Inducting a Newby into the Hobby

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
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This coming Saturday my sister is having a welcome party for my newly adopted Nephew… Little Eddie is only 15 months old, and a very welcome addtion to our family… Now, I have 3 daughters, all train lovers… But I felt it only proper to try to reach my nephew while he was still young enough not to fall for the video game craze… So here’s what I came up with in about 5 hours… It met all of his list of requirements, wants and druthers for a first layout. it also has a rather nostalgic aire with lots of prototypical operation possibilities… Welll atleast it doesn’t have a smiling loco with googlie eyes…

Now before you loop critics get on tobashing the design and talking about thinking outside the plywood, be informed that this division is the operating division of a trunk line with more trackage waiting to be laid, the minute the boy can can see over the coffee table… Anyhow this little thing will slide under the crib and be out of sight when not in use… I hope he loves it.

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Walt,

a good idea to start ´em young! failed to do so with my son and I dearly regret it. Risking to get [soapbox] by some of the regular posters here, I do agree that locos should not have a smiling smokebox front wth “googling” eyes… [(-D]

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Thomas does have his place, but not on a serious railroad like the Tike Pike. I mean he might get dizzy from all the roundy round and the smoke might roll out his ears and his tongue might hang out from all the G forces…LOL…

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Nice start for the little guy.

My mother was a great supporter of my hobby, moreso than I at times. I think if she had had time she would have liked a little layout for herself. Sadly she didn’t live long enough for me to think of such a thing. She was good at craft things, scenery would have been a blast for her. She liked Tootle in his book, probably Thomas was OK, but when Lionel came out with their pink engine and pastel cars she wanted no part of such a thing.

Good luck,