Newbee questions... Lots of questions

Awesome news. Everyone is here to help. Enjoy the train set.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Welcome, Jarrod!  Which Williams set did you take home?

I bought the Norfolk and western blue ridge hauler. It came with the j-class 4-8-8 steam which really caught my eye. Getting into this hobby has a severe learning curve! I hope to move it to a layout in the coming months, but the fast track will get us rolling!

I can see the logic of a cheap plastic set. how many times have you bought (or seen) a child get a toy, and they quickly lose interest. If the interest grows, then you can move up to the better stuff.

I see the logic, but the money wasn't that much more to go this way. With The lion chief set, the track was the best part. Everything was plastic and cheap. It looks great in the box, but I quickly shows up as a cheap look-alike. Lionel was always a dream of mine, but this product should not have their name on it. I don't know if fast track was the best way to go, but it works on carpet and other surfaces, so it will always serve the tree well for the holidays. I wanted heirloom quality so my girls will have it for years to come.

Your WBB should last for years. FasTrack is a good choice with one major complaint. The hollow base creates noise. There's nothing wrong with the Lionel sets, you may not remember that they have always had sets to get one started. Then you bump up. The new Lionchief sets do not need a transformer as the remote controls the train. Mayhaps the store has a better profit margin selling WBB.

What Lionel set did you originally buy?  And if I wanted an heirloom set it would have to be a basic 4-4-2 with whistle tender, which will still be running long after all of the circuit boards out there have bit the dust. 

Fastrack is a great product, easy to find and fairly priced if you are a smart shopper.  It will mask a lot of sins and it stays together pretty well.  

Some layout advice – don’t get trapped into buying all sorts of rolling stock.  Many of us fall for this because it is easy to buy engines and cars and there is instant gratification, while all of the other work is time consuming and slow to pay off; but if you aren’t running trains, what’s the point?  You have a nice steam freight set, so I would purchase a diesel and a string of passenger cars.  Then you have two full consists and plenty of play value.  Next I would pick what operating accessories you want, and devise a track plan that accommodates your wishes. 

You will also have to decide on what era or road name you want to model, and what style the layout should be.  Postwar is probably the simplest to emulate, as it is basically 2D with some tan paint and lichen.  I went one step above that and used some better scenic products but the platform is still 2D; I used an elevated track and one of Lionel’s nice, sturdy, hard shell tunnels to provide some height. 

If your girls are young enough then you will want to include a lot of hands-on play value.  Gondolas that can be loaded with cattle or other farm animals, an operating milk car, and hand cranked crane – the more there is to do the more they will get out of it and will use the layout more often.  If they are older then turn it into an art project and a tutorial in basic electrical work. 

We will start with a simple loop... Daughter #1 is 4.5 yrs old. Saw a great display local flower shop and she (and myself) were hooked. Lionel was a big box store xmas set. It was functional, but didn't have the feel to it. After reading this site and many others I ended up with Williams. Western Depot was awesome and took time on the phone to answer all of my questions. A hard layout will come later, possibly in atlas track. The Fast track will serve the tree for the holidays. 

As for the cars and era, we will be late 40's to late 50's... The j class will hopefully get a set of Pocahontas passenger cars and I'd imagine a diesel will come home later. Steam is currently a big deal for the girls.

Just my opinion so take it for just that. The longer I have  been in the hobby the more attracted I am to simplifying things. I have had mid to large layouts in HO,O and N scale. While I am amazed at the large layouts some have I have found now I prefer smaller and more finished with less maintenance.  Probably my advancing age. Anyway I would start modestly and see how your interests develop. I have all command engines now. If I were to go back in time I would go with conventional. Williams trains are a great value in my opinion.

I have stayed with semi/non-scale/traditional-sized items like your J Class, though even that 4-8-4 would be bigger than anything I have. There are still plenty of options for us in this space. I bought the WBB girls set for my youngest daughter when she was 2 or 3.  It's still her favorite.

I haven't seen any of the LionChief + engines.  I'm inferring from your comments above that they are plastic engines?  Most of my modern Lionel stuff (bought 2000 - 2010) is die cast even though they aren't the high-end scale models.  Are you saying the new LC+ engines are all plastic?!

Just a side comment someone mentioned gondola well lets carry it a little farther to hoppers and flat cars your girls can put there small dolls and stuff like that on/in them and keep the interest with them that way also 

I have twin daughters that are getting into trains, they are 8 years old. It's been a stepped process years in the making. The excitement of watching a train run in a circle loses it appeal pretty quickly.  My approach was to make it more interactive, more than just letting them run the train or blow the horn/whistle.  I picked up 8 gondolas (cheap plastic) on the large auction site for about $30, and bought a couple of switches and long straight pieces.  Now, each of my daughters can work a switch, as we deliver people, shopkins, a hamster, plastic cows/deer/whales, legos, or other play items from point A to point B.  We also make up stories to go along with the "operations" which helps drive their imaginations.  After playing with the more basic sets for a while, we then switch to the more detailed trains I own.  At this point, they are watch the NP Challenger pull a freight consist almost as intensively as I am and they enjoy the smoke even more than I do.  Also, we make a special yearly trip to the local hobby store and each gets to pick out a car.  Best of luck and welcome aboard.

Does the hamster go along with the ride willingly?

Define "willingly"!  There is a little "incentive" in the bottom of the gondola    He also was once the "power" in a spherical nuclear core delivery we made. 

JARROD,

    IMO the FasTrack is more than just a good start, when the girls want the trains to due more, add Legacy and FasTrack Command Control Switches, to their Christmas layout. I would also show them the Tin Plate Trains, my daughter loved them.  The FTCC switches are controlled right from the Cab2 Legacy remote control, they will love playing with different layout set up, the more switch the more and different ways to make the train run on the FasTrack.  The Switches are plug and play, just program them into the Cab2, they run off Track power, I would eventually invest in a bigger nicer Transformer for the Girls, say a Z-1000 or bigger maybe even an old ZW, so the girls can run remote control trains at the same time.  Of Course this will all leads to the girls wanting Legacy Engines, get your check book out Dad, the fun is just beginning.  After all Trains are a Girls best Friend!

Merry Christmas!

PCRR/Dave

We didn't have very good luck putting the gerbil in a box car.  He escaped en route and I'm afraid he might have got a hotfoot, or tail perhaps, crossing the tracks, probably more than once.  Let's just say it got a little hectic.  I couldn't stop laughing, but it may have been a bit traumatic for son and pet.  Maybe a hamster is more the railroad type.  Have fun.

Give him a ride in the hopper lol

In retrospect, a stock car probably would been a better option.  Gerby may have been claustrophobic.  Quick little rascal after a couple jolts, that's for sure.

Thanks for the warm welcome and the input guys. The Williams engine was a great start for the price point. Fast track may be the ticket for the long term as well. We are starting simple and taking our time. Maybe an expansion loop and a few switches next year. I would rather be small with quality than large with quantity. Buildings and people will be fun. Time will tell, but we are looking forward to a long term family tradition.