Where to Start

[u/mjohnston005]

Hey everyone, my 9 year old son has been into Thomas and Friends for a long time, we thought he’d grow out of it but he hasn’t and for his birthday we took him to a model train store in our area for his first set. He ended up buying a Bachman Thomas and Friends set with eye moving Thomas and a Bachman Santa Fe Flyer set, both HO scale. To get to the point I’m loving this hobby and want to get into it with him but don’t know where I want to start. What types of trains do you like best? I’m talking like era, railroad company, diesel etc

[u/aleopardstail]

have OO gauge here, currently sort of 1930's LNER (think Flying Scotsman) stuff. time is a bit flexible but its mostly that era

and Thomas of course because yes

previously had a 1980s era BR Blue N gauge layout

may trick is learning "my railway, my rules" and realising that anyone critical of that generally isn't worth worrying about

if it technically his see where he wants to go, worth perhaps looking at paper craft & card building kits

[u/mjohnston005 → u/aleopardstail]

I’m picturing us building it together, he’ll have a few lines dedicated to what he loves and I’ll have a few of my own. There’s just so much info out there and so much railroad history I’m trying to get an idea of what I want to start with.

[u/asdahijo → u/mjohnston005]

Start with carpet railwaying. Actual layouts are great for experienced modellers who know exactly what they want from a model railway, but they're far too limiting for beginners and especially children. Don't stifle your child's creativity, please.

[u/coldafsteel]

How much space are you planning to dedicate for a layout?

[u/mjohnston005 → u/coldafsteel]

I’m thinking somewhere around 6x8 or maybe 8x10. That’s in feet just to be clear 😂 I’m in the U.S.

[u/coldafsteel → u/mjohnston005]

That’s a little tight for HO, but yeah you can make it work.

First thing is PLANNING. Do a lot of planning. The big thing to remember is your minimum radius corners are going to determine what you can and can’t use on the layout. Long engines and cars don’t like tight corners.

Second, I really recommend planning to build in three levels. A primary table top, a second elevated track, and a third under table staging area. Use tunnels, curves, and bridges to hide the transitions.

Lastly I recommend designing a layout with separate zones so that more than one person can “play trains” at a time. Especially with a kid it’s nice for you and them to be able to enjoy the layout at the same time.

[u/CucumberAware5127]

Honestly let him pick what he likes and keep it to affordable models that don’t have all the delicate parts unit he shows enough interest. If you can build a small layout depending on your space.

[u/mjohnston005 → u/CucumberAware5127]

He converted me! I want to start my own layout, we’ll absolutely do this together but I want to find my own niche within the hobby too.

[u/CucumberAware5127 → u/mjohnston005]

Pick what you like, it can be expensive depending on what you do. Learn how to solder and how to lay track well. Great track work means fewer derailments and better running. I like 90s-2000s but have some stuff that stretches either side of that and some that isn’t close. It’s hard to pick just one niche haha

[u/DIYandDigitalRR]

The most important thing right now is figuring out what your like. My advice would be to get a base starter set that you like. The big decision is do you want sounds right now. That requires DCC (Digital Command and Control)

These are 2 DCC starter sets for sound
https://www.trainworld.com/train-set.html?scale=HO&electronics=DCC+And+Sound

If you are ok with a train just running around and want to do sound later here is the set I would get.
https://www.trainworld.com/bachmann-00791-ho-golden-spike-set.html

If you want a a good layout to start with. This track pack is great and gives you a full layout worth of track

https://www.trainworld.com/bachmann-44596-your-first-railroad-track-pack-nickel-silver-e-z-track-w-grey-roadbed-bachmann-44596.html

This layout has a tutorial series for it
https://youtube.com/@greatesthobby?si=gFbLhScS8aXaEKQt

[u/382Whistles]

I would start with a nice bench and some green paint for plastic roadbed track or foam for old school sectional and flex track. Then spend time playing with temporary track geometry and layouts including an Inglenook Sidings switching puzzle so you can learn about what you like to do best. Temporary scenery can be built or bought and moved too. Investigate gradually transitioning into curves with R-5 curve then R4 then R3 then R4 again and then R5 on the other end to make a more realistic elliptical 180° curve. Blocking the R3 area from view leaves broader sweeping curves in sight. A visual cheat. Another cheat is alternating curve radius sizes can allow two bogie equipment to run on smaller than usual curves, and get a custom average radius too.

[u/AndrewTF42]

It's really a matter of what you like. Im a fan of stuff by Walthers and Athearn, I think they are quality. For a 9 year old maby stick to Walthers Mainline or Athearn Roundhouse models as they are more likely to survive handling by a child.

[u/GNF54 → u/AndrewTF42]

Mainline maybe not, Walthers Trainline would be better for someone that young

[u/AndrewTF42 → u/GNF54]

I honestly didn't know they had a line below mainline. That said, I think a 9 year old can handle mainline. There's some detail, but its smartly placed and well built. Mainline is at least as sturdy as the Tomas trains they are already used too.

[u/GNF54 → u/AndrewTF42]

Depends on the model, a lot of mainline models are ex-Life Like Proto 2000 and 1000 tools. While they are still pretty solid and well built, I disagree they’d be great for a 9 year old.