I play pick up and drop off (cargo and / or passengers) with my grandson, but maybe we can all share some creative ideas.
John
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When mine were young, we would challenge each other not to use the "Hand of God" 0-5-0 to move or get any engine or freight car. It you wanted something, you had to operate the engine(s) to get it out. What that did was make for a fun operating session with action and activity. It made us think..."How is the best way to get this done"?
As we improved, then we would have a passenger trains running on one of the mains constantly. Then we would need to yield to it when moving around to pick up or deliver our freight.
Have Fun!
Ron
Sounds like a lot of fun Ron.
John
When my two sons were school age and younger, our layout had two separate divisions that met at a junction that I controlled as the towerman. They had to enter each other's territory in order to turn their trains around in a shared loop. Another small item was that I placed the Lionel coal ramp and the coal loader next to each other as many of us do, but made them only serviceable from their separate divisions. One loaded and then interchanged with the other who unloaded. At the interchange they also shared the log loader and saw mill , one always delivering and one always receiving. While all this was going on, I had two long trains, using relays, running on my own mainline around the whole thing . It sure made a racket; O22 switches clicking, crossing gates and guards buzzing, and accessories making all kinds of noise. Not to mention running on good old tin track.
We spent a lot of time down in the basement so between the two ZWs, a KW and other power sources plus the 100 watt light bulbs we used in those days to light up the whole basement, we kept the power company in business (I actually went outside once to see how fast the meter was spinning) . Only the TRAINMASTER, my wife, had the power to stop us. Great fun! Great memories! Thanks for starting this post. I hope others will join in. Earl
Great memories Earl.
John
When my kids were little, I would put figures (little people and animals) in a gondola, and tell my son and daughter stories about them when we gave them train rides. Both my son and daughter loved it. Arnold
A few years back my grandson and I ran trains around the family room carpeted floor on O27 track, carrying gondolas and boxcars full of Minecraft figures (he has a huge collection!). It seems the boxcars were best because you could load them up with the most fearsome creatures and it was always a surprise when they all came piling out.
The mechanical fork lift picking up and dropping off Fruehauf trailers was his previous all-time passion - no batteries needed, just a lever, a crank to turn and a bit of imagination.
Prior to all of that, hours and hours spent in front of his Thomas the Tank Engine train table - another amazing collection of stuff that found its way into our home! 
George
