Got a nice surprise today

Now that you have a fan you need to have a Thomas engine on the layout

with a gondola so he can put that gantry crane to good use....

THAT is the way interest in this hobby begins...the very best way!  That youngster may not become a model railroader in his teen years, but that doesn't matter.  Chances are VERY good that his experience today, and the possible addition of a train set to his playthings at home, will lead him back to trains as a relaxing and creative hobby later in life.

It starts with small steps!

Kudos to you for igniting the spark!

A good day indeed David!

Are there any others in your area who have trains?  Suggest you get together with a couple of guys and put on a demonstration at a local school sometime. Nothing elaborate but operational' for the kids.

Our club has been talking about just such a venture now that we have the Fastrack layout which literally sets up and tears down in an hour or less.

Unfortunately Sam I live in the model train Sahara . I've actually seen other addresses on e bay right here in my neck of the woods but there is no one I know of close by personally. Scott Smith is about 25 miles away but I don't think he would want the possibility of his collection getting media attention LOL .

It was a fun afternoon to see that kid with the same look on his face that I must have had at that age , getting to run my brothers American Flyer set . I didn't get my own set till I was 10 which I told his mom this is about the right age for a first set but with his level of maturity she might even consider a set at 8.
They both loved the Harry Potter set and she said she'd like me to find one for her with not this Christmas but next Christmas in mind. So who knows, maybe theres another model railroader in the making.

David

The look on a child's face when a train is circling the track is priceless.

Good story, David.  Thanks for sharing.

David,

From what you described about his behavior at 6 it would seem that NOW would be a good time to start him out. Especially if you can maintain the contact through your daughter?

Santa brought our first train (an American Flyer PRR 310 K5) when I was only 5 1/2 but I was able to handle it with Dad's assistance initially. I'm frankly surprised to hear stories about not getting trains until guys were 9, 10, and even as late as 13 or 14. Personally, I put my trains away at about 12 or 13 and tried HO briefly but it too was set aside (and given to a girlfriend's kid brother) in Jr high school. I didn't come back until 1989 or so.

There was an article in the 'other' O gauge magazine years ago about a fella's layout and the story was that his father and uncle would make him sit on the couch while THEY ran the trains when he was 9!  Poor guy probably never got over that treatment. He appeared to be a very 'anal' personality....

Hi David, it's nice to have a good day every now and then. 

Research at the OGR Institute of Toy Train Play has found that exposure to the hobby at a young age may not show any effect to much later in the inflicted persons life.

Telltale signs to look for is an interest in CSX commercials on TV. Especially if the child ask how is it possible to move one ton of freight from New York to Chicago on a gallon of gas?

If the kid starts to build bridges from his moms coffee table to the couch is another indicator.

Now if a young boy or girl starts to place their toys in a long line as they are making choo choo sounds it is obvious that they must be rushed to the nearest local hobby shop ASAP.

Your job is done, they are hooked forever.

Sorry you put your trains away at 13 or 14. I lived on a farm at that age and the closest friend was about a 4 mile walk . They had a farm too . My friend had chores of his own that kept him busy,so I was my own entertainment most of the time especially in the winter
I had an ongoing carpet central till I was 16 and even after I could drive I'd get em out every once in a while. It wasent till I got married and started working at the power company that life (and a heck of a lot of overtime) got in the way.

My pop was a depression era kid. I think that's why we got the trains in the first place
He and mom wanted us to have the things that grandma and grand dad couldn't afford to give  them.

Funny, Since the first of these posts this afternoon the boys mom called a little while ago. She's going to buy him a Harry Potter set. I told her I'd help with set up any way I can . I did tell her that she'd have to let him play with it too.
She laughed and said Maybe, so we may have added 2 to our ranks instead of one.

David

Its good that she's intending to get him started. I'm not too keen on exposing kids to things like Harry Potter and other forms of the occult however. There are other wholesome 'theme trains' to choose from out there! We usually recommend the Polar Express or one of Mike's starter sets with the DCS remote commander. 6 may be a little young for remote, but almost everything else these days is remote that he may acclimate right off.

Sam is right on about the Remote Commander, it is a great basic control system. But, it wont do much for the Harry Potter or Polar Express sets. I really like the Fast Track that comes with the Lionel starter sets. Kids love it because you can take it apart time after time and it still works. I know Sam will back me up on that because his club runs on FT.

As for Harry Potter, yea the occult could be a dangerous thing to get into. But, I look at Harry Potter as serious as I look at elfs, flying reindeer and a jolly fellow who can cover the whole world in a few hours. Infact Christmas trees and garland comes to us from pagan traditions. Halloween is another flight of occult tradition that took root in our culture. None of it really means much of anything other then fun stories to thrill  children with.

