Trains for Kids!

Trains are fun, and shouldn't just be for adults. Most adults who enjoy model railroads have probably gotten their start with model trains, after "catching" the train-bug early in their childhood with toy trains. What's the difference then between model railroads, model trains, and toy trains? Depends who you ask!

Serious 'model railroaders' will tell you that the hobby can expensive: true "model railroads" are reproductions of life-like scenes along prototype railroad corridors. This means that the trains run like Swiss watches, and cost about as much as one, through detailed scenery complete with realistic people, cars, buildings, that may match "real life" scenes. In many cases, someone from Pennsylvania will be able to go into a model railroader's basement, and see familiar scenes from the PRR (Pennsylvania Railroad) re-created in miniature! This attention to detail comes with a price of course; accurate scale models of particular locomotives will cost more than "generic" appearing locomotives representative of an entire fleet.

Model trains however are used to describe the less-realistic, and therefore less-expensive realm of electric trains made primarily for children.

The two intersect in larger scales more than smaller scales. Z and N scales are so tiny that they can be easily mishandled and broken by children, with pieces so small that younger children shouldn't be allowed to even touch them (not to mention the expense involved if they were to break or be lost: a Z scale engine about the length of your index finger may cost hundreds of dollars). My N-scale cats for instance (yes, they can make them that small) are about the size of a grain of rice, if not smaller! HO Scale is good for an older child (see recommended age on the side of the box) that can put the track together and situate the cars on the track, and is the least expensive of the truly accurate model railroading scales. O and G scales are better for younger children (again, paying strict attention to age guidelines set by manufacturers), because the pieces are bigger, and the trains more durable.

In both these larger scales the worlds of model railroading and model trains intersect, depending on who you ask. O-Scale Lionel for instance often runs on 3-rail track, and doesn't "look" as realistic as track in smaller scales. They are however great for children - they're durable, and big enough for small hands. Plus you can often pick up used Lionel or Marx train-sets complete with all the pieces, on sites like eBay, or even lawn sales, for pennies on the dollar, since many may be 50-60 years old! They are really built to last!

But - collectors also collect Lionel, and this sometimes drives up the prices for rare or more in-demand items, and the newer Lionel products being manufactured today are a little more true to scale (and therefore may be less durable than older, used items) and as such are much more expensive. Lionel is what many aging baby-boomers grew up with, and as they get older, seek to recapture a little of the magic from their former childhood hobby.

G scale is also an option, and again shares itself with toys and models, but for a different reason - craftsmanship and price is different from one manufacturer than another. A Bachmann Big-Hauler can be found on eBay for less than 200 bucks, complete with track, power supply, engine and cars; if you want LGB however (German, what I have called the Mercedes of the model railroad world), you may pay up to $1500 or more for just the locomotive. What you get is a museum quality model that will run like a really large Swiss watch. Where you shop in the spectrum between quality and price, is ultimately up to you!

There is of course a third option besides model railroads and model trains - toy trains. These are trains that are obvious toys - there is little or no attempt at realistic appearance or function, and they probably do not run on electric rails as scale-models do; they may be hand-operated wooden toys, or battery powered plastic toys. These are a great option for the youngest of children, but do have their drawbacks:

• Because they're not to scale, you may not be able to run different manufacturers on the tracks you bought. This is less an issue with Thomas and Brio (link), which use just about the same track, but is more an issue with Lego (link) and GeoTrax (link), which is different than anything anyone else makes.

• There is also the problem of obsolescence: the kids will grow out of them at some point. You can put a lot of money into Brio, just to have them grow out of it in just a couple very short years.

The big question therefore is this: do you want something that both you and the kids can play with for years in the future, but may have to deal with the occasional (or frequent) broken engine, as well as almost constant supervision? Or do you want something they can play with that requires little supervision, and has little chance of being broken, but will be grown-out of in a few short years?

I can't answer that question for you! I would however say the following: model railroading is a great tool to use in building rapport with your children. It's a "toy" or hobby that both children and adults can share, at the same time, and how often do you find that? If you sometimes wish you had more time to play with your kids while giving a little time to yourself to relax, it may just be an option. Just don't forget the black and white striped hat, and the wooden train whistle!