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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm)
This page lists sturdy, kid-friendly garden trains and accessories you can use to get and keep the kids involved. I have raised my children with trains, including toy trains, model trains that were sturdy enough to be handled by children, and "real" model trains. This "catalog page" is a supplement to the "Garden Train Store" catalog and the article "Getting and Keeping the Kids Involved." These trains can be used indoors or out. They are all made by companies that build trains to be used outside in garden railroads. If you don't know what Garden Railroading is, my article "Go Outside and Run Your Trains," on the Family Garden Trains Primer page will give you some idea.
Note about Availability and Pricing: Although I try to keep an eye on things and to recommend products that are reasonably available, the model train market does fluctuate, and any product on this page may change price or become unavailable without prior notice. When I have access to more than one source, I have provided multiple supplier buttons to give you a better chance of getting the product you want (as long as you don't wait until mid-December to order something, in which case all bets are off). For more detailed information about why garden train products seem to come and go and why I have stopped listing prices for most products, please see my article "About Pricing and Availability."
Update for January, 2008 - This page used to start with the Lehmann Toy Train line, an excellent way to get young people involved with a child-friendly train that could go right outside with the "big stuff." Unfortunately, LGB isn't making those any more, so they've been demoted to a line item near the bottom of the page - sorry. The AristoCraft trains on this page became very hard to find by late 2007, but according to the AristoCraft site, they are still made, so we hope that our major providers have them back in stock eventually. In the meantime, I left the descriptions intact, so A: you would know what will hopefully be available again soon, and B: I wouldn't have to rebuild the page after they got back in stock.
AristoCraft makes all kinds of garden trains: here are two sets that I would recommend for kids, based on how well they seem to hold up to abuse, er, use.
Ages: Someone has told me that this set is said to be "safe" for ages 8 and up; however, I believe it is actually "safer" than the Lehmann Toy Train sets, since the remote control keeps the kids from ever having to touch the power supply once you have it hooked up. I have certainly seen many 5 and 6-year-olds operate these sets with no problems, and only minimal supervision. (You weren't really planning on your 5-year-old putting the track circle together and putting the train on the tracks herself anyway, were you?) To check on availability, please click on the button on the right.
AristoCraft "Li'l Critter" Diesel Train With Remote Control - The locomotive hauling this train represents thousands of little "industrial" diesel-electrics that are serving large industries and small railroads all over the country today. Called a "Critter," this model is a favorite of people who need something sturdy and reliable that can run for hours or even (in display railroads) weeks with no special attention. This train is available in several road names, including Pennsylvania, Union Pacific (shown), and Christmas.
AristoCraft makes many kinds of buildings for garden trains: here are two sets that I would recommend for kids, based on how well they seem to hold up to abuse, er, use. They come completely assembled in the box, so all you have to do is get them out of the box and set them in place to give your kid's train a "reason" to stop and go.
Lehmann Toy Trains - Lehmann is the German toy company that created LGB trains, the trains that resurrected Garden Railroading as a worldwide hobby a few decades back. In 2002, Lehmann introduced the "Toy Train" line to identify sets that are specifically targeted to young people. Then the company fell on hard times. The Toy Train line was more-or-less discontinued by 2005. In late 2007, the company was purchased by another company which hopes to have LGB trains back in manufacture by mid 2008. Unfortunately, we don't know how long it will be before the Toy Train line is resurrected, if it ever is. Labels claim that Lehmann Toy Trains are safe for Ages 6 and up. However, if you plan on putting the track together, putting the trains on the track, and plugging the electrical control in, children younger than six can operate the train successfully with minimal supervision.
Occasionally a Lehmann locomotive will turn up by itself. Most small Lehmann or LGB locomotives are useful for children 6 and up, too, although they are not quite as child-resistant as the "Toy Train" line.
PlaySkool has made a very solid child's train that was battery powered, and had a nice figure-eight track setup. Best of all, the train itself would run on Large Scale (45mm) track, although it wouldn't run over turnouts (switches), rerailers, or crossovers. So at open houses, I can put it on a simple garden railroad, let the kid hit the switch (on the smokestack) and let-er-rip around the track, without worrying about little kids doing any damage to a model. Unfortunately it is out of production now, but if you see one at a garage sale, it's the perfect "bridge" from kiddie toy trains to Large Scale trains.
Lionel also once made a Large Scale Thomas set and a few other pieces to go along with it. Thomas and his Large Scale Friends negotiated ordinary garden railroads just fine. Many folks who still have them use them for "kids's layouts" at open houses. Lionel has made two separate production runs of these; the most recent was about three years ago. Last year I listed them in this catalog, but every vendor I linked to sold out immediately, and I haven't found anybody with a good stock. Again, if you come across one, I recommend it highly. Lionel still makes an O gauge Thomas Set (runs on three-rail track on indoor railroads). It is child-friendly except for that dangerous track (which a big person should put together). But if you're going for an O gauge train for your kids, and they are over, say, six, consider getting a Polar Express - it's far better model and will be more rewarding in the long run.
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