My son is eight years old, and has expressed an interest in model trains since (what else?) The Polar Express came out last year. I am thinking of giving him a starter set for Christmas, but I have NO idea where to start! I am a single mom, and I know absolutely nothing about the hobby, nor do I have a bone in my body that is likely to be able to help me help him to play with it, work on it, etc.! Am I crazy??? I just want to give him something that he will enjoy, perhaps learn from, and even treasure for years to come! Would someone be so kind as to give me some advice, such as what size might be good, where to purchase, what is age-appropriate for him (as he has never had anything like this before and I want him to be able to use it), etc.? He is very intelligent, and can learn anything, so I know he won’t have any trouble with it. He will be teaching me soon, I am certain! Are certain types easier to set-up? Maintain? Add to? Is Lionel the Be-All-And-End-All, or is there somewhere else I should start? Please pardon my ignorance, and feel free to say so if you think I am in WAY over my head. Thanks so much for ANY advice.
I don’t think you are over your head Mom.
I would check out a hobby shop if there’s one close to you or do some research on the WWW which is what you’ve done here.
If he’s serious about this I’d go with HO scale.
It’s the most popular of all the scales available & is around the age I started out with this scale.
It’s probably the cheapest scale to start out with as well.
Brands you could go with to start off is Athearn or Proto 1000.
www.athearn.com
or
www.walthers.com
for Proto
Both of these are unexpensive & are the best bang for the buck & both are available in a “starter” set & both can be expanded later if the interest is still there.
Feel free to ask questions, there’s a few thousand model railroaders here that are more than willing to answer questions you might have, myself included.
One thing to remember, this is a hobby, there are no questions that can’t be answered.
Gordon
Thank you so much, Gordon. I will continue my research, as you have suggested. I really appreciate the ideas and will start from there.
dont get one of the cheap lifelike starter sets. they dont run too good.
a good alternitave is to get independent items. ask your son which sort of locomotives he likes(steam, new or old desil), and get a good quality HO scale(1:87)one for around $70 athearn is a good choice.
pick up some track at the hobby shop that can be set up on a dining table or something, and a power pack the track you should get is enough curved sections to make a circle, and several straight sections to make it an oval. add in a switch or 2 and you can have some sidings.
get between 5 and 10 smaller frieght cars.(proto 2000 or athearn) by smaller i mean 40 foot boxcars, 3- bay coal hoppers, 11000 gallon tank cars.
by getting seperate stuff, you can get exactly what you want, and probably get better quality. ($250 mabey less) your son will enjoy running trains more with quality stuff, and may advance in this great hobby. start going to train shows with him and ask the people there for more tips. hobby shop pepole are usually helpfull.
GEARHEAD426[8]
Again, thank you! I think we do have a local hobby shop; I will try to go by there to see what I can learn. I don’t think my son would know how to answer your question about what types of locomotives he would like! ha ha. He just knows trains are cool…like I said, we are both rank beginners. Besides, believe it or not, he still believes in Santa Claus, and it is the big guy who will be giving the set for Christmas, so I can’t really ask his opinion! I hope I can do well on my own. 
One question…do you mean that all starter sets do not run well, or just cheaper ones? The previous post also suggested athearn and proto. I was looking at their websites, and they have sets more in my price range. (around $150) I am a single mother with a very low income, so even this is a big expense for me. I hope to get him a set that runs well, but that he can expand later. Just start learning about it simply. Thanks again for all the help!
Athearn offers several sets.These are a good way to start. So is Bachmann Spectrum. Stay away from regular Bachmann and Life Like.Walthers sets are also pretty good.
Instead of giving advise I’ll tell you what I did. For my son’s 2nd birthday I purchased a loop of track and 1 locomotive of G-scale. These are great big trains. Bigger than Lionel. At the time there were no inexpensive ones. So for each Christmas and each Birthday he got one more piece. We did this for all 4 of our children. At least once a year we get them out. Now years later we have enough trains to go around and around the whole house. Since the children are starting to leave home they take their original “set” so they can use them around their Christmas trees and eventually pass them on to their Children.
If your son really takes a liking to the trains and wants to become a modeler and chooses a different scale or gauge later, he will still have these to use around the tree each year even after he moves from home.
If I was starting over with a new child I would buy one of these:
Freight - http://217.160.206.33/produkt.nsf/WebSucheIE/1427C1512016AECEC1256936003D16AB?OpenDocument
or
Passenger - http://217.160.206.33/produkt.nsf/WebSucheIE/BBA6AEB9C640DDDCC1256AEF005471F0?OpenDocument
These should be available in almost any hobby store that carries trains.
Here is a NYC hobby store that has them:http://www.trainworld1.com/lgb/lgb_starter_sets.htm
LGB is “the” brand in this size, but they mostly make European rather than US trains. We have had good luck with the B
Zepher, how wonderful that you did that for your children! So my daughter might like this as well??? She is 6. It would be so nice for them to have a train set to put under their trees to share with their own children and maybe even grandchildren. Question: how did you decide on the G scale? Most ppl seem to recommend the HO. I am open to all suggestions!
Also, $399 to start out is out of my price range. I am hoping to begin with something in the $100 to $150 range. Is it possible to get a high quality set for this amount? I
Hope I am not driving you all crazy, but does all HO track work with all other HO track? Or does the original set that I purchase limit me to the same exact type of track for future additions? I keep seeing things like True Track, and Snap Track that are confusing me. Is one easier to hook together than the others, etc.? Thanks again.
