|
|
 Posted - January 03 2007 : 9:54:49 PM
|
Hey Guys:
Having just bought a cart load of stuff ina Ebay batch, I was thinking I'm going to seperate out one of the engines and some cars and a caboose, track and transformer for a friends little boy. They have 4 kids now he's the oldest at 5 and he's train nuts apparently SO...
For some time now (I used to be a Lan Analyst/Comp Tech at a huge bank in Canada) I would take old computers refurbish them and give them to my Parish Church to distribute to families who couldn't afford a computer. I started doing this when I lived in NJ. I just loved knowing a kid had a place to play do homework, listen to CD's... etc. I called them "Rosebox's" in part to refer to St. Theresa of Lesiux since Rose's were her symbol ANYWAY, I realized I could do much the same with toy trains and so here's my idea.
I'm looking for suggestions of equipment that has little cachet in the used market but is reliable enough for kids to start with. Tyco and AHM come to mind. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Gareth
Edited by - romcat on January 03 2007 10:12:48 PM
|
Country:  Canada ~
Posts: 4200 ~
Member Since: January 08 2006 ~
Last Visit: November 09 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
 Posted - January 03 2007 : 11:56:24 PM
|
Heh, I'm in more or less the same line of work and do the same thing - find new homes for old PCs. It's a good feeling all-round [}:)]
The trouble with old trains, especially HO, is that giving them to kids AND expecting them to hold up are diametrically opposed goals.
In the case of my 2-year old girl, Bethany, I give her old clunkers that have been retired from active service. The Tycos actually seem to hold up the best! F-unit shells are duarable but the various chassis are suspect - Life-likes fall apart if you so much as sneeze on them.
Now is she going to run them? No.
But if I knew some kids who would... that's a whole different ballgame. Couplers and wheels can will crack and break - I remember how it was when I was a kid. Any diesel with hard plastic handrails will have its intact days numbered.
Tycos truly are duable and plentiful enough... but the blasted PT motors don't last long. Of course I doubt kids 5 and under can be trusted to really "run" the things themselves, so anything is fine under adult supevision.
Your best bet is to try and get some cheapo RTR Tyco, bachmann, and life-like stuff for them to just play and goof around with on the floor, etc. Maybe build a stock of spare couplers and truck/wheelsets (they don't always interchange, BTW, so be warned) for the times when you want to run them. When the time comes, you could graduate them to Athearns, etc.
One thing to keep in mind, if there are really young kids around, is that couplers, wheels, kingpins, etc are choking hazards. So are all the other bits that can break off when kids act like kids... Really, the best trains for young kids are the ones made for kids... wooden and "fisher-pricey" type stuff.
|
Country:  USA ~
Posts: 2175 ~
Member Since: July 15 2006 ~
Last Visit: January 31 2010
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 04 2007 : 12:54:39 AM
|
Hi:
I'm actually thinking of 5+ and you know what;
I built model airplanes WITH plastic glue starting at 5-6 and built my first chainsaw based mini-bike with a friend when I was 9. I had a pen knife at 7 (Cub-scout) & a BB rifle. You know what The mortality rate wasn't higher in those days (The 60's) but there were far fewer Psychologist's! Sometimes I think the only thing parents let kids play with now are computer games because after all simulating killing, murder & Raping is safe right?
OK, I'm ranting but I have to teach 22 year olds at work (I'm now in Lawn care-"The Weed Man") the most basic mechanical things because they are "Sheeple". When I pull out my SAK (Swiss Army Knife) they are all "Wow, you're carrying a weapon!" I just about piss myself What do these people do when the lights go out!?
Anyway back on point as my old RSM would say. Children have a great deal to gain from model Rail roading beyond the canned answers built into a Thomas set. It's about mechanics, aesthetics, craft, history, ... someone recently did a study of children in NA and found that they aren't as creative as the boomer generation (Not that my generation of which I'm amongst the youngest hasn't got it's downfalls). Risk is so strictly controlled it's nuts. I had a little girl born when I was just 16 myself and she's now 30, alive decent and responsible.
