First train set?

Smart people chose "C".

For a 1 year old, more initial "play value in a wooden train, though. JMHO, Dave G.

I'll second the wooden train suggestion. One year old is too young for an electric train, unless you are using the same excuse I used to buy a new 20 gauge shotgun when my first son was born . Not only can toddlers play with wooden trains unsupervised, but they can also start to learn to fit curved and straight pieces of track together to create something, getting an introduction to track geometry. Switches and various track-side accessories are available as well. If a toy layout like this, which allows the child more hands-on play time, gives the child the "bug", he/she might have their appetite for O gauge trains more intensely whetted later on. 

One is kinda young but the little ones like Thomas and the hand held is very easy to use.

Or just realize THEY want a train set, get a nice one he can grow into and buy him a wooden set to push around under the layout.

Not that I know anyone who might have done such a thing 

Ladies & Gentlemen,

   I was given my 1st O Gauge Tin Plate Train set at that age and a small wooden one to play with also, mine came at Christmas time.  I was allowed to play with my big 810 Tin Plate Crane Car on the carpeted living room floor, and it is still my most favorite piece of O Gauge rolling stock.  Forget the Thomas get him a big Tin Plate Train to play with.

PCRR/Dave 

Brio or Thomas wooden trains....they have battery-operated self propelled engines, if you want....

 

My wife, who is a pediatrician, says the hand manipulation of the train and track are very good for young children in acquiring motor and thinking skills....

 

Peter

These are great suggestions. Yep, we all know a 1 year old puts everything they can get their little hands on straight into their mouth so this will be mainly for observational and decorative purposes at this point. It is with future expansion compatibilities down the road that they don't want to get off on the wrong foot. (The LionChief stuff worries as it is incompatible with TMCC/Legacy controllers. Not sure how difficult or annoying those who have both find that. Like having a TV, Cable system, DVD remotes rather than 1.) The families are looking to get something which the children can watch now and operate with them next year and add onto as they get older.

The Lion Chief sets have proved to be very successful. The only complaint was separate controllers but that has had some remedy with the new 3 engine one. However reading between the lines here I think you had made a decision before you even posted this thread.

Peter,

 

Being able assemble what they have imagined in their heads and then see it function (or not!) is great. It is amazing to see kids go from a baby with all 4 limbs moving wildly and then slowly being able to control each to grasp, crawl, walk, etc.  It still cracks me up when I see that car commercial with the girl getting older with "Where she learned her first word" and the little girl says "NO!"

 

Nope, they currently have no electric trains at all so it is an open canvas. I did show them the Lionel "1 for 3" remote ad and LionChief is a much cheaper way to begin as you are not required to purchase either the DCS or TMCC/Legacy operating systems in addition to the set.

Add my name to the group recommending Brio wooden trains. I would not choose a battery operated or windup piece. Let the child push the trains.

If still available, I'd go for as much wood as possibe (as opposed to plastic).

 

When my kids were of Brio age, the trains and accessories were mostly made of wood, but more and more plastic was creeping into their construction. Some of the items were purchasaed had many of their wooden components converted to plastic just a few years later.

My son is 2 & he has wooden trains & I built him a little train table for his playroom.    I got him an O gauge Thomas for Christmas this year & I also got him & his sister (she's 5) one of the Lionel G gauge Polar Express sets for Christmas too, but these are not to be used w/o supervision. I agree that the chance for them to push the train themselves & create track plans really helps w/ motor skills & development. 

I would recommend a two pronged approach, go with some of the bigger wooden trains that they can push around, eat, chew on, break. At the same time maybe find a very inexpensive O set that they can get a feel for pushing around on a layout. Some inexpensive box cars, gondola cars that they can put plastic army guys in, or Hotwheels. Stuff that you wouldn't worry about them dropping/mashing around. Let them get a good feel for how the trains work, how to play with the box cars. Simple little loop would probably be ok for this. If they go that route, then they can see if there is interest before investing in something that might not get played with.