I bought the Harry Potter set for my son when it first came out and I can't see anything bad about it at all.  It's nothing more to the children today then the Wizard of OZZ was to us when we where kids.

My son loved dinosaurs when he was in the second grade. He even had a back pack with a rapters head hanging on the back of it. He looked as funny as all get out with that ugly head bouncing around as he walked into school.

Well to make a long story short I wonted to teach him about the Catholic faith so I bought a bunch of rubber dinosaurs and made a rosary out of them. I drilled holes through each one then ran a heavy twine through each hole with a knot on each side to keep the little critters from sliding together. He loved it so much that he wonted to know why it was assembled the way it was. I even got him to learn his paryers on it.

 I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it's not the image that leads people but the message we tie to that image.

If I had to pick a neighbor for my son to play with I would sooner it be Harry then some of the so called christians that I have known, up to and including a few priest.

What our children need to be taught is that the only real magic in this world can only be found in prayer.

Sam,
I guess we look at harry potter differently. I see it the way star wars was.
She grew up with the harry potter books and movies so it's part of their time.
I liked the movies and took them for what they are adventure movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. I will however also suggest the polar express and the ready to run sets with remote. I don't think harry potter is any different than the wizard of oz
Just another set of movies that show good prevails over evil.

It all boils down to if you raise your children right they'll know right from wrong and it shows in this little boy. At 6 years old he says yes mam and no mam yes sir and no sir. No she doesn't rule with an iron hand ,she doesn't need to.She steers him in the right direction and takes an active part in everything he does...what a mom should do.
Sorry to preach . It was a very special day for me.

David

My granddaughter is 18 months old and I am referred to as "papa choo choo" and everything that has wheels is now a choo choo including my wheelchair. She drives my Beeps around the layout using my Cab 1 controller in conventional mode and will do so on and off for hours on end! I can hardly wait for her to get older! Look out Barbie....you don't stand a chance againt Thomas!

I believe this is the best part of being in model railroading.  The sharing with kids and taking in the fun and expression of their experience with trains.  My two granddaughters are a good example.  They run my command trains better than I do.

TEX

Steve

Hey Steve, absolutely gorgeous. You must be a very proud grandpa. The trains are pretty too.

Just loved your story David. My guess is the young man will return to your layout. You may have started something special in his young life.

David, what a great story. Thanks for sharing, I'm glad that it was a very special day for you.

-bruce

Thanks Brian,

J Daddy,
That's what it's all about and that's the look on that little ones face I was talking about.

His mom and I talked again and she's deciced to get him an MTH RTR set with PS2  instead of the Harry Potter set. She ordered it and it should be on it's way.
I'll help them with getting the engine set up and ready to go when the time comes.
His dad is an out of town construction worker and is away a lot but he said he'd like to make him a 4x8 layout for his bedroom. So I may have gotten myself into a ball of wax LOL.

She's a good kid. She and my daughter have been friends since the 6th grade and  during high school she practically lived at our house in the summer.
At that time we lived at the lake, with 540 miles of shore line with 2 jet ski's and a boat so that may have had something to do with it LOL

I guess grand ma's and grand dad's have a trickle down affect they don't realize some times. This young lady's mom and dad and her husbands mom and dad are great people. All of them hard workers(His dad owns a tobacco farm) and it shows in their kids and their children's kids.

In our county here in Virginia, a lot of people still go to church on Sunday . They still hold the door for a lady and even if they don't know you they still say Hi not because they're gonna mug you but because they're extending a common courtesy when coming in contact with another human being. These values rub off on kids even if their own parents don't always teach them this.

Thanks for all the comments it was a fun day and looks like there's more to come but the credit goes to mom and dad. If they weren't the take charge people they are the child wouldn't be getting a train set.

David

And that is where it all begins for many people, a relatively short exposure to a toy choo-choo can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment. And who knows, you may have just changed his life.

David...one suggestion would be for you to offer to check it out before she gives it to her son. He seems to be "hooked" so lets hope a quality issue does not let him get away!

It's got PS2 and the remote DCS commander. I'll make sure it's working with plenty of time in mind for repair if needed.
Not like the old days when you got your first train set and if you could put together track and hook 2 wires to a lock on you had a train set.

David

Dave,  this sounds like a good story with an assured 'happy ending' a long way off!

Yea Sam it's funny.
I was reading your thread the other week about going to the retirement home and thinking how nice that was to bring some excitement into those lives of people who grew up with trains and how kids these days probably don't get as excited about things like that. Well boy was I wrong.

Never assume anything. Wow who ever said that first must have been a very wise person indeed.

David