thomas trains at the toy train depot here in town and i might buy him one of the engines and a few of the cars for his b-day (in february) as i would like to slowly get him a few nicer trains then the wal-mart ones but i figure a cheap one is a good way to start him out.
Welcome to the forum. If you are going to the show, it is likely that you can pick up the eqivalent in size of the Walmart set in pieces and get better quality and save money. You have until then to tell us what you would like to see in a layout and we coach you on what to look for.
Welcome to the forum. A word of caution, coming from one who built two layouts for his kids and now am working with 4 grandkids, At two he will only watch the trains for a while before he will want to do things that will break them. Build that into the planning. When my last grandchild reached 6 he was able to deal with the real layout a little, and now at 8 he does much better, but still, I keep his construction to his own areas, for he still breaks things alot.Even the 10 year olds cannot deal with my steam engines nor can they get cars back on the track alone.
It is a great way to work with kids, unless you forget who old they are and what kids that age really want to do with toys. Trains cannot become a hobby until about age 15 at best. Until then they are toys, and toys are ussually broken before they are worn out.
This is not to discourage you, but to help keep your expectations on a level that will lead to satisfaction not frustration.
Art, I have to disagrree with you on the fact that age 15 is the earliest it can become a hobby. I think that maybe 12 is a better age, being a Grandpa maybe your grandkids and kids and generl of the 12 to 15 age range dosent seem to be that mature to because Im sure they just want to have fun with there grandpa but belive me kids that age dont really want to break things for fun… Buy that time there more intrested in girls or guys, hanging out with there freinds and if there intrested in trains, they arent little babys that want to break stuff they want a nice realistic model railroad. I would be really suprised if by age 12 or so if still intrested your grandkids can fully handle the trains maybe not as well as there grandpa since you do some pretty amazing scenery but at least be able to treat the trains with proper care.
Art, I have to disagrree with you on the fact that age 15 is the earliest it can become a hobby. I think that maybe 12 is a better age, being a Grandpa maybe your grandkids and kids and generl of the 12 to 15 age range dosent seem to be that mature to because Im sure they just want to have fun with there grandpa but belive me kids that age dont really want to break things for fun… Buy that time there more intrested in girls or guys, hanging out with there freinds and if there intrested in trains, they arent little babys that want to break stuff they want a nice realistic model railroad. I would be really suprised if by age 12 or so if still intrested your grandkids can fully handle the trains maybe not as well as there grandpa since you do some pretty amazing scenery but at least be able to treat the trains with proper care.
trainfreek, I’d let it go. I also disagree with Art’s feeling that those younger than 15 tend to not see trains as more than toys; myself (at least a few months ago) being proof. I had considered commenting on this issue here as well, but it has been beaten to death and it doesn’t need to spread to other topics not intended for it. I’m not taking either side here, so while I disagree with 15, Art’s basic point is valid.
To the original poster, here’s hoping the trains bring a big smile to the little one’s face. I’m camping in the tent recommending you try something a bit better to start off. I worry that a very cheap one that doesn’t run well will actually breed more of a toy perspective than a model perspective in his mind. The Trainline series would be a great place to start off. The locomotives are durable, run quite well, and are relatively inexpensive.
at two years old the boy might be a little young but then it also depends on the child. Some will be able to handle a layout earlier then others.
As for the trainsets, check out what some of the other manufacturers have to offer. Try Athearn for example, their web site is www.athearn.com. They sell HO scale train sets complete with power packs, they might be a little more expensive but from my observations they have some better quality. The advantage to this is that if the boy is not interested then at least the track, power pack and rolling stock can serve you on your future layout.