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Which Hornby Set - Starting a collection for 1 year old
- Thread starter sparton_SPA
- Start date
Soldato
Maybe this is a serious post, maybe not. But I would say any hobby could be seen as "sad" by today's young/youth. If it doesn't involve iPads and TikTok I'm sure kids aren't interested.
As I mentioned, I was still into model railways at the start of secondary school and even went to the Bangor (NI) Model Railway Club which was a good 40-mile round trip for my dad to take me. But as I got older through school, I lost interest, which is typical. However, looking back now I wish I'd keep it in my life. If nothing more have an indoor hobby and have the skills mentioned in my last post.
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If it’s raining and there’s something small on the horizon, absolutely.
What would you consider a ‘good’ start in life then?
Soldato
Get back it into! Doesn’t need to be some massive monstrosity that takes over your life.
I’m working on a small OO shunting layout with a baseboard kit for £30 from Scale Model Scenery that fits in a 22L Really Useful Box, and a fiddle yard that’ll fit in a 12L box for rolling stock storage. With a micro layout you can fit a model railway virtually anywhere.
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This is my experience of what goes down well:
1 year: Plastic train set that you push round and is chunky and has animals or something, argos safari train that kind of thing.
2 year: Brio (bigjigs is a cheaper alternative but also make 'replica' trains like flying scotsman or the mallard).
2.5 year: microscalextric - its cheaper, the cars stay on easier and it takes up less space and is typically more forgiving. There is also a junior scalextric but not tried this. Be prepared to take the track out for 10 minutes and your kid to be frustrated as they lack the fine grip control to keep from flying off the track.
3 year: more receptive of the microscalextric and play sessions are longer and better. Can build the brio track themselves but with some help, plays for longer. Get magnet tiles too.
Yourself throughout: If you have room for it not to be played with by your toddler get OO guage and build a fun layout. If not, get N guage although it's more expensive you can store it in cupboard as a full layout.
1 year: Plastic train set that you push round and is chunky and has animals or something, argos safari train that kind of thing.
2 year: Brio (bigjigs is a cheaper alternative but also make 'replica' trains like flying scotsman or the mallard).
2.5 year: microscalextric - its cheaper, the cars stay on easier and it takes up less space and is typically more forgiving. There is also a junior scalextric but not tried this. Be prepared to take the track out for 10 minutes and your kid to be frustrated as they lack the fine grip control to keep from flying off the track.
3 year: more receptive of the microscalextric and play sessions are longer and better. Can build the brio track themselves but with some help, plays for longer. Get magnet tiles too.
Yourself throughout: If you have room for it not to be played with by your toddler get OO guage and build a fun layout. If not, get N guage although it's more expensive you can store it in cupboard as a full layout.
Associate
I was vaguely joking but with an undercurrent of true feelings. There's nothing wrong with it per se except:
1) it's vaguely anti social from my next to non understanding
2) its super expensive so the child will struggle to develop it themselves without being reliant on a lot of money.
3) this makes it then less likely that other children are following this hobby and less chance to relate
4) the perception fair or not around around model railways/train watching etc is hardly one with a good reputation.
I completely agree on the tiktok issue and nurturing other hobbies besides digital and if it was push to come to shove would rather them on trains than an iPad.
But I would consider doing a guitar, sports, hiking (sorry stereotype!), reading, crafting etc to be more the vibe.
Exercise, team sports, music, languages, literature etc.
Soldato
Mate, are you saying you want to play trains next time you are over at mine?
Soldato
Don't think this is fair based on the existence of clubs, exhibitions, youtubers, online communities, etc. For a child sure, they'll only be socialising with the adult that's supervising them but in general, not accurate. It can be as social as any other hobby. I know some people in clubs who only go there for a cup of tea and a chat. They don't do any modelling.
Whilst probably safer bets, it is worth pointing out that hiking (or walking rather), reading and crafting are all parts of railway modelling. Days out to heritage railways, hiking to take pictures of viaducts, reading goes without saying as does crafting. However they're probably more something a teenager in the hobby would engage in rather than a child.
