What type of electric train should I get?

December 4, 2005 11:01 AM

I'd like to get my two sons (six and two) an electric train set. Mostly, it would be for under the tree and other special occasions. Help me not be overwhelmed by the choices.

I don't see it ever expanding into any type of large scale hobby (we have too many of those already) so I don't need to focus on future expansion. Still, I'd like it to look cool. Any suggestions on scale (HO, O etc) and brands would be appreciated. The Lionel "Polar Express" looks cool for holiday time and the Bachman trains look good for overall value.

posted by dhacker to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (19 answers total)

I'm not sure if it fits your plan, but every time I see Brio trains at the toy store, I think about having children just for the toys. They're wooden trains, but they have a powered engine (I think).
posted by etc. at 11:15 AM on December 4, 2005

Response by poster: Brio is OK but we're currently suffering from Thomas burnout.
posted by dhacker at 11:21 AM on December 4, 2005

I was big on HO scale trains for a while. You can get some basic track, a power brick, and an engine for fairly cheaply. Go to a hobby store and look around - they'll have the brands that hobbiests actually buy. The problem with HO is that its made for realism, so you won't find many cool or colorful trains... its a lot of Union Pacific, Santa Fe, etc, which I like but isn't quite the same.
posted by devilsbrigade at 11:40 AM on December 4, 2005

Oh, one other problem with HO scale is that its tippy. Trains get off the track fairly easily, and especially if you have stuff possibly in the way they'll come off the track fairly frequently.
posted by devilsbrigade at 11:41 AM on December 4, 2005

Holy crap, a powered Brio engine? You will be doing your kids a grave disservice if you do not purchase this immediately. Not sure where you got the idea that all Brio products are Thomas-related. (In fact, it seems Brio doesn't even make Thomas items, they're just "Brio-compatible".)
posted by trevyn at 11:44 AM on December 4, 2005

Response by poster: I know that all Brio trains are not Thomas related. The point it that we have plenty of "wooden railroad" stuff - battery powered or not.
posted by dhacker at 11:53 AM on December 4, 2005

In that case, LGB. The small sets aren't even that expensive.
posted by trevyn at 11:56 AM on December 4, 2005

I'd go with O scale. HO is a bit small for kids to handle easily.

The Atlas stuff is a little expensive, but it's quite sturdy, and it's not like you'll be buying a ton of cars anyway.
posted by I Love Tacos at 12:04 PM on December 4, 2005

You're right about not wanting this to be a big hobby - it's expensive, plus, shall we say.... somewhat less attractive to the ladies down the line (see? I make joke, yes?) if they turn into adults with this hobby.

That being said, here's a handy reference re: scales that I drew up. (Full disclosure: yes, I used to work there; yes, they're making the site uglier by the day.)
posted by mimi at 12:56 PM on December 4, 2005

I second the LGB comment. It is a large scale (the largest maybe?). I had these growing up - got my first set around 3 or 4 I think and it is still in my parents basement set up for my nephews to play with 30 some-odd years later. It is incredibly durable and because it is large, it is very easy for kids to set up both from assembling the tracks to getting the engine and cars on the tracks.
posted by GrumpyMonkey at 1:13 PM on December 4, 2005

LGB is probably the largest scale that's convenient to buy. There are custom-built scale models in larger sizes, of course, but they won't fit under a tree. A guy in my home town had a live-steam ride-on layout in his back yard. I never got to ride on it, but it looked awesome.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:41 PM on December 4, 2005

LGB all the way. Indestructible - I still have mine, and that's 30 years old, working fine for my kids. Be careful it *doesn't* turn into a hobby, as it becomes expensive, as most do! Due to it's size, it is more for playing with than 'tinkering' with, IMO.

I started out receiving the 'Circle' track, with an engine and two wagons - I remember that Xmas as though it was yesterday - the packaging, the whole nine yards. Whilst it fitted fine under the xmas tree, I eventually ended up with c400ft of it fitting most of the garden, too :)

The right type of engine will happily take your two year old for a ride - the Swiss double bogey one took my nephew when he was two:)

Nowadays the price is far more reasonable than ever it was back in the 70's, and with Ebay serving the need, so to speak, there are some good deals on 'add-ons' to be had.

It reminds me of the Patek Phillpe ads - "You don't own it, you look after it for the next generation"

If you wanted to visit someone with a layout, you can check location here for all parts of the world.
posted by DrtyBlvd at 5:38 PM on December 4, 2005

The canonical under-the-tree train is a Lionel O-scale set. The rest of that universe is not for civilian consumption & may be safely ignored.

Don't forget to unplug Lionel rails from the power transformer before attempting to clean up corrosion with steel wool. Ask me how I know this...
posted by Triode at 7:21 PM on December 4, 2005

Would second the Lionels; they have been around forever and are classics, meaning you might find some cheap secondhand stuff. Plus, Neil Young owns them!
posted by TedW at 7:41 PM on December 4, 2005

Tomy makes plastic battery operated train sets; sorry, all the ones I froogled were Thomas. The track snaps together and can be configured many ways. I have a great picture of my son, age 3 or so, enraptured with them.

We still have some HO trains in the basement. Electric trains are very space-consuming. If you have the time and inclination to build train sets with your kids, it's a great hobby.
posted by Mom at 8:20 PM on December 4, 2005

Lego has train sets, too.
posted by Mom at 8:24 PM on December 4, 2005

4th LGB. We have those trains ( next to the wooden BRIO) just for special occasions. My 4 year old threw an engine of the slide in his bedroom and it still works. It can also go into the garden in the summer. Great toy for kids and adults.
posted by kudzu at 3:11 AM on December 5, 2005

BRIO is good, but pricey. We bought the 'Imaginarium' knock-off, and it seems to be mostly compatible with the odd BRIO item we purchase.

I'd second the Lego sets, if your kids are into Lego, they will get alot of usage.
posted by jkaczor at 7:14 AM on December 5, 2005

I had both lego and brio growing up, and without a doubt I LOVED my lego set unconditionally. It made for endless hours of entertainment in my early years, then when growing older I took it upon myself to "renovate" the locomotive engines and cars into anything I could dream of: demolition derbies, nuclear waste disposal, fugitive trains--anything.

Simply put, Brio will last a couple millenia but it only has one manifestation, Lego, can be anything and everything all in one package.
posted by omidius at 7:52 AM on December 5, 2005