Short answer is yes. All those different types don’t work together so you are stuck with that type. But I am not certain that is a major factor at this point. If your son really takes to this and wants to switch to a different type of track later it isn’t the “expensive” part. The loco will be the most expensive thing.
More general info:
Atlas True Track can be removed from the plastic and would then work with Snap track. Snap track is by and far the most versitile and compatible with other types.
People seem to like the way Bachmann EZ-track hooks together. There is a fairly good selection of different pieces with it too.
I like the idea of the Life-Like power lock, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work as good as the idea.
Hmmm-m-m…eight years old… OK, he can do it, but he will need guidence. The big problem I see is putting the track together and wiring the power pack to the track. When you go to your local Hobby Shop, have the clerk SHOW you how to put two pieces of the track that comes in your train set together. Some sets have different types of track, even when they are all the same guage ( HO, O, S, G, etc…) If your train set has EZtrack, putting it together is literally “a snap” because it snaps together and you can’t do it wrong. But if your train set uses standard guage track with rail joiners, then it gets a tad tricky and your youngster may lose his patience trying to get the circle of track together. So ask the clerk for a demonstration.
Wiring the power pack is not hard, but follow the directions. The wire is small, so easily trimmed too much, or cut too easily, or it gets cross connected. There should be a wiring
diagram to assist you, but again, the clerk can be helpful.
I kinda like Texas Zepher’s idea of the larger G scale. These cars are heftier and less prone to breakage…but they can be broken if handled carelessly. The HO and N guage cars can break in the box just from being transported over to Grandma’s, so they do require easier handling.
It all depends on what you want to spend. I’m going to a local train show on Sunday. This is another place to find willing modelers that can answer any and all of your questions. And if you check, you may find a local RR club that can provide excellent ideas and assistance for you. I hope you find something your son enjoys. It is fun to model railroads and run trains!!
Welcome to the forum. Ask any question you need answered.
Here is a set that has a small loco, 2 freight cars, a caboose, loop of true-track, and power supply. The locomotive and cars are top notch.
Unfortunately there is no picture. These sets have been out of production for several years and this is the only place I know of in the country (mabe the world) that still has them on the shelf:
http://www.caboosehobbies.com/catalog/Description.cfm?sku=01501011
This store is in Denver Colorado if you happen to be close.
Okay, so is Bachmann EZ-track a Snap track, or a whole different deal? When I order a set, I might order a bit more track to go with it, just to make the oval a bit more interesting.
Yes, my children played with them for hours. Each would have a “town” in a different room and they would send toys back and forth to each other on the flat cars or in the gondolas.
- These LGB locomotives and track will last forever…I expect my great grand children to use them.
- They are big and can be played with with other toys.
- They can stand some kicking around without ruining them. While not indestructible they are a whole lot more so than HO.
- They can be used outdoors.
There is more HO equipment / supplies, sets, etc. Than all other sizes combined. I had an HO set when I was 6 years old. I treated it well. Some children can’t.
And just to confuse things further. If I was starting my own set from scratch today. I would go with:
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/catalog/?function=detail&id=1158
http://www.trainworld1.com/bachmann/bachmann_0n30_sets.htm
Hehehehe - Yes and no. EZ-Track is a snap track, as in they snap together. BUT it is not Snap Track, as in Atlas brand name. Note the difference in capitalization. They will not work together.
A turnout or two ( switch that allows to diverge in another direction) will allow him to drop off cars and pick them up, on top of just running in circles.
You will get a feel how expensive this stuff gets if you look at scenery. Basic could be painting the board you put the set on green for grass and maybe a black with yellow stripes for a road. You could also get a tree, building, a couple cars, or something. Then put some people standing around waiting for a train or something. With a little paint and some creativety you could do a number of paint details, maybe a pond or something. You could also add some detail such as pebbles, twigs, and dirt glued down to make a marsh or something. Building made with craft supplies could come in handy. Maybe make a house or store out of paper, popcicle sticks, and glue. There are ways to do this kind of stuff for low cost. Sound any bit interesting to you?
Steelmonsters…it sounds like a ball to me! My son LOVES craftsy type things, too. I had not even thought of this aspect of the whole idea. I was so focused on just the train, I totally forgot its surroundings. We have a Thomas the Tank table already; I am hoping it will be large enough to use. But if I go with the G scale, won’t the whole set up be a lot bigger than an HO? My son would be careful with the items (I think!) but being able to play with the train with other toys sounds cool, too, Zepher. Whew…
Last night I saw an ATHERN train set at Wal Mart.
Not the slickest but 29 bucks. ANYTHING Athern is decent to start out with.
The idea of starting out with some thing marvelous is to me not the best.
Try out things with a good cheap one and i it is a hit there is money for great and continuous improvement.
If you need to buy a GREAT set buy a Kato starter set. they come in HO and N scales.
Also My Daughter has been into trains since she was four and her daughter is nearly 8 and is too as well as her son nearly 3 doesnt run my trains to ruin.
Enough of this list of little ideas I hope that they have been of some help.
Doug, In Utah
Thanks Doug. I practically LIVE at Wal-Mart. I will take a look at their set. It will be nice to see one in person. Then next week I can go to the hobby shop to get more ideas.