**Update 2 years later** Well it happened, my son wants to turn the train bedroom ...

Add another room!

Pack it all up and store it out of the way. When he is married & has kids, he will mention the trains some time with a yearning to go back... and so it goes...

Art,

This is really not a space issue but more both of us are losing interest.  I think we are doing the right thing with not making a hasty decision. 

Greg, for the time being you can gather your thoughts about total dismantling. Have you lost interest because your son has and your daughters don't show any interest. If you have maybe it is time to dissolve and sell. I love trains, probably too much at times but none of my children every showed any interest but for me that was all right. I first got in the hobby for my enjoyment. But the one thing about this hobby is you can always return to it at any time....Paul 

Put them away for another time. My kids are in college and have started liking/remembering their childhood stuff we saved. 

Boarding school

Greg, I agree with the others, pack it up and put it to the side. When the girls move out you can think about one of there rooms for a layout. Trust me when you get older there are some little things in life that give older men like us enjoyment and trains are one of them! LOL

As Rob said, he'll be back looking for them some day. They were part of his childhood and he will realize some fond memories of what you had together.

I don't see what there is to talk about.I am basing this on the information you stated.He lost interest (OK) You could move on in the hobby but you are saying you also lost interest.So act now and make the proper decision.Pack your trains away.Doesen't sound like you have much.You and your son can pursue other interests at this stage.You will still have fun together.Your son is at a great age.Enjoy his youth while you still can.He will discover girls soon.Nick

Greg, here's an idea for you to look into.  Why not dismantle your layout (if that's what you guys decide to do) and then build a shelf train around the ceiling?  That way it's always there running and never too far out of sight or out of mind, but out of the way.  This will keep the memories fresh in your son's mind and maybe bring him back full time to the hobby. 

Just my opinion but, if you are "both losing interest", my advice would be to get out of the "toy train" hobby and have fun with your son. Model trains in the O Scale size are getting WAY TOO expensive anyway.

Greg, I got into this hobby early as a child because my grandmother gave me the trains my father and uncle played with as kids, it was great playing with the trains that my dad did, but alas the allure of perfume and gasoline caused me to pack up the train boxes.  Later in life I decided I wanted to share it with my two boys so I unpacked the boxes and set it up a small layout but they showed almost zero interest so I packed up the boxes again.

Well, the stars and planets finally aligned one day so I unpacked the boxes again and started building a modest layout, five years later it is still a work in progress but now I have a partner in crime, my 3 year old grandson!   Not a day goes by now, he lives with us part-time, that we don't "play trains", I really treasure the time we spend "playing trains" and someday when I'm gone hopefully he will remember this time together and unpack the boxes again to make some special memories with the ones he loves "playing trains".

I guess what I'm trying to say, really long windedly, is that to me this hobby is cyclical and no matter how you feel about it now,  you "will" regret selling off the trains.  You never know what will happen so unless you need the cash I'd keep them.  I'm really glad I did!

Paul

Make an overhead layout? I think it's a great idea

I have 2 daughters that were never interested. I am in the hobby for my enjoyment. It is great that you shared this time with your son.

I would consider packing up and bringing out at Christmas. It won't be long they will be off to college. Hence more room.

I would hate to see you have buyer'S remorse by selling and then having sticker shock later on, trying to replace, and they would mean something to him if they were passed down later on. He will not see that now at age 11.

Joe Gozzo

It happens. You can't fight city hall. The trains didn't stick with my kids, either. Hard to blame them, kinda.

If you're not already, play Xbox with him.  That's something he will be doing for many decades to come, if not his entire life. You guys will have lots of quality time together.

I started playing video games for the sole purpose of spending time with my sons, and with my yet-to-be-conceived grandkids.

I'm putting together a very small 2-rail O layout, just to satisfy my modeling bug. But, I'm alone in it.

Good luck.

If it is truly practical, physically and financially (and I'm thinking that your "family layout" is not littered with $1000 articulateds), store the trains safely and at no expense and wait. One or both of you may re-visit the idea (he, when older, or you, when you are an empty-nester) later on. If not, so what? They'll always be worth something in the foreseeable future, even if only as a gift to someone else's kids.

I got out of the whole hobby (but never lost a basic, background interest in RR's, real and model) after High School, but in my 40's (and with no kids) it came creeping back in...and here I am on this blasted model RR Forum. Who knew?

Just send them all to me and you will have no worries.

But for real, my son had trains when he was small and loved them at the time, so here I sit with all of his trains when he is 38 and he still don't seem to care. Nor does his son. He moved on to Radio controlled cars, fast real cars, and girls.  The only saving grace is the 3-year old grandson from the 27 year old daughter. How long will that last??? God only knows. I would just hold onto them if you don't need the money, someday you will retire and have nothing better to do than build a layout for you and the grand kids. Has worked for me. ;-)

My son was around 7 when he wanted trains and I got back into the hobby with him. As he turned teenager he went to video frames and computers. When he graduated middle school he asked for a computer for his graduation present. I declined and boy was he mad. Instead I told him that I would bury him the parts and teach him how to build a computer. That is his love and he is in college studying computer science. He likes the trains but not as much as I do.