The other practical thing is the Fischer Price and Thomas wooden stuff is canned and it's expensive which is fine for people who can afford 3 Sport-utes but I'm interested in the boy or girl who won't have anything without the decency of others.
Anyway thats my slant. Probably a bit over the top but I came from a Single-mother family and know what it means to do without, and go hungry.
Anyway I hope I haven't offended during my vent, If I have I apologize.
Mea Culpa!
-Gareth
Edited by - romcat on January 04 2007 03:10:54 AM
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 4200 ~
Member Since: January 08 2006 ~
Last Visit: November 09 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 04 2007 : 08:20:15 AM
|
hi Gareth,the one thing you have in states we dont have here is community spirit,if someone hear buys a new computer,they would never think of giving it to the poor family down the road,they would put it on ebay and get as much as they could,in my street,my door is for anyone who may have a problem,whatever it is,but my neighbours when they get home , draw their curtains and isolate themselves.
garage sales have never been big here as people think its below them to do so,i remember back in 60s,everydoor in my street had a key on a piece of string,on inside of letterbox,if i went to friends house,and they were out,if i did not let myself in and wait,my mates mums would go mentle,trust is whats lacking in todays society here in uk,had my rant and good luck to your venture,ken
|
Country:  United Kingdom ~
Posts: 8294 ~
Member Since: September 28 2006 ~
Last Visit: October 20 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 04 2007 : 2:50:10 PM
|
Gareth,
Whoa, didn't mean to touch a nerve there. I'll agree with you that todays kids are mollycoddled to the piont of vegetation; I myself am of the "let 'em learn the hard way" mentality, as you would appreciate. I had the glue and solvents and sharp edges as a kid too, in the 80's. The School of Hard Knocks is the best one.
Unfortunately, I can also tell you, as someone involved with the farce we know as the US Healthcare Industry, that you really don't want to face the hard way: you couldn't afford the bill. Of course that opens a whole 'nother can of worms and catch-22 debate, so I will leave it with: I agree that today's toys are largely stupid, with too much electronics and junk that removes all imagination from play. But lawyers have ruined this country, hence the soft edges and glazed eyelids of today.
Anyway...
If you're confident and detemrined to get them started right, and they'll appreciate it enough, then I'd say pretty much anything is fair game. It's all the same, really - the same parts (couplers, stirrups, wheels, etc) will break regardless of who made it. Unfortunately my parents, and my cousins' and friends' parents, had no patience when it came to
replacing those parts... and it didn't take much sometimes... just one accidental knock-over in a moment of excitement and POW. There's a reason so many Lionel O sets survived many childhoods but few HO sets ever did just one. So try and have a parts bin for the inevitable.
Beyond that, perhaps Athearns would be the best to start with as far as engines go. They're durbale and reliable and great for tinkering minds to learn with. Tycos can take more "rough-housing" but the motors, etc will always be the albatross (unless you have a parts bin). That's what I would do (and am doing).
|
|
Country: USA ~
Posts: 2175 ~
Member Since: July 15 2006 ~
Last Visit: January 31 2010
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 04 2007 : 5:40:19 PM
|
What about those little trolleys, cable cars, streetcars, handcars, etc... I have 2 cable cars and a trolley, and from my experience their motors are reliable, and they do not have a lot of small pieces (if any) that stick out from the body of the car. 
No, they are not long trains, but think about how much fun it is to watch these little guys buzz through stations and twist their way through S-bends.[:D]
-cheez
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 3448 ~
Member Since: September 22 2006 ~
Last Visit: March 24 2026
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
Posted - January 04 2007 : 5:44:41 PM
|
Good Idea Cheez!
I plan on stripping details off engines like railings and such. I think the Athearn BB era suggestion was a good one. Mine never quit course thats cause they were mostly Alco's!!!
-G.
|
|
Country: Canada ~
Posts: 4200 ~
Member Since: January 08 2006 ~
Last Visit: November 09 2021
|
Alert Moderator
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home
Forums
Events Calendar
Forum Admins & Mods
Register