 

I did this with my son, let him push and play with some below the table MPC era box cars and gondala cars and a little scout engine when he was maybe 18 months/ 2years? Now he is three, he knows how to run the switches, fix derailments and all kinds of other things. I bought him his own PW 2035 that we run, as well as a few other cars we've picked up.

For Christmas this year, I bought him a new old stock MTH Wabash Hudson, that we'll run around and have fun with.

 

Each of my boys received a Lionel set for his first Christmas. When the older boy was 15 mos. old, I built the platform that we still use today for our Christmas tree and train. He was taught to be careful with the trains, and he always was. He was less than 2 when he started running trains on my HO layout in the basement. I got him a cheap HO set and one of those plastic railer deals to help him put them on the track, and he spent many hours building his trains and running them. Yes, a couple hit the floor, but they were cheap, so no loss. By his third Christmas, when he was 2 1/2, he was an ace at running the Lionel set. The Christmas layout was on the floor, but he didn't pick them up without me anyway, so that was never a problem.

 He also had some Thomas wooden trains, but by the time he was 6, he was finished with them. Next week, that Lionel set will start its 15th season running around our tree. 

 Hook him up with a nice "O" set, and give it some meaning so he appreciates it as he grows. When relatives and friends ask for gift ideas for him, tell them to look for the wooden trains.

 Just my humble opinion.

He's to young.Nick

I bought my Grandson a Thomas the Tank Engine set for Christmas last year, he was 15 months at the time, and he LOVES it.  He runs it on the layout almost daily still, this year Santa will have the add on set with Diesel and a couple of Troublesome Trucks under the tree.  You can't go wrong with Thomas!

 

Paul

I bought my first grandchild a Polar Express set with extra cars and track last December. She was almost 1, ten months anyway, and really got a kick out of pressing the "sound " button on the Lionchief remote. I can't wait until her parents set it up this year.

 

Brad

quote:

 I agree that the chance for them to push the train themselves & create track plans really helps w/ motor skills & development.

 

Absolutely! Resist the temptation to fasten anything down. We had a 12 by 15 area rug with a short nap for the Brio layout. After a while I built a kiddie sized table. The only things fastened together were some trestle bents that were attached to one end of sections of track. They were arranged so one bent would hold the track to which it was attached, and the adjacent one. This was done because they kept falling over during play. Just a couple of wire nails did the trick.

At York in Oct I bought a dummy Lionel MPC era Alco Warbonnet for my Granddaughter. She loves pushing it around on a simple circle of track. I bought a very nice RS-3 dummy from Jim Policastro too. It was just too nice and has too many detail parts to potentially break off to turn loose with a 2 yr old.

As much as I prefer MTH starter sets to Lionel, for an 1 year old I strongly recommend a conventional Lionel starter set.  Trust me, that one year old is going to want to push that train around the track and you will need an engine which rolls freely.  My son pushed the heck out of my Pennsy Flyer 4-4-2.

-Greg

I had wooden trains until I was 8, but feel my parents waited a little long. I have seen 4-6 year olds can care for and run trains responsibly. However, at his age I suggest the GeoTrax line sold by fisher price until then, however. Lever controls for speed and loaders are major portions of the line. Plastic, inexpensive, perfect for a 1 year old.

So, I was going through and helping one of my in-laws put together a calendar for this year with pictures of all of the little kids. Here is a picture of my son and His train. It is a Lionel 2035 that he picked out at our LHS. We went in there to drop off something to get fixed. The owner had a shelf of reconditioned PW stuff and this is the one that my son wanted. He went up and said "This choo choo daddy" He is so proud of it, he moves it off the sidings, flips switches, and hooks it up to cars and makes up little stories with the train doing things around our little layout. It is "His Train", or "I want to run my train, not your train". He recently picked out a a Lionel 0-8-0 Switcher for Baby brother who is due in December so they can both have trains.

This picture was from March this year and he was about 2 and a half. I think if you get them started early and teach them to respect the trains, you can't go wrong any way that you go.

I think it also helps that the PW stuff is built like a tank.

Aldovar,

     Man does that picture bring back some incredible memories, just take a look at that boys face, no wooden train seems to be able to make that happen for a little boy.

