<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by guppyman: Here's a picture of my three year old showing me how to run the trains. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Fantastic! My son has been running trains with me since he was three as well. Now I use it to teach him math (consisting, etc), plus the opportunity to spend quality time together. Here is a picture of Andy at 5 using a Digitrax controller to run trains! (See anybody can use DCC ). [ 22 March 2001: Message edited by: ten87 ]
Guys, I do a train show for the holidays! (but not the type train show you are all familiar with). What i'm talking about is I actually have a layout that I use to run trains. To welcome the season. And in all this behind my head durring the show I have a sign that reads "Young Locomotive Engineers Wanted" I let the little ones run mine with their parents permission to let them. Its the only reason I do the show actually. I do it for free I don't charge a fee to get in or even as much as a donation I do it to see the little kids eyes light up at a young age its all worth the while to me. And I know i'm going to hear a few guys yell at me for letting my trains in the hands of terror but I have yet to have a problem. The only problem is I never seem to have enough to run! But I do this because I know what it was like when I was little and got to run them!!! And who knows I might get a new young engineer in the hobby someday. And maybe I might get a little fellow involved such as I was and got me into repairs!!!! I'll have a apprentice!!! But thats how I learned from a near by repairshop that I used to visit every night after school and to this day I still go and visit him. A very nice fellow at the ripe ole age of 94 or 95 i'm not exactly sure of his age but I know its close to that. But he's who taught me what I know today besides the things I done on my own and upgraded my knowledge. And i've been at it ever since. And plan to keep up the work and my life time hobby! [ 21 March 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Guppyman, she looks like Shirley Temple! Ten87 looks like Andy has already become a Master Engineer on that DCC gizz whizz, and I still can't even spell it! EM-1 sounds like you have grown up like I have. Maybe that's why you are such a gee-knee-uss!
It is great to see youngsters running trains Guppyman, your daughter is gorgeous Ed, Andy looks like he is really concentrating on running that train I have two sons, only one, Matt (sticky monk) is interested in trains.
No such luck for me. My three children had no interest in railroading but used to check in every so often to see how I was doing. Now I have five grandchildren and non of them is interested. Two grand daughters love to visit but delight in crawling underneath to see where the trains go to in the tunnels. Oh well, there is another grandchild on the way so I might get lucky yet.
Boy do those pics look familiar. I'll have to dig mine out to post here or you could go to my website: http://www.jstrainstation.homestead.com to see what I mean. My youngest son started working on layouts with me at 2, and now that he is four he pretty much runs the show!! At the ribbon cutting of the official opening of my SFSW, he of course will be at the throttle of the first "official" train (he has already helped me with several test runs). Anyway, I love this hobby for the fact that my kids and I can see something at the same level of enthusiasm, have goals in mind and work as a team. Besides, watching a 4-year-old run the Santa Fe Chief is really cool!! Happy Modeling and have lots of railroad fun with your kids!! John
My son has been into trains since about two years old. Doesn't like cars. Doesn't like trucks. Doesn't like boats. Doesn't like plains. Just trains! And when I put in a video to watch, my one year old daughter goes "mmm mmm" imitating a horn. Eric
Watash, Hard to believe i'm 22 huh? Well I know what it was like going to the same place as a kid and seeing trains let alone run them yet!!! So I started thinking how it was for me and to let a few run mine and see what response I get from them. But anyway I love to see little kids happy and all. Thats the only pay check i'll ever need!!!!! But I never imagined that I'd be doing the train display shows on my own back when I was a kid (to some in here I may still be a kid at 22!! ). But its like when I do the shows I can remember the displays that I seen as a child. Thats all the better I turn into a kid, with the kids and to have 25 to 30 kids at once running trains and having fun????? I love it, what can I say I love kids! But the sad part of loving kids is I have none at the moment. But I have alot that i'm like a "Big Brother" to, and thats good though I like it. Some of the kids that first seen me at one of the shows their parents bring them to my home to visit and we all set in the train room (in my basement), have coffee, or a snack, and me and their parents set and talk while the kids have a blast running trains!!!! Some real young engineers they are!! I have no problem with them at all. Matter of fact A few of the kids that visit me at home and at the shows i've watched them for their parents a few times and its crazy you'd think that I would have alot of havoc, but they know what their going to be doing when I watch them for their mom and dad so........ Their happy. And quiet!! which is hard to believe but they are very good kids. (their parents don't seem to think that) But one day i'm going to hook up a video camera and let it video them while their running trains and show mom and dad that they are great kids and that I have no problems with them!!!!!! I just got to keep them (kids) from knowing i'm video camering them while they are having fun that might change the whole idea so.... but I will. And the VHS tape will be given to their mom and dad.
