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Reply to "Need help with this layout for five year old"

@eddiem posted:

I must be missing something here... the key words are "five year old"

Just my opinion, but if I were setting something like this up for a 5 year old (been there, done that), I would design it in two phases. Sketch out and design the complete setup in all fastrack then:

Build phase 1: inside loop, outside loop located in the same position they would be in if the switches were there. No switches.  At 5, kids want to see trains go around the track, not switching, yards, etc.  Add buildings scenery etc, keeping in mind that phase 2 may follow!

If you use Fastrack, when the child gets older...

Add phase 2: the switches can be swapped in.  Remove a 10" section and put the switch(es) in. no other changes needed.

As I said, it's just MHO but I really think the interest level is way different at age 5 than at 8 or 9.  Feel free to ignore my thoughts, just offering an option based on seeing 5 year olds and trains!  Moving trains, sound, smoke... that's what they seem to respond to.

Thanks Eddie,

Connor is obsessed with trains - since a little over a year old.  He won't play with Thomas because they aren't "real when they have faces".  He is quite the enigma.  He quickly bores of ovals and is constantly stopping and starting my layout to pick up this and drop off that.   I fixed my coal loader and he loved it.  "When are you going to fix the cattle loader"?  etc

He loves my N Gauge trains as well.  I recently built a DCC++ EX arduino setup and he loves running them with his mother's phone and my tablet.  He knows every command without labeling them.  It's not that he is brilliant.  He is obsessed with trains. 

When he was a year and a half I sat him in my lap and put Mike Armstrong's video called "California Trains" on YouTube.  It is one hour long.  Connor watched it for 45 minutes.

Normally I would agree with you.  None of my kids (or myself) had that lever of interest at such a young age.

John

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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