Which MTH set -0 or with ps2

Actually, you can find starter sets with blue, whistle, and smoke.  Kind of depends on what you are looking for.  The new MTH starter sets have, I believe, PS3, and I would certainly recommend going with a PS3 set if you find one that you like.

Check the online catalogs for Lionel, MTH, and Bachmann, and see if you find something that strikes your fancy.

Also consider a Williams set: bell, whistle and smoke. Low-tech but simple, reliable, durable. Or make your own set by purchasing a locomotive, cars, track, and transformer separately. Williams starter sets include Atlas O track and an Atlas 80-watt transformer. Williams sells tubular track as well. Lionel FasTrack works, too. A MTH Z-1000 100-watt transformer has received good reviews on the Forum. I look forward to reading further replies.

I had a MTH PS2 set running under my daughters Christmas tree last year. Young cousins came over for Christmas (6 & 7), they had absolutely no problem using my DCS remote. It took them a whole 30 seconds to figure everything out. Kids today are very high tech savvy, even at young ages. 

A lot depends on who the 6 yr old is, meaning is he reasonable in how he treats things or is he a walking terror with everything he touches.

He's 6 now, they grow fast.

As Alan mentioned, if you can find what you want in MTH, PS3 is the way to go, and is an excellant.

back when i was a kid, i wanted an electric train set so bad, my mother wouldnt let me have one untill i was 10 (greatest christmas ever, an HO santa fe switcher with 3 cars and a circle) but prior to that i had the wooden brio set, my grandmother would paint faces on the front of them to look like thomas. this was back when shining time station with ringo was on, when they didnt make thomas toys....

even when i was 10 i was hard on my trains. i think for a 6 year old, i wouldnt even get them an electric train. i'd had to see a PS3 locomotive be set to high speed and launched off the kitchen table. id go with a geotrax set, or something similar, untill they are older  just my 2cents.  

 The worse thing is not this boy as he's very gentle with trains. I've let him push my highest dollar engines around the floor. It's when he and his younger brother fight over something. Then things get broken.

 I bought him a Geotrax when he was 3. I got him most of the Thomas stuff already. I figure the engine will be run on the floor, I hope.

The mth with the Remote Commander is easy to use i let a 4 year old use it showed him what to him what to do and he did

Definately the PS2/PS3 set.....Greg

5 kids in my house now (great nieces  & nephew)

the 4, 6 & 8 Yr olds can run the train with the Remote commander, no problem.

So I would definately go with a PS2 or 3 set for the kids. Since you can always upgrade to a real layout and DCS later and the engine won't become a shelf queen.

Deciding factor is : Will they avoid pushing the train down the track by hand?

If not get an engine that will freewheel with power off, no MTH engine that I know of will do that.

Well....my G gauge MTH Challenger will. They're not getting those......yet

Any of the latest MTH sets with PS-3 and remote commander are the best in class.

My 4-year old grandson learned to use the remote commander in about 5 minutes, about a month ago and every weekend when he visits, he runs to the living room and we put the Realtrax together and he operates the engine all by himself.

Though he can't navigate the connection of the Realtrax yet, using the Remote Commander is a snap for him.  "It's so easy, even a 4-year old can use it."

I concur!

A couple of short circuits on the loop and a few spikes, and PS2/3 could have a problem... Williams=Solid, durable,fun!

Ed

 I'm weighing all the replies so thank you all. I agree with them all so far. I like the idea of PS3 so much that I've changed the set's model # that I was going to buy. When I last saw him, I asked what's his favorite road. He said "Amtrak". I think that was from the time I showed him the ready to run catalog and the cars I gave him I got from Barry. Trouble is the Amtrak set right now is PS2. SO....I went to the all time favorite that both boys respond well Pennsy and that's PS3. The younger also likes Burlington, but, hey, that's another story.

 Now I'm not rich, but....I already bought a set of RMT Beef Pennsy diesels for their stocking. Trouble is they don't have any track or transformer. I was going to give them what I have laying around. That's not a correct thing to do? I remember how much it meant to me to get my first train set. Maybe it won't to them. I don't want to be the one who wrecks it.

 SO.... I figure I will get them a whole set. If it breaks, so be it. I could stay with just the RMTs. I will give them those also (for diesel interests). It will be something else to run and serve as a backup or alternate for the steamer. I also figure that they already know that my trains have smoke, sound and control. Heck, they grab my DCS remote. I want them to have a decent train set incase they like them as much as I do. If their interest grows then the PS3 one would be  for their future RR. If it ends up a child's toy that goes into the closet as they grow up, then so be it.

 Maybe someday at the least, it will end up at an auction for someone else to enjoy.

I support ReadingFan's and eddiem's opinions.

I have only PS2 engines, 9 of them, and had to have 3 of them repaired, each needing new boards - at about $250 a pop!  And believe me, if anyone is super careful it's me.

If your sons will be running these trains unattended by you, then biggest fear that I would have is them not being careful enough, creating a short, and shorting out the boards.  They need to know things like shut off the transformer right away; don't try to put anything on the track with the transformer on, etc.  Anything to prevent a short or spark.

But I also know, first hand, that children as young as 4 can run a PS2 engine with a remote.  Their skill level improves as they learn to read since reading is sometimes required.

- walt

 Ok Allan, I'm thinking that I've had really good luck with these so.....

 I remember staring at the silver SantaFe going round at the Sears Roebuck store when I was a kid. I always heard "no way!" My parents would drag me away and soon they stopped taking me anywhere near there.

I remember the huge O layout at the rear end of Sears toy dept. on Shepherd DR here in Houston.  Got my first Marx there.  In the Allstate box, whixh I still have.  Also remember that Pepe LePew smelling Wicked green bottle Marx smoke!

The Williams starter sets with the ten wheeler steam loco are good values.

 Honestly, I don't give anything by Bachmann fair credit. I've had some problems and I'd better leave it as that. Now Williams I hear is excellent. I should give it a chance. I did consider them as extra stocking stuffers. I don't know if this controller will run in conventional???

 I bought a pair of Beefs so I hope so. Does anyone know?