Recommendations for the best layout for young children

My 3 year old grandson got a Lionel 6-30233 Pennsylvania Flyer for Christmas. He loves it, he knows how to uncouple the cars and put them on the track.  He likes to run the engine backwards so the front couple is a plus with the set. He knows if you blow the horn and hold the button down and turn off the power to the remote the horn will keep blowing and not stop. He goes to the other end of the house and runs the train with the remote which is approx. 35 feet from the train.

CBS072 posted:

My 3 year old grandson got a Lionel 6-30233 Pennsylvania Flyer for Christmas. He loves it, he knows how to uncouple the cars and put them on the track.  He likes to run the engine backwards so the front couple is a plus with the set. He knows if you blow the horn and hold the button down and turn off the power to the remote the horn will keep blowing and not stop. He goes to the other end of the house and runs the train with the remote which is approx. 35 feet from the train.

What it's all about...

Kazar,

In my opinion, a single loop of track, with a figure 8 connection in the middle, would provide the most starting entertainment for the children.  It requires two left hand and two right hand O27 switches, one O27 90 degree crossover, as well as some O27 straights and curves.  You might also have to custom cut some of the straight pieces to make the figure 8 connections.

I used to build and disassemble a layout like this every summer in my grandfathers basement and loved how it allows the engineer to reverse the train's direction with skillful use of the switches.

I'm sure you will get other opinions.

Chuck

2 loops, might not hurt.

An O27 figure-8 layout on a 30"x 79" door makes a good portable layout, and it's a lot more interesting than an oval layout IMO. It gives a better illusion of the train going somewhere and it keeps more of the track away from the table edges. Probably the best arrangement for a simple basic layout without switches.

Following are ideas for compact 33" x 57" units which can be built and operated individually.

Kazar, if you tell me what track system you plan to use I can whip up the small plan of your choice with the track of your choice.

Friends,

Thanks so much for your replies.   The figure eight idea is a great start as I can definitely place some kind of tunnel over a portion where the train disappears momentarily.   The type of track isn't fixed as I can easily adopt to any of the great track systems out there.

My biggest desire is to make it really thrilling for those who are operating the trains as well as for those who are onlookers.   I want to take this layout into a public forum, where the operation of the trains would entice and spawn curiosity.  

Initially I was thinking about the Lionel "disappearing" layout but thought there may be other designs that may meet my needs more closely.  Thus purpose of this thread.

Ace, your layout design is interesting in that two youngsters could run trains at the same time.  My only question is about the crossover from one side to the other.  How do we do it such that I do not have two trains on a collision course along that route?

 Now that you have an better idea of my needs this may spur others to jump in with their suggestions.

Allegheny posted:

 

... Ace, your layout design is interesting in that two youngsters could run trains at the same time.  My only question is about the crossover from one side to the other.  How do we do it such that I do not have two trains on a collision course along that route? ...

If you build and run the two mini-layouts together, two short trains can "trade places" like this:

That 45 crossing has presented issues before, what engines would you be using?

IMHO, 4 to 10 is a fairly wide range of ages to cover.
For the 4 to 7 group, I recommend Brio wooden trains over electric trains.

Just this past weekend I attended a train show in Kingston, NY. The facility had a community room with a big pile of wooden train on the floor. It was great seeing the children playing with the trains, which included rearranging the tracks in patterns that weren't always geometric, or formed into complete loops.

Dear Kazar

This link will solve your "collision course along that route" problem.

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/Crossover-Protection

I second the oval and figure 8 with four switches.  I had one as a kid and used it as a basis for my layout but added a turntable inside one of the ends of the 8 (see picture below). 

Oval and figure 8 allows reversing locos, storage of short trains in the 8 while running train on oval and lots of action switching between oval and figure 8.  It allows continuous running without attention on the oval or on the figure 8.  It provides more play value than any other simple layout.

I would build on a 9ft x 5ft ping pong size board which would allow adding a second loop outside the oval for two train, two transformer operation, with the addition of two or four more switches, in a future expansion.

I recommend 027 and Marx 1590 metal frog switches;  reliable and inexpensive and will pass older "fat wheel" Marx locos as well as all Lionel.

Charlie

I didn't read every post, but we started when my twins were 6 or 7. I did a lot of reading and certain tenets held absolutely true with the desires of my children.  They want tunnels, they want over-unders, they want to see the train lights with no other lights, and they like reversing loops.  Long straights and the ability to alter routes keep interest too.  In terms of conventional or command, all I can say is that they like the command more most of the time, but it seems it only distracts them from the actual train play. The rest is up to you.  

If no one else said it - they are blessed to have you  for a grandpa  

Peter

Dear Peter, 

I thank you so very much for the blessings, but I'm not a grandpa yet!!  Though I'm quite old enough to be one several times over, my children are still teen agers (got a late start).  

Kris,

Thanks for the link!  Though I'm not very good at electronics' I'll gather the information and give it a try. 

Ace,  C.W. Burfle & Charlie, Thanks for your suggestions.  The wooden play trains are indeed most suitable for the younger set.  I guess I'll have to target the 7-10 range for the electric trains. 

Charlie, the pictured layout is what size as I don't think is looks like its 5 x 9ft.  That small layout certainly has a lot of action on it.  Love the turntable being incorporated.  Hadn't seen that before.

Allegheny posted: 

... Charlie, the pictured layout is what size as I don't think is looks like its 5 x 9ft.  That small layout certainly has a lot of action on it.  Love the turntable being incorporated.  Hadn't seen that before.

I believe that layout is at least 5' x 10', even with O27 curves. Very nice, but not "small and portable".

I figured the SCARM plan based on the one photo. Should be reasonably close to actual.

Dear Kazar

Anytime Dale H is also a member of this forum as well, I built this project with Dale H help. Contact him directly on the other forum and he will try to help you or answer any question that you might have.

Fellows you are correct my layout is bigger than 9ft x5ft.  I just included the picture to show the oval and figure 8 that will fit on 9ft x 5ft.  I would guess mine is 11ft x 7ft (not home now to measure).   But it is portable and the section you see was built in Jamaica in 1978 and moved to USA and moved to 5 houses in 5 states in mattress boxes by moving companies.  The layout was installed in family rooms/living rooms/ sun rooms floors from Nov to April most years and stored leaning on a garage wall the rest of the time.  It has been in a train/stereo/media  room, on 3.5 foot legs since 2012.

Your diagram is mostly correct except for another track and switches inside the tunnel that goes behind back ground and comes out the building on the left, up against the background.  There is another section making an L with double oval with dog bone in the center and separate control panel and LW.

Sorry for the confusion I caused.

Charlie

If you have ever seen the layout in the 1986 Lionel Handbook, I would suggest a variant of that.