New to O (and I brought my kids)

congratulations on your return to the hobby especially in getting some young blood involved.  on you own you seem to have found a great feature of 3-rail trains in their oversize flanges and large couplers being very easy for children to handle.  making temporary floor layouts is also a good way to keep things fresh and explore your kid's imaginative sense.  i can't think of a thing you aren't doing right.

fun stuff, eh?

cheers...gary

Thanks guys!

I hit a Greenberg's show this weekend, and got a duo of nice older made in the USA Lionels: an MKT flatcar with KATY trailers and a B&O automobile boxcar (black). I'm going to be a sucker for any B&O/C&O/WM rolling stock. I paid $12.50 each after checking couplers, trucks and wheels. A little WD40 and they're rolling just fine. Buying cheaper used cars for play seems to be the way to go for the little people. Kids don't care that the Pennsy 0-8-0 (looks like a USRA maybe?) is hauling GATX tankers or 4 bay Southern Pacific hoppers....they just want to load their small figurines and blocks into them and deliver a long freight somewhere. Thank goodness fastrack is durable. It's probably also a good thing that the fastrack switches cost a fortune, or else my entire living room would be a sprawling freight yard at this point.  

Here is the Carpet Layout we did before getting off the floor.

I jumped back in too late for my kids, but the Grandkids and great nieces and nephews are loving it.

My only suggestion: Lots of Hoppers and gondolas and a crane of some sort.

Plenty of animals and other items to load and move.

The kids never tire of those.

Welcome back!  My son loved playing with that same set when he was the ages of your kids.

--Greg

Welcome to the Forum and to O-Gauge trains that we all think and know are the best. Hope you have a chance to enjoy them during the Christmas season with the kids.

welcome!

There are many of us in this hobby that got our start by way of our parents and grandparents.  It is certainly a great family activity, and potentially the start of a new tradition!

The only tip that I can off with regards to kids is the stuff my dad taught me when I got my first train.  Namely, how electricity works with regard to the trains and how to safely work with the electricity (teach them not to bridge the center and outer rails with conductive materials, not to have drinks or other liquids, smoke fluid excepted, around the track, transformer or trains, etc.).  Of course, the lessons should be geared for the appropriate ages and supervision should always be used for those too young to comprehend electrical safety.  These lessons were a great bonding experience with me and my dad.

Andy