I guess it's about planting the idea as a child of a lifetime hobby they can come back to as and when they wish. It isn't just something for middle aged men these days.
I think for an adult who wants to join the hobby via their (slightly older) child - spending a year building something relatively simple like this would be a good approach: https://nevardmedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/trainset.html
It wouldn't cost a lot, can be done evenings and weekends bits at a time, and if they lose interest after a year at least they've had some exposure to modelling, electrics, woodwork, research etc. and you can sell it on eBay without too much effort if you don't want to keep it either.
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one of the city parks near me has a train setI bet it's about the only park in the country that has one.
It only operates a few times a year though, I think the organisation that runs it is dying out and not attracting new members
move to Newcastle and join them
Good tbh. There's one like that in Cardiff too and they even wanted to expand it a few years ago, but it's a public park on land donated for the use of the public, not for some train autists to try and take over on the cheap and then fence off for their private club they only open up once a month.
Soldato
Those do seem expensive when comparing the prices when I was modelling in the mid-90s. However, I'm sure the detail is finer and more intricate, plus inflation and DCC sound fitted, and the price can be justified.
Associate
This thread has hit me right in the nostalgia feels! I had this book of track layouts as a kid:
I always wanted plan 11 but never had the space for it, settled with plan 12 instead.
Good times
I always wanted plan 11 but never had the space for it, settled with plan 12 instead.
Good times
Soldato
Ahh man, I had that too. I always wanted the layout on the front cover but never got the chance.This thread has hit me right in the nostalgia feels! I had this book of track layouts as a kid:
I always wanted plan 11 but never had the space for it, settled with plan 12 instead.
Good times
Soldato
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Heh I had a Flying Scotsman and 2 or 3 carriages on an oval track given to me as an xmas present by my grandparents. I think James May on his TV series on childhood toys said it was a popular present that year
Associate
Yeah, that's plan 11 on the cover.
Associate
I had the occasional Hornby and Airfix train set prior, but I think it was Xmas of '91 that I got the oval Flying Scotsman set and that got me hooked.
I remember it came with a cassette tape. Side A was Noel Edmonds talking with some model railway expert about how to look after and maintain your setup. Side B was just sounds: steam engine whistles, diesel loco air horns and the 'd'dunk d'dunk' sounds a train makes when when it crosses joins in the rails.
Why can't I remember important stuff, but can remember this trivia?
Edit: here it is:
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i can guarantee by the time he reaches 9/10 he will resent every single thing about the trains and trainsets, that you wanted as a kid, that you have forced upon him.
Its like dance mums....
My dad did the same. For my xmas present he bought me some N gauge tiny trainset which i thought was cool for about a week... He spent probably 100+ hours fiddling with it and building up a track layout and sidings on a huge piece of hardboard... N gauge **** was not cheap.... God knows how much he sunk into his, i mean, my hobby
Sure as a midlife crisising adult id love it now..
i just looked up some prices.... jesus christ...
Not always the case, my little lad loves trains and often our days out are centred around some activity involving them even as far as taking breaks down in London as he just wanted to travel around on the tube.
People will drift from the hobby as other interests take over and the usually return to the hobby again when they're adults.
I agree about the prices, my interests lie more with scratch building rather than buying boat loads of ready to run trains, that keeps costs down.
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Saw some expensive train set bits today.The Intercity 225 was tiny too.
From my childhood days of spotting - there is no Intercity 225 in those photos…
You seem overly concerned about what others think of you and kowtowing to bullies to avoid rocking the boat.
These guys have taken it to the extreme.
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McKinley Railway
McKinley Railway is my lifelong dream to create a model railway that is both challenging and inspiring. The Time Machine concept allows prototypical trains to run in a near true representation of formations applicable between 1956 and 1975. Join me as this layout builds into, what I hope will be...
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