Looking for recommendations for a sturdy HO sized locomotive that can stand up to abuse for a host of kids, nieces, nephews, guests, autistic relatives, etc. What’s the closest to unbreakable you all can recommend?
In HO scale, the sturdiest you’re going to find are the trains that are made for kids – your Thomas the Tank Engines, your Chuggingtons, and the like. If having the trains look at all realistic is important to you, though, you generally aren’t going to find “sturdy.” Your best bet is to go cheap instead, so when (not if) it breaks, you won’t be that worried about it. Pick a low-detail, one-piece-molded body locmotive, like you’d get in a department-store train set from Bachmann, Life-Like, Walthers, or Athearn. Molded-in details means fewer bits to break off.
Wouldn’t it be better to teach them a little respect. Instead of enabling them to destroy other people’s stuff
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Additg to what Steven said, I think the “F units” made by Kato (F3, F7, F9) are the most industrictable locomotives available, while still being top-notch products. They have one piece molded plastic shells so there are no parts to break off, and they run very well.
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Please post more details. Will this go on a completed layout for the kids to play with, or will it just be temporary track on the floor?
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Have fun!
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-Kevin
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I have to go along with what unclebutch says, really, but if it’s just your usual kids, doing the things usual kids do at play time, Steve’s idea is also a good suggestion.
You can also find lots of the Bachmann, Tyco, old Life Like engines on Ebay, I’m talking the trainset quality, nothing fancy.
Another option would be the good old Athearn blue box diesels. All the details are molded on, the railings are good and study, if you even put them on, which would be up to you, and they run good, and are easy to maintain, and come at a decent price, and run on DC, of which there are many power packs out there for DC.
You can find new “old stock” and used on Ebay, also.
Mike.
I completely agree with the idea of teaching kids to respect stuff – practicing that is part of why we’re building a train set in the first place. But also, in all honesty, we get as many kids through my house as a dentist’s office after halloween, and I have autistic nieces and nephews for whom frustration is a particular challenge. Plus a couple of big farm dogs whose overzealous tails are the reason we have to anchor the Christmas tree. 
Really I’m just looking for one that will run when it’s supposed to, and hopefully stand up to an accidental drop or two, kool-aid spill, etc. Normal kid stuff. It does not need to be completely realistic, but they all agree they don’t want trains with faces like Thomas. Grandad has a permanent display at his house that they’re not allowed to touch, and they still get frustrated because all of the old pieces are temperamental and tough to get running reliably. Mine will be on the floor or a low table in the playroom, semi-permanent.
I am not sure stuff made for kids, like Thomas and its ilk, is really designed to be tough and durable. That is now how toy companies think these days.
Maybe HO is not really suited to the most destructive tendencies of the very young, but other than loading up on cheap used stuff, I’d look at trains that have the fewest parts that can be broken off. For example an F7 has fewer than a GP9 with its handrails and the like.
Probably the ultimate in durable HO are the old Mantua all metal steam locomotive tank engines without separate tenders: the 0-4-0T and 0-6-0T. By old Mantua I mean circa 1960.
Dave Nelson
When did KATO ever make an HO F7? They made drives for Stewart, but I have never seen an HO F7 in a KATO package? Did they ever sell those under their name?
I don’t pay much attention to KATO, they are an N scale company that just dabbles in HO now and then. They have no real selection of HO to speak of.
Sheldon
might add the older hobbytown units , while not cheep they have cast bodies and a metal drive train.
I find the OP´s question difficult to answer without some more background as to how old the kids are and whether they will run the engines he is looking for on his layout or on some setup of their own.
In my opinion, none of the scale models currently in the market are child proof to a degree they will withstand the rough handling our beloved misfits are most likely to give them. Body shells made from plastic will break and even a die-cast engine will not survive a drop from a table without major damage.
If the children are old enough, i.e. 7 years or older, teach them care, if they are younger, get them a trainset which is made for that age.
Keeping kids’ hands off of a model train is a challenge. I get it. My young kids also want to touch the trains, move them around, etc. Manipulating them provides them a sense of awe. I remind them that they can play with the trains after we work on the wiring. It usually works. Having rules for operations is important.
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Yes, Of course I meant the Stewart models with the Kato drives. My favorite locomotive models ever! They make up the bulk of my roster. They run perfect and are durable as can be.
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-Kevin
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Get them a big set of wood Brio trains. Build “layouts” for them before they arrive. When they tire of the toys, they might be mature enough for real model trains.
Or, buy them their own Lionel O gauge set to learn on…
Sheldon
The MTH “O” gauge Rail King set I got for my grandson held up great, as they were handled by many little hands, and cars were changed often.
The Rail King stuff is made for the sharp radius, and handles them fine.
Nice and big and heavy, which seemed to work out just right with little impatient hands moving things around. An occassional short from a derailed car or loco, and the system shut right down.
Mike.
The Atlas (yellow box) FP7 diesel locomotive made by Roco in Austria is well made and durable. This has been out of production for many years, but you should be able to locate one in eBay .
I recommend a Bachmann DCC onboard (no sound) SD40 or GP40. The SD40 has a fair amount of detail and is very sturdy. If you want a virtually unkillable locomotive, then a nicely rebuilt AHM HO Sharknose/C liner/ Erie Built will work perfectly. I have 6 operational units from the 1970s.
Wow, from Model Power? I haven’t kept up. It looks like it even has see-through grills.
Mike.
Yes, a friend of mine has one. It’s built like a tank and runs surprisingly well.
Simon