I started in HO trains at age 4 back in Jersey. Then I got started again in 8th grade. Then yet again as a very young father. All the starts were because of my father being the the Army and then me and the required moves. I haven't done anything with model trains in years, 1983 in fact when I build 3 N scale layouts for my sons. Well I've been retired from the Army for 10 years now and have 6 grand children who love trains aged 1 to 7. I have limited space in the old farm house here so I'm looking for advice on a layout that will be simple enough for a 3 yo to run the throttle or allow the 7 yo some fun with switching and so on. I can put in a 4'x8' layout without causing problems. Any advice or guidance would be helpful. Thanks
getting into this again?????
- Thread starter oldtanker
- Start date
welcome to the gauge 
The rule of thumb is the smaller the hands the bigger the trains. If you want to go with ho track, I would reccomend taking a look at the Bachmann On30 o-scale narrow gauge on ho track. I think it would be easier for the grand kids to put the trains on the track.
I like Russ's rule of thumb. Up to about age 8 or so, the larger toy trains (O27, American Flyer S) hold up to little kids operating and playing styles - pushing by hand, racing, etc - a lot better than the more serious stuff. Most pre-school kids would rather push a train by hand and set up scenes with their toys on the layout than remotely control a train from a control panel. A 4x8 is big enough for an interesting layout in O27, S (American Flyer), HO. And of course in N it's a nice size layout.
The question you have to answer is whether the layout is a toy for the grand kids, or a display of grandpa's hobby for the kids to maybe see and touch. Honesty of focus will help you decide what you should do. And of course, the kids are going to grow, and their tastes in play will change.
yours in "training" kids
The question you have to answer is whether the layout is a toy for the grand kids, or a display of grandpa's hobby for the kids to maybe see and touch. Honesty of focus will help you decide what you should do. And of course, the kids are going to grow, and their tastes in play will change.
yours in "training" kids
Ok this is going to fall under "grandpa's hobby for the kids to see and touch". I'm ready to start and have been running a Athrean John Dear set on the floor for a 3 year old grandson who can run the throttle and knows that if he knocks someting off the track that "papa" has to "fix" it. I've been very supprised at how careful he is and the fact that he hardle ever runs it wide open. I'm thinking about going with DCC control and am spending some time on the internet reading up on it.
oldtanker said:
If you put in a garden railroad in large scale, Playmobile makes some nice large scale trains that are tough with no small details to break off that run LGB internals. They would be great for the grand kids to have some trains of their own to play with on grandpa's layout.