Sign of the times. Was watching a video of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from the '40s. Comments section was peppered with ignorant, politically correct tripe instead of an appreciation for a time that was better than today and only getting worse.
I’m in the “loner” camp. My trains and my yard are my stress reliever. I don’t want kids or adults around when I destress. If I want to be around people I’ll head down to the nearest pub.
TAC,
Having just completed another year of a Thanksgiving Weekend Train Show, I understand the attitude of not wanting to share. We are always amazed with participants at trains shows that don’t talk to the people looking at the layouts.
Whatever, we go to have fun.
I believe the attitude of the “sticks in the mud” participants is their loss. We live amongst them or around them. We’ll give them a little time and then they become like a stain on the floor, you walk around it or over it and realize it is unimportant and only distracts from the overall experience.
Ric and all - don’t get the idea that I’m a grinch - nothing could be further from the truth. We have around 8 - 10 public train shows a year, and I’m right up there with those who want to get hands-on, which is why I’m having another two of my bigger locos converted to r/c and battery. If trusting a stranger with a $4000 loco and another $1000-worth of cars is suspicious, well, I dunno what to say…
It’s jst that all my efforts to get neighbours interested in ‘playing trains’ met with suspicion. Dunno why, I’m not exactly a creepy kind of person, as anyone who knows me would tell you.
Here in UK though, I have noticed an increasing awareness of the existence of Youfacetwitch, and I’ve often been asked, when making movies for my Youtube channel - tac’s trains - to make sure that ‘my child’ is not in frame.
Sad, eh?
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
TAC,
Having spent time with you in Canada, I know you like everyone or almost everyone. 
Its true your stuffed buddy is a little different.
Hey, I’ll tell him you said that.
tac
He knows my feelings from when I sat him on the ground and took his chair.
I’ve spent a summer as Sully’s chief operator, and we’ve hosted kids 3 times.
This little girl’s parents have a garden railroad and visited on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Sully spent some time with her and showed her the fish.
Sully’s twin 9-year-old ADHD grandsons Noah and Austin were here for several days. They were a bit of a handfull. I found railroading works best if you keep the train sorter than your attention span. I had to level that switch again, I hadn’t engineered it to withstand a 9-year-old falling on it
One afternoon, Austin went to town with most of the grown-ups and Noah helped me make a video that Sully wanted:
(You can’t embed a ewetewb any more?)
But when the ADHD kicks in, you get a shot like this:
This boy saw us at a weekend show and was invited out to see the railroad. He was so careful with the trains and operated them very well.
Well, that’s what I thought. I’ve done it before…
I am kinda like the “I want to work alone” kinda guy. And my railroad is for my enjoyment. But I also like to share on occasion. Thing is none of my neighbors care. In fact, my new next door neighbor put those plastic slats in her chain link fence to create a view block. So, except for shows, I play with myself…I mean, I play alone.
Now at the shows, I enjoy talking to people, but I am usually running trains. I can’t run trains and talk at the same time, unless the person follows me around the layout. They usually don’t. I am usually running trains because many of the other guys are huddled in the corner BSing amongst themselves. I never heard them referred to as a stain on the floor, but its a very good description.
Tom Ruby said:
I’ve spent a summer as Sully’s chief operator, and we’ve hosted kids 3 times.
This little girl’s parents have a garden railroad and visited on a breezy Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Sully spent some time with her and showed her the fish.
Sully’s twin 9-year-old ADHD grandsons Noah and Austin were here for several days. They were a bit of a handfull. I found railroading works best if you keep the train sorter than your attention span. I had to level that switch again, I hadn’t engineered it to withstand a 9-year-old falling on it
One afternoon, Austin went to town with most of the grown-ups and Noah helped me make a video that Sully wanted:
(You can’t embed a ewetewb any more?)
But when the ADHD kicks in, you get a shot like this:
This boy saw us at a weekend show and was invited out to see the railroad. He was so careful with the trains and operated them very well.
Tom,
Just about the time I was willing to write off kids being anywhere near my railroad you went an posted that picture of that girl with her feet in the pond and the tracks in the background. Priceless. Thanks for sharing.
Next time you need a new section of RR built have the ADHD kid come back ad hand him a shovel.
Most of the time the only kids that have any access at all to my layout are the grandchildren, and they’re not a problem. I let them put their dolls, dinosaurs, or whatever on the gondolas for a “ride on the train”. I also allow them to run the trains, after receiving proper instruction. My trains can’t go very fast anyway.
Though of course, sometimes accidents happen. I expect that so I’m not too freaked out if it does. My biggest concern is falling, since there are steep stairs, uneven paths, and nothing to land on but rocks and concrete.
