Do your grandchildren enjoy your railroad?

Great that you're bringing new blood into the ranks of O gauge.

My grandson usually cons me out of a peice of rolling stock whenever he runs my trains. You're doing it the right way by building a layout at your place that way he won't want to take anything home to run on his layout!

 

Jerry

I am a young guy compared to a few on the forum, but it was my grandfather who got me into trains.   When I was around 6 he bought me a lionel set and had a 5x8 table built for my trains at the school that he taught at.  I still have all those trains, and the table is part of my current layout I am building, even though I expanded it. 

 

Now that my son is about to be 2, he loves his Choo-Choos.  I play with him and his Thomas set all the time, and he has a Lionel Thomas set that he loves to watch on my layout. 

 

I can not wait to run trains and work on the layout with him as he grows.  

Billshoff, what a great idea for a photo album! Here's my contribution, on my former layout last year.

 

B&OBill

Cute little fellow; I bet he loves to come see you.

 

Let's see some more pictures from the peanut gallery! Post 'em here.

Our grandkids love the TRAINS as can be seen in the following pictures.

The expressions on their faces make it all worthwhile. Great pictures; keep 'em comin'.

Bill, Thank you. The TRAINS are a wonderful way for "KIDS" OF ALL AGES TO SHARE GOOD CLEAN FUN TOGETHER. It's a GREAT way for parents to stay involved with their kids and the kids friends as they grow. Thanks for starting this thread.

"show us some pictures of children enjoying your hobby"

Here's a few from the National Capital trackers layout last Christmas at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.  No doubt about it: little kids love trains!

B&OBill

My little 2 year old girl is the same way. I definitely have to get picks up. I had a 20 year break from the hobby, starting back up. She loves Thomas the tank engine and then I brought my set. And that's when the excitement really came out.

All of the childrens' images are very appealing.  Billshoff, I especially like the pose with the engineer's cap.  A professional couldn't have done any better.  The expression on his face, the angle of his head, the blending background - all superb.

 

To answer your question - So far the three boys, ages 6, 4, and 3 have liked trains.  he 19-month-old granddaughter shows definite interest, and another is a military teenager who never lived close enough to us to catch the bug.

 

But I'm a little worried:  6-year old has pronounced trains "boring" since his Dad got one of those computer tablets.  He doesn't always come into the train room any more when they visit, and 4-year old doesn't spend the time there that he used to.  (Each has their own Lionel set, and their Dad & I built them a layout at their own place.)  The 3-year old gets a CSX freight for Christmas 2013.  I hope he is still interested by then!

My 2 1/2 old granddaughter Abby with Pop-Pop. Sorry for the small photo but I scanned a 4x6 pic and don't know how to enlarge it.

" Billshoff, I especially like the pose with the engineer's cap.  A professional couldn't have done any better.  The expression on his face, the angle of his head, the blending background - all superb."

 

TrainsRMe, I must admit that the first two pics were taken by a pro. My cousin took those and he is very good at capturing children's faces at just the right moment.

My 8 year old grandson was about 1 year old when I started building my train building and loves the trains. He has his MTH steam engine on the layout due to his layout is in his mom's garage and not up and running at this time.

Yes, as soon as he get's in the door the first thing he says is; "C'mon grampa, play trains"!

Great Pictures eveyone...Thanks for sharing

My 8 yr old grandson wishes I would work on mine more. I am working on wiring the track and he gets under the table to run the wires for me.

 

He has his own Thomas set to run when ever he visits, even if I am not home. He uses the MTH Z4000 remote to run in conventional mode and will soon teach him how to use DCS and TMCC for my engines.

 

Here he is running DCS on the layout at Mercer Junction (April 2012).

 

The only thing better than playing with trains is playing with them with a child.  I love the photos you guys have posted.  Got to see if I find some of my kids.

 

My grandson at the controls. The expression on his face says it all.

 

Matt

 

 

Looks like we can all agree that the Lionel caution for the operator to be a minimum of 8 years old is not real world??   

When just Thomas won't do...

All the kids in my family could care less. The parents are mostly at fault because all they do is harp to them how much they cost, how much room they take up and what a waste of time they are. Now my neighbors kids just love them and I have built several door layouts for them. They all know how to run the trains with DCS and legacy and a couple of the ones that are now teenagers bring their girl friends to stop by and take a look. Of course the girls are way more interesting now but I told them the trains will always be there when they want to come back.  

Here are some shots of my twin grandsons first Christmas being introduced to the trains.  Growing up I always had a layout under the tree and was given my first train at the age of 6.  It still runs today under the tree more on that when I submit Christmasm Photos...

 

The twins have been a great inspiration for me to expand the seasonal layout into a full room size year round enjoyment.

 

More posting of them and the trains to follow...

 

Spacegohst...

C'mon, Guys! Let's see those kids.

Man do I miss those days...to all of those bringing this awesome hobby to the youngsters like I was brought up, thank you for keeping it alive and well merry **** to all!

Christmas*

Here is my Grandson.  On Christmas Day he will be running his Lionel Remote Thomas on this layout courtesy of Grandpa and Grandma Claus.

 

Art 

Hello all - I have no pics but a clip showing my excited grandson watching the trains running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCNkDPI6PIA

Merry Christmas to all of you

Peter

Enjoys them? Mine thinks they're his!

 

Jerry

       
       


Yess, he does as long as there´s no whistle in the game. The first time I let him hear a Lionel-Whistle, Grandson was under the table and my Rottweiler on the top.
Then I have learned that Lionel-Tenders are not "Rottweiler resistant"


Peter

Rottie must have thought it was a "tender steak"!

       
       

thought is past tense from think - thinking requires a brain.... Brain.....Rottweiler....OMG

Peter

Big news today: Grandson Floyd had his first experience with TMCC control on a big layout: The National Capital Trackers at Baltimore's B&O Museum. I suspect the lessons will have to continue at home, when the module pieces return home to complete the basement layout.

Two of my grandkids visiting from North Carolina. They got to enjoy grandpa's trains and play in lots of Ohio snow!

 

 

A not happy face after Grandpa crashed trains.

Yes! This operating session began at 6:30 AM on New Years day!

I recycle RR mags that I have read to my son's children.  The 19-month-old granddaughter is the one who, before 3 older brothers, noticed my photo in an article in "The Observation".  (It is a magazine published by the Virginia Train Collectors.)