I realize I am task oriented and often focus too much on what I can do next on the layout or with rolling stock. One piece of good fortune is a neighbor whose grandkids (age 2 and 4) when they come visit immediately ask to come over and see the “big” train layout. The 4 year old has become proficient in handling the NCE throttle and today he ran the 3-diesel consist around a bit, then we added the 2-6-0 with a 4-car train including a bobber caboose. Then he asked to pull out the “biggest” loco…good old #4014 Big Boy. We get to talk about the differences and things like the 567 motor (“that’s a motor fthe GP9 would use”) atop a flat car, real coal on the tenders, etc.
It makes it all that much more enjoyable; the “hobbying” is fun but the sharing is “priceless”.
I had the owner of the largest road building company in Canada at the house the other day. They are getting a puppy from us and were in to visit the little guy. He walked in and the first thing he said was " man you have a lot of hours put into this". Finally someone who can appreciate all the hours and hours of time we put into our hobby. It’s great when the kids come in and their jaw drops and they say COOOOL! But what that guy said about the hours involved was the best comment I have ever had from anyone.
I enjoy anyone that gets a kick out of the Trainroom though.
When the club I belong to has their open house, if there is not a huge amount of kids there, I will let the kids (usually like 2-3 max), blow the whistle on the sound equipped locomotives when I run it. I love seeing their smiles, and I swear it sometimes makes a little kids day being able to blow the whistle.
One of my friends brought his three year old son over a couple of weeks ago and showed him my layout and the little guy flipped out!.. I even turned the old sound effects box on and blew the horns and whistles each time the train would pass. I’m sure he’ll be back in a few weeks and we’ll do it all again. Very gratifying.
My son is the whole reason I built a layout. He’s 4 and does a great job running trains, switching cars and making up great radio chatter on our 2 way radios. I take him train hunting on the weekends and the we come home and set up similar consists and play for hours. It’s a real treat!
My workbench has 2 sides, one side is where I work and the other side is where my 4 year daughter sits and creates various things from her imagination. There are some extra cabs of various types in a basket close to her side and there is an Athearn DD40 that I was going to replace the cab on it. I was looking at it and asked her what she thought I should do. She picked a cab out of the basket and said:
“Daddy this is where the people go on that train. You need to put this one.”
It was a cab and platform for an MP15DC. I had already cut the existing cab and rear off the shell.
“Trust me Daddy, this is where the people go.”
There are about 10 other more realistic choices in the basket and I started to make an excuse, and she said:
“Daddy. This is the right one.”
Who can argue?
So all I could do was agree and start making it so the cab from an MP15DC could be mounted on a DD40. She also pointed out that I would need to install a large wire screen mesh grill on what will now be the front end of an MP40DC…
that wasn’t the end of her imagination for the day…
And so I received yet another set of instructions from my 4 year daughter who is a very creative mechanical engineer…
We have a hidden test track in my office that runs under some furniture which is high enough for her to crawl under. She likes to stage freight cars in hidden places. It was a little dark under there and she needed a flashlight to find something the other day.
I just so happen to have a super beat up spot light MOW car with a caboose cabin and large light on it. I got it in a batch from ebay and have it all in pieces and was working to restore it.
At the same time I was experimenting with a rectifier and a bunch of LED’s that I was going to use for someting else. She picked an extra large LED out of my bin and told me that that should be the spotlight on this MOW car.
The LED she chose is 28,500mcd and as big as one of those erasers that you put on top on a pencil. I hooked it into my circuit and showed it to her; it’s blinding bright.
She said: “Daddy we are going to need at least 2 of those in case there are any ghosts.”
Fortunately I have another spotlight car and now both of those cars are about as bright as a surefire flashlight.
She did approve of the small on/off switch mounted on the deck of each car.
I got a surprise (several actually) last evening. My twenty (+) year old grandson came with a new gal in tow to introduce to me (Grandma was at work). After we chatted awhile, he asked if he could show her my layout. WHOW! Sure! We went down and like all good layouts, something had to go wrong. One loco refused to be rerailed for awhile. Finally got it going and then things went OK.