After seeing the picture my wife ask me if we had another child that she was not aware of, he even looks like me at that age.

Thanks for posting that PW Train picture, with him playing with it, I love it.

PCRR/Dave

I would go for an MTH PS3 set. He can push the little buttons on the remote and when he gets older you can hook it up through your DCS system, if you have one, and then he can run it with daddy's big trains! Plus, you save yourself the money now than 5 years down the road.

Heres a idea I came across on the bay I bought from this lady for toys for tots she seems to have a few of these and a great price http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Li...4:g:V-8AAOSwo0JWK~E6

 

As the father of a 2 year old and a 5 year old, here are my 2 cents.

 

We have the wooden trains (Thomas, Brio, etc.); Lionel's Thomas LionChief remote version and The Polar Express LionChief remote version. The wooden trains are great for their fine motor skills and creativity and no need for parent oversight. The Lionel products are great for their size, SOUNDS and SPEED!!! (Emphasis provided by the resident 5 year old).

 

Now, what gets played with and how...

 

1. Wooden trains: every so often once they are  about 3 years old, funny thing is they always want more track...don't know where that comes from!! Easy to travel with. We have found that the wooden train table rarely gets used, 99% of the time the track plans are set up on the floor due to space. If they opt for the wooden trains skip the table and save the money. Get the table if you want to TRY to coral the set up and avoid late night foot pain from stepping on the wayward train cars.

 

2. Lionel remote sets: used every so often, most 2 to 2.5 year olds can use the remote with ease and enjoy making the horn/bell/whistle sounds blast away. Keep track plans without switches as they enjoy speed and running and blasting whistles. We use a lot of cross over setups. Needs adult set up help, but with the right training  the kids understand how to treat the trains nicely. The Thomas set is very robust and even the littlest ones can't do too much damage. The Polar set is more prone to needing help after being kid handled.

 

3. MTH DCS: My oldest son was fairly proficient with the DCS remote at age 4. But that is a lot of money to invest early on for the kids and so much is changing right now (apps coming from all manufacturers). I'd vote for going this route 5-10 years down the road if they are still interested.

 

4. Lionel MPC locos and dummies get more work than all of the above being pushed around my layout and the kids' carpet layout. There is something the kids love about pushing the big trains in their hands and controlling the movement. See photo above posted by Aldovar for proof positive this is just as good an option as any!!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Gentlemen,

   Remember at this age he does not have to run the trains, he will however put his hands  on them and play with them, may even want to have them in his bedroom, as I did at his age.  Take a good look at the boy in the picture, he is playing with his favorite toy, later he will learn how to run it, with his Dad's help.  His father is one lucky man.

 

And some liberal fool in our government want his father to miss all this by telling him these toys are for 14 year olds and above, as I said before this child safety crap has gotten way out of hand.  

 

PCRR/Dave

Think about present play value and value for money (these trains are going to take a beating before the kid(s) reach the age of real, careful play at 8-12 years old).  Brio or similar wooden trains are a great first step.  Maybe if in a year or two or three, the child seems really interested, LionChief, particularly if the child likes Thomas.  The advantage of LionChief sets is they are inexpensive, reasonably rugged, and you can buy two if you have two kids (etc.) for the same price as one more expensive Lionel or MTH set.  Two different remotes.  Fastrack (much superior to MTH's Realtrax).  Simply more appropriate for children. If they get interested in trains as pre-adolescents or the parents become really interested, only then would a more expensive MTH set be a reasonable investment in terms of utility, likelihood of being abused, etc.  Unless a parent is really interested in trains, go with the trains appropriate to the child's age.  Legacy, DCS and such will be appropriate only if there is a parent who is really interested or the child is 12+ for solo play.

Get him Thomas wooden trains and lots of track and next year add some accessories.  He is too young for electric trains. At his age Thomas rules!   Around 4 years old get him a Lion Chief plus set.

My grandson was fine with a electric set as a one year-old, but he mostly liked to push the engine. A Lionel postwar (like a 675) can be pushed, it's built like a brick, and it's relatively cheap at $80.-$120. Other than that, a wooden set is fine for the kid, and booooring for you.