John, you have an excellent idea, and yes it must be candid for the most part. I saw a movie (8mm silent B/W) that a Mr. Downing made with his hidden camera, then at the last, had each one line up and showed who they were. It was a great film, and was shown at several of his camera club meetings. It would be a good educational VHS tape and could be sold like they do the ones for layouts. $19.95 a pop for 30min and $29.95 for 60min. You are a good man to have the patience and care about the kids, that is commendable. You also have an unusual bunch of kids you are dealing with, for today.
Watash, Yes they are a bunch of unusual kids for today alot of kids would be ripping things down but these couple just love the sight of it. Although as I remember it I had one to climb up onto my layout to get a loco going which he meant no harm. He tipped a building over, and smashed some of my lychen but that was not something i'd yell at him for. "He just wanted the loco to GO" and he may even have saved that loco for me. Being it was stalled and got it going so... Thinking about it his mom and dad purchased a whole HO scale train set from me and to this day I do repairs to it and do all the basic maintenence to his loco and cars. After he done that for me and got that loco going I got one off the shelf that I sat on for a long time and never run it, I dusted it off and before he went home I had given it to him so he has 2 locos now. Just to show him that I wasn't mad at him. When he done that he kinda like sneaked to do it and I caught him but I didn't scold him or anything, I told him to go on and do what he was about to before I walked back in the train room with our drinks, and a plate of cookies. I seen that the loco was stalled and he wanted it to go. He looked at me like I want that to GO and it won't. He was scared that he done something to it by the means of running it slow! That little kid for his age runs the trains so realistic its unreal. He likes to run them slow like the "real" ones do. And he just loves to run the mallets slow to see all the movement on the wheels with all the side rods. Just wait till he sees the shay run and even so gets to run him!!!! That should be a sight to see and to remember. Watash, can you see me with my own kids??? Someday!!!!!!! I'm going to spoil them!!!!!!!! And boy I can't wait, (even if a bunch of you guys think thats a mistake I don't think so) [ 23 March 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
My kids and grandkids that live local have no interest in trains except to pop in once in a while to check out the progress on my layout. Now, my daughter, her husband and my to grandkids in Oklahoma is a different story. they are building a small "N" scale layout with DCC. Each of them have their own set of engines and cars that they run. My grandson is 11 and grandaughter is 9. You should see the weathering and stuff those kids do to the rolling stock. It is fantastic. When we went back to oklahoma last may for a visit, my grandaughter offered to treach me to weather my enging and cars I bought while there. This prooves we are never to old or to young to learn.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Robin Matthysen: No such luck for me. My three children had no interest in railroading but used to check in every so often to see how I was doing. Now I have five grandchildren and non of them is interested. Two grand daughters love to visit but delight in crawling underneath to see where the trains go to in the tunnels. Oh well, there is another grandchild on the way so I might get lucky yet.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I understand how you feel. None of my children are interested and only three grandkids like to see where they go, but have little interest in running them. Oh well...
I have five children, who all have some varying interest in trains. My oldest daughter is 7, and though she doesn't have a tremendous interest in trains, she claims she "loves Thomas." Daniel is 5, and already is quite adept at rerailing his Lionel cars. He also enjoys drawing "layouts" on paper, which I have a hard time following. Sam is nearly three, and always yells "ALL ABOARD" everytime he sees Amtrak, whether on video or his set on the track (we live a LONG ways away from the real thing ). As for the youngest two, they're only seven months, so I'll give them a few months yet. Although my wife usually raises her eyebrows everytime I try to "indoctrinate" them!!! Pat