My safety fence makes it difficult to rerail locos and cars, as the track is so close. Of course I was to ornery to move it to the rerailer. Even when I did it gave me grief.
After some successful laps, he even mentioned the train I had gotten for him years ago. Hummmm. If he didn’t work 3-11, maybe I could get a little interest built up. Have to see what I can do.
Seeing folks, especially kids, reactions, whether at a show or someone looking at my little offering, is definitely one of the joys of the hobby.
I have to agree with the opinions expressed so far. My youngest son, who just turned 11 last week, is my train buddy. He tags along when I volunteer at the Valley Railroad, and he has his own layout right next to mine. I built the benchwork for him, and have guided his small hands from time to time, but it’s all his. He started at the age of 4-1/2. We often have neighborhood kids over to see the layout. They know the rules: touch mine only under my supervision; do what you want on my son’s, so long as he approves. They are always well behaved and careful of the equipment and models. Now, you have to understand that the layouts are in a partially finished basement that is cluttered with old books, toys, train stuff, tools, my wife’s crocheting / knitting supplies, etc., and it can be a real pain to crawl around all the stuff. The kids don’t care. I even have the odd Boy Scout in for an operating session when I work on the Railroading merit badge with them. it’s really very satisfying.
So our project this week will be an entire Ghost Wrecking train…spotlights, probably a Rotary Ghost Catcher, Ghost storage tank, Ghost Wrecker and who knows what else she will need…
My oldest grandson has been my “train buddy” for 10 years or more.
When his younger brother who is now 8 comes through the door, the first thing he asks for is “trains”. He loves to get right up close to the track and watch the trains go past his nose. Although I think he prefers steamers, he watches them all.
Like his older brother he has been running trains since he was four. When the weather permits we will go to our favorite train watching spot and spend the afternoon together.
They are the reasons for the BRVRR and have given me hundreds of wonderful memories.
A couple weeks ago we hosted a graduation party for my daughter. Knowing one of the families that would attend included an 11 year old who likes to run my layout, I put together a train sequence list for him to build a train then run it from one end of the layout to the other dropping off and picking up various cars at the different sidings (both facing and trailing points). The trip required a few run-around moves which he figured out how to do all by himself. I acted as brakeman for him to assist in setting turnouts and uncoupling cars (he’s a little too short to do this himself on the upper deck of my layout). Most impressive was his attention to realistic operation. Without even telling him to do so, he would slowly back onto cars to make a realistically gentle coupling, he would run the train at realistic speeds, plus he would sound the whistle to indicate changes in direction as well as at grade crossings. The whole exercise took him an hour and a half. I thought he might be getting tired by the end but as he parked his train in the last yard, he turned to me with the biggest grin and asked for more! I think he’s hooked!
When I video chat with my grandtwins, they always ask to see the “choo-coo”. They especially like it when I put the iPad at track level and roll by with bell ringing and horn blowing. i don’t even have any scenery down, but their imagination more than makes up for it.
My wife and I have been caring for our 4 year old great grandson for several weeks/months this year and he is completely sold on trains. His first choice is any steam engine and then diesels. He has learned some of the parts of the steam engine and constantly emulating the motion of the side/main rods. He also watches the locos go by with his head down at track level and a big grin on his face.
I have been trying to get him to learn to pedal his trike for the past few weeks and he insists on pushing with his feet. A couple of days ago he was sittting on the trike and I told him to put his feet on the pedals and push them like a steam engine wheels go; showing him the motion with my hands. His eyes lit up and he started to pedal; and then the big grin when he realized that he could do it. He is the most inquisitive 4 year old when it comes to trains and it make my day.
Hearing all your stories of entertaining young people is very enjoyable. My 24 year old son often asks me what am I working on. I’m sure my answers are way too long winded and detailed but he is very patient. He is a good son!
