One more thing. Find him a copy of a "Model Railroader" magazine and throw it in. I got my first in March, 1966 as a kid - I was stuck in bed with Bronchitis and my mom thought I might like it. It had John Allen's layout in it. She said later it was the most expensive magazine she ever bought. If he's comfortable on a computer he's welcome here as a member. This is a pretty family-friendly place and there will be lots of questions.
Ironically Randy, I saw John Allen's layout in RMC in '68 (I think) and was hooked on the model railroading side of playing with trains. So I can relate to what your "mother" said. I'm sending out a box soon for Noland and I'll throw in some old MR's and RMC's. Thanks for the idea.
I will make sure that Nolan gets a username on the forum. I think You will get a kick out of hearing from him. I will get him a subscription to Model Railroader! Thanks for the tip!
Also worthy of note is that N scale is blessed with two very nice magazines. They are: N Scale Railroading; N Scale Magazine.
Regarding a loco upgrade: If you join the Yahoo groups "Nscaleyardsale" list, and post your story, I believe that somebody will offer up a high quality Kato loco for a very cheap price. If you don't care about road/model/etc. and are okay with Rapido couplers, you should have multiple offers. eBay is okay, but I think you'll do much better on the mailing list. You'll encounter a great group of model railroaders who will enthusiastically support what you are doing. I've been on the list for years, have sold items on rare occasions and have also bought high quality items for less than half of what I would pay on ebay.
Thank You foyr guiding me over to the yard sale. I think that I got a post made, but it wasn't up right away. I'm hoping that the moderator just has to OK it. Thanks again for the tip. I want to make that track as much fun for Nolan as I possibly can! You people are just awesome. The best on the web!
I started my nephew off in N scale at age 4. I gave him some of my surplus unitrack, a few rapido coupler cars, and a couple of 40 year old Trix F units. No handrails to break. And a VERY reliable loco. Primitive by today's standards. But has always been was an excellent loco. And I figure if he destroys it, it cost me something like 5 or 8 bucks at a swap meet. He's 12 now and always looks forward to the trains he somehow knows he'll get from his favorite uncle. One year for his Christmas present, I showed up with a whole bunch of goldenrod I had saved. And I then taught him how to make his own trees and scenery. And another year, we were at a train show. And this one guy behind the table made me walk away-- he said he had to deal directly with the customer. He told my nephew to make an offer on a Atlas/Kato GP35 (no box). He offered him $20. Guy said, no, he couldn't take that. It was too high. Pick a lower number. I think the guy sold him the loco and three freight cars for $10. It was so cute.
That's really cool. I'm so impressed at how helpful people are in helping me get Nolan set up. It just restores Your faith in human nature. Hobbyists really are a different breed though. As a rule, they bend over backwards to help young people to explore what gave them so much joy when they were young. I am still amazed. Two of Your awesome members are sending me items that I need to set Nolan up in the hobby. They won't take a nickel. Paying it forward seems to be a way of life in this hobby. It's a great thing, and I'll sign him up on this forum so that he can thank them himself, and also ask questions himself. I have a feeling my little neighbor will put smiles on some faces on here!
That is a great story, Ron. There is very few vendors out there that would do something like that for a youngster.
There are some members on here who do though. But, I wouldn't mention any names . Rodsup9000 and brokemoto.
Maybe a little clarification is in order. This great dude was part of the local club that was sponsoring the event. He had his own table with a whole lot of old used stuff. We were visiting my nephew who lives in the Chapel Hill North Carolina area. In fact, I remember more now. The guy saw us looking at some stuff that had a sign that said make an offer. He saw me hand my nephew a twenty dollar bill.... that's when he said.... I needed to step away. He didn't "deal with the banker, only the customer." This guy was great. He was funny, courteous and obviously generous. I have no idea who he was, but he is obviously a tribute to the club that sponsored the event. And he couldn't have picked a better benefactor. My nephew is crazy about trains.
It seems like everyone here has that same love of kids who are getting their first train. They are more than ready to help get this youngster involved. I'm really glad that I landed on this forum, all by chance. My neighbor kid Nolan is six, or maybe just turned 7. He's smart as a whip. We both have Golden Retrievers, his female is my dog's girlfriend. Every time I'm walking Arnie home, Nolan yells at me, "Can Arnie come over and play?" He loves my male, because he's a huge retriever, and Nolan and his dog just love wrestling with my dog. I just love this kid, and my wife and I are the only people in the neighborhood. He's a lonesome boy, and very sharp. He's a wizard at putting together Legos, and we buy him new kits all the time. I just know that he is going to flip when I bring the train over. It's going to be like Christmas in June. He is one of those nice kids that deserves everything that You do for him, and he really appreciates it. One of the guys sent me an engine with twin headlamps, and he is going to love it. I just can't wait to get this track up and running for him.
I'm really good friends with his Mom and Dad, so as long as they're home that would be fine with me. He's really a fun kid to talk to. He's so smart He's like talking to an adult! He's really a special kid. My wife and I don't have any children, so Nolan's about as close to a grandchild as I can get. It would be a pleasure to go over and run the train.with him.
Great story. I once saw the opposite happen at a show. This boy really wanted this Pennsylvania Railroad boxcar on a table. The vendor obviously had it for quite some time, as it was in a beat up box and was an old issue, anyhow. This kid was fifty cents short of the asking price and the guy would not cut him a break. The kid was obviously quite unhappy. I reached into my pocket to give the kid his fifty cents, looked up and the kid was gone. I put down what I was looking at from the vendor's table, walked away and never bought anything else from that vendor.
The first stage of The Nolan Project complete. Tested, and runs smoothly. Waiting for Photobucket to backup a picture from the first lap on the outside leg. All made possible by Rodney and Max. Rodsup9000 and brokemoto. A trip to an estate sale has turned into a project that will make one farm boy a really happy kid. Thank You Guys! You're AWESOME!
I looked everywhere for an n scale magazine. I did get him a fresh copy of Model Railroading, but I'll order some in the mail.
Well, I finished laying out Nolan's track. I just need to make a control panel by the hole that they bored for the doorknob. Once again, Thank You so much to Rodney and Max, Rodsup9000 and brokemoto. The generosity that You've shown is an awesome introduction to the hobby. You took Nolan's track from an "Around The Christmas Tree Special" to something that will make him want to get home from school to drive. I'm going to do my own layout, because You are the greatest bunch on the Internet. This hobby is a great place to make friends, enjoy the genius work of all of Your layouts, and get back to a part of life that I left years ago when I boxed up my HO set. I gave it to my nephew, but I did keep my favorite cars and some hop up stuff that we used to take the curves faster in the 60's. I will probably buy some vintage HO car stuff too. Anyway, I layed some infield track so that Nolan can make deliveries to his farm and lumber mill, and He will still have a lot of room for his Leggos in there. I did order him a corner tunnel from Woodland Scenics that should add to the fun factor. Here's the layout that I came up with. It's NOTHING compared to all of Yours, but my first layout will make Nolan very happy. He will be on here soon to Thank You Guys, and hopefully he will be Your youngest member, or one of them!