My wife supports my interest in trains and since our daughter is 22 and married and our son is 19 and away to college this hobby gives me something to focus my energies on and relieve stress. I would suggest it is okay to keep the trains and realize your children may not ever understand the liking of the hobby but as long as your spouse supports you and you spend time with your family as you want then set it aside for a while and come back to it later.

Better to do this than live with regrets. 

Pack the trains away and wait. It will come back with time. Trust me.

Greg,

I've been down the same road with my son who is 23. He used to attend most shows with me, including York. That ended around age 12 when he discovered sports, video games and most importantly, Girls!

Has not looked at my trains since. No interest whatsoever. Been through college and now an assistant store manager at Staples and on the verge of being a store manager there. He will make more money than I ever did. 

Just maybe he will go back to the trains in years to come.

Pack the trains away and wait. Trust me.

Give up your train room!  Blasphemy!  I have some questions please?  Who's name is on the lease?  Who sends the check for the mortgage hhhmmm I think I would have a talk with him. Son, those are daddy's toys. you see those toys of mine help daddy from going bonkers and doing very crazy and bad things. 

What was the name of that Jack Nicholson movie?

I'm sure you already have a TV in a room and in 7 years he'll be out of there. You're the parent.. put your foot down and do what you want. Your child isn't paying the bills.

To add to this, I will say, this works for me, if I get a little tired of working on a scene on my layout the next day I go out and watch real mainline trains. It does work for me, trust me. Then I get back motivated. I'm 25 years old. My dad raised me on trains and I will never miss them. I love them so much that when I saw NS 4000 & 911, I bought the MTH versions. So to conclude, you should keep some trains as it's memories and the fun in the hobby. For me, I really don't want to see it die. But to maybe help out, remember the Polar Express below. Anyway, I hope you decide the right choice even if there's one or 2 model trains left. At least you have something to remember for yourself or even your son.

A lot of good advice here, but if I'm reading your post right, you both are losing or have already lost interest in the hobby. Like so many others here have said, pack them away for another time if you have the space that is. If not just pack away the ones that have the most sentimental value to you and sell the rest. You can always get back into the hobby and it doesn't have to be O scale either, due to the cost as some have mentioned here. The important thing is to move on with your son, enjoy the time you spend with him and with what he likes doing. Those are the memories you want to create and keep. I speak from experience.  I have a daughter, I treasured every day I spent and still spend with her. I wasn't into basketball ever, but when she joined the B-ball team in grammar school and then in high school I made every attempt to go to every game I could. And working midnight's didn't make that easy. But you know what? I learned a lot and bonded a lot more with her because she saw "Dad" was interested. We spoke about the games, we watched NBA on TV, we analyzed everything. Yep I learned to like B-ball because of her. Had I just said "Honey, basketball is not my thing and I'm really not interested" I would have lost four years of great memories. So if he wants to change the train room to a gaming/TV room and you're okay with it, I say go for it. But spend that time with him, because once it's gone, it's gone. Time waits for no one my friend. Remember that song Cats in the Cradle? You don't want to be that dad. I'm only giving advice, whatever you decide to do is your decision, you don't need anybody's approval. Good Luck!

I don't know if this helps but my son got his first train from me when he was 3 years old.  It still sits on a shelf running around the ceiling although unused for many years.

I have watched my son get into and out of scootering, skateboarding, biking many times.  Now that he is 18 and driving, he is coming to appreciate the simpler things in life and revisits his former hobbies/sports often.  He is even bothering me about completing my garage layout, he even offered to help.  He has stopped selling his scooters, skateboards and bikes and keeps a few around when he feels like being a kid again.  Sound familiar?

Chris Sheldon

If you have the space, KEEP THE TRAINS.  Whether you store them or put up a shelf layout, by all means do not get rid of them.  You will regret it some day, if you sell them now.  

If you are  losing interest then move on.... if you enjoy model railroading then build you a layout... 

You say space isn't the issue. I like others say pack the stuff up and put it away. Then rethink about this in november when trains seem to be an interest again. Do not make the mistake I did and sell off your trains. I did it though because I had no choice. Like others have said he may be looking for them in about 15 - 20 years when he has kids. I know a lot of kids are now into gaming and other things like that.

Not done this with trains,  but I've got a couple hobbies that come back cyclically.  I have generally taken a balanced approach of saving the best/favorite/sentimental items and getting rid of others.  

