Model Forum / General / Railroads / July 2009

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If Son #2 likes the wooden Thomas trains, then IMO you should get those
for him. At three years old, he can set up his own track arrangements
and make the trains go to his heart's content. That was the age my
grandchildren started doing things for themselves, and these wooden toys
were just right for them. Who knows, you might find out that setting up
those wooden trains _with_ him is more fun that setting them up _for_
him. For both of you. ;-) This does not preclude your setting up an
electric trains set also, see below for a suggestion on how to do it.

As for electric trains, yes, avoid those cheap Christmas specials.
Brands I recommend (HO scale) are TrainLine (by Walthers), Bachmann
Thomas the Tank Engine (and their Spectrum sets), and Atlas Trainman.
All the basic sets will fit on a 42"x48" piece of plywood. Paint the
plywood to represent green "grass", grey "streets", etc, fasten down the
track, and you can store it on its edge until it's time to play trains.
Then set up buildings and bridges and such (you can make them out of
cereal box cardboard, decorate them with magic markers, etc. Or use Lego
- you can never have too much Lego! - or his wooden blocks, or etc and
so on and so forth.)

Be aware, however, that these HO sets are not intended to be assembled
and disassembled repeatedly. If you want that kind of train set, go for
O gauge - pricier, but also much sturdier. Lionel is still available, as
are other brands. Or even G gauge, even bigger (you'll need 5ft x 5ft as
a minimum space), but very sturdy, and despite their size easier for
small people to handle. My grandchildren loved our G gauge Thomas,
mostly because they could take the roofs off Annie and Clarabelle, and
give their other toys a ride. ;-)

I _strongly_ second the suggestion that you visit a real hobby shop. If
you can find a model railroad club in your vicinity, visit them too. Buy
an issue or two of Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman, to get
a sense of what's out there, and what this hobby has to offer. Check out
Kalmbach Books for good information for beginners.

Check back in here with more specific questions when you have a better
sense of available options, and your and your son's wishes.

And mostly, Have fun!

wolf k.

If it is not too late to chime in. I would suggest Athearn Blue Box four
axle locos and Blue Box cars. The loco's are solid and dependable runners.
When I was working in the hobby business, and a customer came in and asked
the question you did, that was the advice I gave him. I also told the
customer that I would re-assemble the loco for just the cost of  any parts
they had to buy. They are that good.
Athearn cars are very easy to assemble and are relatively inexpensive to
replace.

Go with Atlas track components and start with an atlas track plan book. Stay
away from the Bachmann EZ track with the black base. Those rails are steel
and will rust.