When we have guests with children, the only problem I’ve had so far is that they tend to get excited following the train back and forth, and before you know it they’re running.
Sometimes if the guest’s child is well-behaved and interested, I’ll let them have a go at running the train for a bit. We had one little boy who was a big Thomas fan and really hooked on trains, and at the age of four was very responsible about running them!
I live in a rural area so I dont normaly get neighborhood kids over. My kids know the very few rules that I have: Dont step on buildings and dont step on the flowers. I found that placing rocks along the outside of the layout as my fence line and then stepping stones inside really helps. It keeps the feet off the plants and stears the kids away from buildings. What kid doesnt like to hop from one rock to the next. You have to beat them to their own game. If I have children around I dont take the nice, expensive stuff out. Thats one reason why I have what i call junk trains. If it breaks oh well. I have plenty of time to take out the nice stuff when Im alone. I also try to plant things that are hardy. They can take the foot traffic or areas that are fragile, plant a few barberry bushes or cedar trees or anything thorny haha. Over the years I cant say I ever had a problem kid.
My 2 year old granddaughter is very respectful of her trains and operates them very well.
If taught early, I believe, respect for the trains will be life long.
My oldest granddaughter, when she was two, would try so hard to jump over the track. She always managed to land right on it, bless her heart. Fortunately, she weighed nothing, and the track was on PT wood, and was stainless steel.
I have just read through this thread. I set up layouts at shows for kids to run; when they were little, my grandchildren ran the trains in the backyard, but have since moved on to other interests; I have consistently encouraged neighbourhood kids and parents to come and “play” with my trains, with very limited success.
So naturally I am interested in the experience some of you guys have had along this line.
I thunk about it, trying to put myself in the place of parents here there and everywhere, especially these days, when any grownup who plays with trains must be an object of suspicion (!)
My in-depth analysis has developed the following three levels of parental response to garden railroads and railroaders:
Thoughts, anyone?
John Le Forestier said:
I have just read through this thread. I set up layouts at shows for kids to run; when they were little, my grandchildren ran the trains in the backyard, but have since moved on to other interests; I have consistently encouraged neighbourhood kids and parents to come and “play” with my trains, with very limited success.
So naturally I am interested in the experience some of you guys have had along this line.
I thunk about it, trying to put myself in the place of parents here there and everywhere, especially these days, when any grownup who plays with trains must be an object of suspicion (!)My in-depth analysis has developed the following three levels of parental response to garden railroads and railroaders:
- Big trains at a public show are to be expected, they would be perfectly normal there and safe for children as long as we don’t let things go any further.
- Big trains in the front yardare an attractive garden ornament, likely owned by an oddball. The kids will probably be safe enough as long as we hold their hands.
- Big trains in the back yard are unknown territory. But they’re definitely kid bait. We must assume that it’d be dangerous back there for kids and maybe even for ourselves. As an adult, even I wouldn’t want to be back there, with my kids or alone.
Thoughts, anyone?
Well after being on this site for awhile I have soundly come to the conclusion that big train owners are odd balls and most definetly should be approached with caution.Where ever you find them
Okay,
Call me an oddball; Just don’t call me late for dinner, or any meal !
Funny as it may seem, sometimes the adult visitors are the hardest to control. Feelings of nostalgia from their youth remembering “the train around the Christmas tree,” or maybe the cousin who had the double 4’x8’ HO layout complete with scenery in the basement.
I enjoy me railroad. I enjoy sharing it. Thats what works for me. I respect other model railroaders boundries and opinions.
This has been a great topic. Thanks to all.
Pat
Pat you are an oddball.
So am I. 
John, I think you pretty much nailed it. After all what self respecting adult would play with toy trains, and tear up his yard to do so. So he must be given a wide berth.
That being said, its my little world to go get lost in. Its ok, they know me there.
This is a therapeutic posting! Good suggestions.
Animated toys draw kids as deer to a salt lick. They will want to touch – UNLESS parents have instilled in them look don’t touch. But if there is training, most it has been items on racks in stores. Rack items don’t move.
What has worked for me at our club’s kid displays is “Please watch all you want just don’t touch.” This invitation couched as a warning works – most of the time as it is a “friendly repeatable” by parents. Watching sessions are 5 - 10 minutes.
We also have some controllers for several circles of track for kid operation which they want to operate as slot cars. I don’t think the controllers make much difference as to the take-away interest in outdoor trains.
Our LIONEL train friends at shows run their layouts at rabbit-chasing speeds. That carries across if our displays are nearby.
Wendell