Sounds like you've already got a good plan going forward and as others have said, sell the stuff you dont' care about and if you have the space and don't need the cash, keep your favorites.   Best of luck finding other ways to bond with your son.   Sounds like it's time to start working on your xbox skills.

Is a Christmas layout an option for you? 

Go out to a few real railroad railyards and railroad museums to experience a ne perspective. DO NOT just sit in front of the TV for hours. Get a fe flying cameras and get to the real railroad yards.

Go out to a few real railroad railyards and railroad museums to experience a NEW perspective. DO NOT just sit in front of the TV for hours. Get drone flying cameras and get to the real railroad yards.

I had a small collection of Postwar/MPC trains and a modest Hi-Rail layout before we had children.  Our daughter never showed any interest in the trains (other than ratting me out when I bought a new car of locomotive) Our son enjoyed watching them run when he was little, but never caught the bug.  It didn't take long after the kids got involved with sports and other activities that I, too, lost interest in the trains.  There was about a two year period that I never even walked into the train room.  I had several years of CTT magazines that I had never looked at.  After several years of helping coach Little League and Pony League Baseball I was ready to get back into the hobby again.  I now have 3R O scale equipment, but I packed all of the old stuff away. Both kids are now college graduates.  Our daughter just recently got married.  I have had both of them ask if their kids will get trains someday.  You bet they will.  The ones they ran when they were kids.

Dismantle the layout.  Keep the trains.  This hobby is a non curable disease.  The itch will return in a few years, and it will return with a vengeance.

Tom 

At least consider packing them away for another day, space permitting. Your interest might resurge! GOOD LUCK in any event! 

PS: I am 74 and have been in this hobby for about 60 of those years in several gauges: Gilbert S gauge Flyer, Marx, Lionel - every era, LGB, standard gauge - original and repro, HO, and G gauge live steam. NONE of my children showed any interest, but my wife is very supportive and has attended TCA meets and open houses. We have also been volunteers at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and I have fired and run a 2-8-0 and also first generation ALCO RS1's at that museum as a certified fireman and engineer trainee for several years.

 

 

This is terrible!  One of the first crisis situations when raising children. You need to spring into action!  First, he must be grounded for at least a year. No outside activity except for school and train shows. Next, sit him down with a pen and paper to write "I Love Toy Trains" one thousand times. Perfect penmanship is required or he starts over again. One day is added to the grounding for every day he cries about it.   Reevaluate the situation after time of grounding expires. 

And as for you, Greg, losing interest in this hobby is not an option. Go spend about $5000 at your local hobby shop and discover the joy of trains again. If that doesn't work you must rewire, then rewire the layout over and over until moral improves.  

Seriously, children's interests change often during their young lives. You can't force them to do activities they have no interest in. It also helps them learn decision making and the benefits or mistakes of those decisions. 

That said, depending on the room dynamic could it be for both trains and game room?

Train room or game room?I could never choose just one,so I combined them.

 

Yep, keep a nice train and build a shelf layout around the room. It will be the memory jogger, the tie to childhood stories, a topic of discussion for everyone.

It is a great way to compromise.

Get rid of the rest of the stuff.

Box them.  Keep them.  Trust me.  You will get a fraction for what you paid and when things change later and you want trains again you will have some.  Trust me.  I made the terrible mistake of selling my in the late 70s as interest changed to women full-time.  Then a few years down there road paying a small fortune to replace the stuff I sold for a pittance. 

I changed to O scale in 2010.  I still have ALL my HO stuff and will not sell it or give it away.  One day I may need it and if not its not worth selling.  I still enjoy looking at it from time to time and use some HO scale buildings on my O layout.

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice.  I had a feeling that many may have been in my shoes.  It seems some of the endings are the same and some are different, which is OK - many of your kids came back at some point, others never did.  

I had trains as a kid and never revisited until my son was born.  If not for him who knows if I would have ever got back into this hobby.  I have only a few items from when I was a child that I will not sell.  For my son those items are the Thomas set and probably the Polar Express - those I won't sell.  In 10 years I have acquired a lot, including Legacy engines, sets like Metro North, and accessories not to mention a ZW with 4 bricks and a good amount of Fastrack.  

Should I decide to dismantle the question pack away vs. sell is an interesting one.  In 10 or 15 years will Legacy even be around?  Will my command control engines even run?  Maybe Bluetooth control will take over.  I am the type of person that should I step away and come back I would want the latest technology.  

Anyway I have a few months to think through everything before a decision is made.  I am into all the things that interest my kids and understand how fast time goes.  My oldest is away at college and boy do I miss her everyday.  The thread where Rich Battista showed his boy wrestling and comparing him to his first video is a perfect example of how we need to spend time with our kids.  I have no regrets in this area - if it is not trains it will be xBox or something else.  

Thanks to all that have offered stories and advice.