A Parent's Guide to Model Toy Trains
Your child wants a train set, but you don't know what to buy, or even where to begin? Join the club. There are so many kinds of model toy trains available today that it's hard for a parent to decide what is the right train toy to buy. This article provides a brief guide to the major types of model trains that are available, and recommendations for choosing the right model trains for your child.
Wooden Or Electric?
The two primary types of model toy trains in the marketplace are wooden train toys, like those made by Brio, and electric trains, like the ones made by Lionel, Bachmann, Hornby, and Atlas. Wooden train toys are best for smaller children, from toddlers to about age seven or eight. Electric trains can provide hours of fun for older -- even much older -- children, ages five to eighty.
If you have a child younger than about five or six who is interested in trains, your best bet is probably a wooden train set like Brio. For children between five and eight, the choice between wooden and electric trains will depend on the child; some kids this age will be happy with wooden trains, but others are ready for the challenge of electric trains. If your child is older than about eight, an electric train set is probably best. The rest of this article talks about the different kinds of electric train sets.
Electric Train Sets for Older Children
If you've read this far, you have an older child, say six or older, who is interested in trains. You want to buy your child a train set, but don't know what you should be looking for. It's a confusing landscape -- HO trains, N gauge trains, G scale trains -- what's the difference? What should you buy? This article will help you make the right choice.
Scale or Gauge -- What's It All Mean?
Most electric model toy trains are classified by "scale" or "gauge". Technically, "scale" refers to the size of the trains, while "gauge" refers to the distance between the tracks. In practice, however, these terms are mostly interchangeable, and they refer to the size of the trains. For instance, N scale trains, also known as N gauge trains, are built to a scale of 1:160, which means that they are 1/160th the size of the real trains they represent. To give you a better idea, this means that an N scale engine is about an inch tall and about two to six inches long. Find more info on the best online store.
The most popular scales for toy trains, in order from smallest to largest, are Z scale (1:220), N scale (1:160), HO scale (1:87), S scale (1:64), O scale (1:48), and G scale (1:22.5).
G scale, the largest trains, are quite large -- a typical engine might be about 8 inches tall and 16 to 48 inches long. These trains are often called "Garden scale" because they are used for outdoor garden train layouts. All of the other scales are most suitable for indoor use.
What's the Best Scale for Your Child?
In general, larger trains are more suitable for younger children. When choosing a train set for an eight to twelve year old, S scale and O scale trains are probably best; as your child gets older, he or she may want smaller trains, like HO scale or N scale trains.
Also, if your child is more interested in having very detailed trains than in having elaborate layouts with detailed scenery, a larger scale like S scale or O scale will be better. If your child enjoys creating large, elaborate layouts, decorated with lots of scenery and landscaping, a smaller scale, like Z scale, N scale, or HO scale will be better.
Once you've decided on size, or scale, you can narrow down your search and choose a manufacturer or a particular train set. Find more info here that is both informative and can provide you discounts of train sets.
Wooden Or Electric?
The two primary types of model toy trains in the marketplace are wooden train toys, like those made by Brio, and electric trains, like the ones made by Lionel, Bachmann, Hornby, and Atlas. Wooden train toys are best for smaller children, from toddlers to about age seven or eight. Electric trains can provide hours of fun for older -- even much older -- children, ages five to eighty.
If you have a child younger than about five or six who is interested in trains, your best bet is probably a wooden train set like Brio. For children between five and eight, the choice between wooden and electric trains will depend on the child; some kids this age will be happy with wooden trains, but others are ready for the challenge of electric trains. If your child is older than about eight, an electric train set is probably best. The rest of this article talks about the different kinds of electric train sets.
Electric Train Sets for Older Children
If you've read this far, you have an older child, say six or older, who is interested in trains. You want to buy your child a train set, but don't know what you should be looking for. It's a confusing landscape -- HO trains, N gauge trains, G scale trains -- what's the difference? What should you buy? This article will help you make the right choice.
Scale or Gauge -- What's It All Mean?
Most electric model toy trains are classified by "scale" or "gauge". Technically, "scale" refers to the size of the trains, while "gauge" refers to the distance between the tracks. In practice, however, these terms are mostly interchangeable, and they refer to the size of the trains. For instance, N scale trains, also known as N gauge trains, are built to a scale of 1:160, which means that they are 1/160th the size of the real trains they represent. To give you a better idea, this means that an N scale engine is about an inch tall and about two to six inches long. Find more info on the best online store.
The most popular scales for toy trains, in order from smallest to largest, are Z scale (1:220), N scale (1:160), HO scale (1:87), S scale (1:64), O scale (1:48), and G scale (1:22.5).
G scale, the largest trains, are quite large -- a typical engine might be about 8 inches tall and 16 to 48 inches long. These trains are often called "Garden scale" because they are used for outdoor garden train layouts. All of the other scales are most suitable for indoor use.
What's the Best Scale for Your Child?
In general, larger trains are more suitable for younger children. When choosing a train set for an eight to twelve year old, S scale and O scale trains are probably best; as your child gets older, he or she may want smaller trains, like HO scale or N scale trains.
Also, if your child is more interested in having very detailed trains than in having elaborate layouts with detailed scenery, a larger scale like S scale or O scale will be better. If your child enjoys creating large, elaborate layouts, decorated with lots of scenery and landscaping, a smaller scale, like Z scale, N scale, or HO scale will be better.
Once you've decided on size, or scale, you can narrow down your search and choose a manufacturer or a particular train set. Find more info here that is both informative and can provide you discounts of train sets.