Thomas the Tank Engine HO trains.

[Dan Vincent]

Guys,

I have a 15 month old grandson and was thinking about getting started on a small "Thomas" layout to get him into trains. The way I work, he will be five years old before I get it done.

Since Bachman has taken over production of the Hornby Thomas line the prices have really dropped.

Have any of you dabbled in these trains? C'mon, you can admit it if you have grandkids.

 

[MasonJar]

Sorry, I'm a ways away from grandkids - my daughter is only 2...

But... I have read good things about the Bachmann Thomas set. I am thinking maybe she'd like one for her birthday next year...


Andrew

 

[Dan Vincent]

Andrew,

My grand-daughter, Abby, is almost six now but when she was around three years old she loved running a pair of LifeLike N-Scale SD-7's in Great Northern on a small test track I had set up in the computer room.

Instead of racing the locos around at top speed, she loved to slow them down to a crawl and then lay her head down on the edge of the track to watch them go by.

I would put different locos on the track, like a pair of KATO SD-45's or Atlas RS-1's but she would always request that I put the L/L SD-7's back on the tracks. They were very quiet and smooth.

The Thomas stuff could take off if they would make a few buildings to go with the trains. The engine house is a must.

If you wait 'til your daughter is three she may be four before you get the layout done.

Check out these prices..

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/HOproducts.asp?Scale=HO&Item=160THOMAS

 

[wortchillergoal]

I have a son who is borderline austic. He loves Thomas. I bought an ho model and he loves to run it. Would your grand child just be interested in running the train on like a test track as opposed to building an entire Thomas layout. Or perhaps you could build a layout for your self or if you have one just let her run Thomas on that. The unit I have operates nicely. Thomas ahs given him interest in trains. He has a picture posted at a live steamers club checking out a Gscale train so I think it was worth it.
www.fingerlakeslivesteamers.org/portfile/3mrd3.htm
If you think your grandcild would like it I say do it.

 

[Dan Vincent]

Well, I'm going to build a On30 Christmas layout and I will also buy a couple of Thomas HO Locos, probably Thomas and Percy and see how my grandson takes to them. Since they will run on the On30 track it will work out fine.

My Grand-Daughter, Abby, already has most of the Ertl diecast Thomas locos so she will probably want to help build a separate layout for her brother.

I did buy a Lionel O-27 Thomas for Abby but it sounded like a coffee-grinder. She must have put a couple of thousand miles on that noisy thing. This time I want something smoother.