Quote from: Terry Toenges on December 28, 2016, 02:39:13 PM
With my grand kids, when I built a layout, they wanted it to go "up up up" so it could come "down down down".

Hah! Had to laugh at that, I have the book "Are You My Mother" still memorized from reading it wayyy too many times and the kid used to laugh at those lines each time.

Sounds like one of these E-Z ready-to-run tracks by Bachman that I've seen on sale post-Christmas may be worth picking up after all. Would be nice to have something handy after he gets out of the motorized Thomas stage which may be in the next year. I didn't want to spend too much for something that I couldn't expand upon later. Thanks, everyone!

Many thanks for the info!

I was concerned about the train and track compatibility so it's a relief to know that the couplings are mostly common and I can mix-and-match engine and cars manufacture if needed. Good to know that "HO" track is "HO" regardless of manufacture. There are enough varieties to choose from it's a bit confusing. I've read references to n/s track as well, so you just confirmed them.

After reading these posts now you've got me thinking more about the track manufacture. Are there any real issues connecting E-Z track to Atlas or vice-versa?

Didn't know about the DC/DCC issue before. Looked into this after reading these posts - mostly likely will start with DCC. I do like having two or more engines running and if my kiddo decides he wants to play drums instead of trains then it would be good to have more versatile control without a second person helping.

The 'mostly finished' attic does get hot in summer, but I'm working out a few ways to get around that. Even if I don't get a full train up there, my kiddo could very well want to move into the attic for more space and privacy in years to come.

Hi all ~

I'm seriously contemplating starting an HO train table in my attic sometime next year. I just cleaned it out and my 3 year old is currently having a blast with his motorized Thomas tracks on a makeshift train table on some cinder blocks. I figure he'll be out of Thomas in a year or so and after a few years of Thomas exposure, my inner child wants a real train set too - maybe he'll keep the interest maybe he won't 

I've decided on HO due to space limitations, but I'm at a loss on what actual train sets to start with. From internet searching it seems like Bachmann has better quality that that other manufacturer (L) I see all the time. But I'm seeing these all-in-one complete sets for sale around Christmas and the fine print says that the tracks may not work with standard tracks. And the E-Z tracks don't look like what I think is "standard" track either. Do the E-Z tracks work with the old-school two-thin-metal-rail pieces? Or is there an old-school rail set by Bachman I'm not seeing. It's obvious that the E-Z tracks are the big push on the website.

Mainly I just want to start with a set that I know will be compatible with wide variety of HO rails and HO engines and cars out there. I don't want to get locked into one specific specialized or proprietary rail type that isn't widely available. 

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!