RE: Train Set For Grandson

[bearbait]

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[birol]

 whitestar505
I bought a very famous miniature set for my two children while we were in Holland. They destroyed (specifically DD) the engine, and I can  afford to get another engine anymore, it is around 300 bucks.
 
 Go with the Lionel set ....... would be my suggestion.

[Kelly]

 whitestar505
[font=" comic sans ms" ]My ds was a huge Thomas fan, too.  I went with the die cast set.  I figured he d grow out of it too soon for me to invest all that money in the wooden  stuff !  
 
 I talked to a man at a local RR hobby shop and he recommended waiting to buy the electric train until ds was 9 or so.  He said that kids younger than that don t have the attention span or the dexterity to really get much out of the set and more often than not things get broken.  He also said a lot of kids grow out of their fascination with trains.  His opinion was ~ if they are still interested at 9 that s the time to start investing in an electric train set-up.  (I m glad I waited.  DS was 9 this year and has moved on from trains ...)[/font]

[Michicampers]

 whitestar505
We started our now-11 year-old son on a Brio wood train set when he was around 2 or 3. He LOVED it. We started out with a basic set (@$100?) and added piece by piece at birthdays and Christmas. He no longer plays with it, but our younger son, now 8, will still pull it out from time to time and build some huge tracks. This stuff is virtually indestructible. Except for our dog chewing on one of the track sections and our son decorating another with markers, all the pieces are still in great shape. We like to set it up on the floor and run the tracks around the furniture. We found the tables to be too limiting - I think kids tend to get tired of it quicker when it can only be set up one or two ways. They did not make the motorized engines when we started out, and our son was quite content to push the trains around himself (plus he was using his imagination instead of just watching.) The motorized engines are more fragile than the kid-powered engines, and I would not recommend them for real little kids. We have 2, and my sons used to enjoy seeing which one could run the other off the track (boys [&:].) The switching tracks and other pieces with moving parts are better for older kids too. It is really a great toy - I even enjoy putting the tracks together - if you collect enough pieces, you can set up a different track every time. It is expensive, but in our house, it has been worth it, considering how many toys have lost their appeal in such a short time. This is one of the few toys I will hang onto long after my children out-grow it, (along with Lego and K nex, and Lincoln Logs) - it is nice to bring out when friends with younger kids visit, and maybe I ll have my own grandchildren to build a track with someday [].

[Miller Tyme]

 whitestar505
You didn t mention what age your grandson is, so here s my 2 cents worth.
 I ve been a model train buff for years-started in Lionel, then N-gauge, and now HO-gauge, and still am active in it.
 For durability, I d go with Lionel or Brio. Lionel s are just the right size for little hands. Most sets can be had very inexpensively, and may someday be collectible.
 Brio, on the other hand, is somewhat " safer" , as obviously, there s no electricity involved, and the children can really use their imagination.
 The Thomas sets, I d go with the individual die-casts, and then build a layout out of 2 X 4 s and plywood sheets. Just like building a layout in the electric gauges, without the power concerns.[8D]

[angelsmom10]

 whitestar505
Sounds like it would be nice to start a hobby for yourself and start to buy bits and pieces of either HO or O guage train set.  Set it up at your house and let your grandson play with it (under supervision).  This would help to build some resonsibility and also a collection for when he gets older.  The old HO and O trains are very durable.  Wish I still had mine[][][]

[whitestar505]

 angelsmom10
angelsmon10,
 
 

hobby for yourself

   This word seems to have really shown up today.[]

[birol]

 whitestar505

ORIGINAL:  whitestar505
 
 angelsmon10,
 
 

hobby for yourself

   This word seems to have really shown up today.[]
 

I have a hobby, budilding model RC planes ... but can t do it no-more !
 
 1 - No dough
 2 - No space in the basement
 
 #2 will be resolved when we move .......[]
 
 

[whippetwrun]

 whitestar505
How old is your grandson?  If he is till very young, I d go for the wooden set.  We had an HO scale that was mine, that our DS got bored with very quickly after a couple of times of watching it go around the track.  The wood set is much more interactive.
 
 My Dad built the table for my DS s wooden Thomas set, when DS was 2 1/2.  DS is 7 now, and still enjoys playing with it.  Before he loved pushing Thomas around the track and having adventures that way.  Now he designs his own layouts and then plays with his little sister on his designs.  It does get expensive, but if you start with a basic set (like the figure , then adding on together can be an adventure.  The figure 8 set was a gift from an uncle, since the we have added a lot!

[whitestar505]

 birol
birol,
 
    1 - No dough
 2 - No space in the basement
 
    Don t you think both of these go hand in hand...[] You have spent so much money it is all in the basement.[][][][][][]
 

[angelsmom10]

 whitestar505
I WANT A HOBBY -- oh wait - can t have a hobby till DH gets regular FULL-TIME employment.  
 
 He just celebrated his 45th b-day yesterday and when asked by his mother what he wanted -- I WANT A JOB.

[whitestar505]

 whitestar505

 
     Getting down to the wirer now and no decision has been made. Grandson has a birthday coming up on 26 Oct.

[angelsmom10]

 whitestar505

 

ORIGINAL:  whitestar505
 Getting down to the wirer now and no decision has been made. Grandson has a birthday coming up on 26 Oct.
 

Since you know him, a lot also depends on how much of a 4yr old he really is.  We never really looked at the ages on the boxes; as for us at least, they were below our DD s intelligience. (ie 3-6yr old) -- DD s were ready around 2 (as long is did met our safety inspection).