Having 2 young kids, I'm watching with them from time to time Thomas & Friends.
They seems to quite like that, and I was wondering if there was any game on PC that is about trains in general, but way simpler/faster than TrainSim (migh be old I / they dont care)
Having some interaction like loading/unloading, sidings/turntables etc would be cool
Thx

I have a key for Train Simulator 2016 if you want it. let me know.

Other than that I found this on Steam:

Train Valley

From one of the reviews:

If you ever wanted to know what it is like having your own trainset at home but spending all that cash held you back? Than this is your game.

already have TrainSim thx!
But its kinda dull for a 4YO kid

Will check Train Valley thx!
EDIT: its not really what I'm looking for

Just found Lionel Train Town Deluxe
Dont know if its complicated but its seems to be what I want

I would've loved that as a kid! I just had my windup train on a circular track...maybe it was oval.

My dad had the big train set in the garage but it frequently stopped working...because it was in the garage, in South Florida, in the summer. 90F? Check! 90% humidity? Check! HO working?? Uh, no.



The Jedi Master

Not trying to be at all rude, so please don't take it that way. My kids are almost all grown and gone, but the two youngest are 15 and 9. We had a train set all these years. I know though they aren't cheap.

Just a thought. They would add to it year after year by little things maybe once a year when they saved their allowance or asked for something for birthday or whatever, and over two decades, there is now a boatload of stuff in the set.

I had a 6x4 train table, with bridge, working Xing, 2-3 electric sidings, working crane for loading trailers on wagon.
Lots of fun with it. Still have it but my kids are too young for it. Might rebuild it in 3-4 years

here is a pic of an early prototype of the table. More rails/siding +finishing touches were added later

its a good idea, but my son is 1YO and girl 4
A bit too young for how fragile all this is

When I was about 8, my parents built an N scale layout for me and my brother, about 2 by 3 feet. Then about 3 years later, we built an HO layout maybe 3 by 6 feet. On that HO layout we put in all the lamp posts and lighting inside the buildings A couple of the roadsigns also came with integrated lamps, all the lighting was run through holes drilled in the layout, and connected underneath. At night, running this layout was a real treat. I can still smell the electric motor of the Locomotive (which I still have, sits on a shelf in my living room) and the odor of all those hot lights. Yes this was back in the 1980s, no LEDs, all little 12v lightbulbs that got HOT after a few minutes running.

I still have occasional thoughts about building a new N scale switching layout, as an adult. Someday I likely will.

Wandering even further from the original topic, but check out this blog of one man's journey in MRR'ing.

NOT stuffy or boring at all, VERY entertaining.

Hornby did a piece of software that simulated the table top trainset and could also be linked into a digital controller to control the trains on the track.

I'll go have a search to see if it is still made.

Edit: no longer stocked but there is new controller software and hardware... at a price! though there is an evaluation version free to download https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/shop/power-control/software/elink-and-railmaster-combination-pack.html

Amazon have this and there are links to other railway software there too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Create-Your-Model-Railway-Deluxe/dp/B000KP8KH0

At that age they want to use their hands!

https://www.amazon.com/100-Piece-Or...n+Train+Set+Fits+Thomas+Brio+Chuggington

Every kid loves those things. Same size as the pricey collector brand.
Plenty of time for electronics later. (just my 2¢, no offense intended)

I was looking to buy something like that http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=95726386


and what's with the ''no offense intended'' I keep seeing?!

Are we Canadians known to be offended easily?

upload a gif

And since I'm just a big kid at heart, myself, here's my n gauge layout. The whole thing, including the cabinet it sits on, took me over a year to build. Was a fun project.

Wow, that train table playset looks quite nice, from the photos.

And Pooch, some really nice work on that layout.

Thanks a lot. I still enjoy watching em run around. You can do a lot with N gauge in a small area. It's only a little over 8 feet by 2 1/2 feet but I have two main lines running. Probably not good for small children though. N scale trains are small and delicate. About half the size of HO. They're more for the big kids.

My son and I spent many hours from the time he was about two until it was well past toy train time (mostly because we got super elaborate with setups) with the Thomas the Tank Engine magnetic train sets with the wooden tracks.

I have a huge box of the stuff that I wouldn't part with for love or money. Not that it would be worth much, as all of it is in pretty sad shape. Those wooden trains were not meant to go into a bath tub, and we abused all of the track.

None of it is cheap, but we bought it a little at a time and told folks he wanted track sections or cars or whatever for his birthdays and Christmas.

One never knows what will stick with kids and what won't as they grow older, but the other day I mentioned that we needed to get rid of a lot of his little kid crap and he made a point of saying the train stuff was off limits. I actually got a little misty-eyed, as it was one of my favorite times with him as he was little.

I tried to look for Thomas&Friends stuff but they seems to have a lot of things on different scale, wich makes it difficult I think to be sure they'll fit.
Maybe there's something easy I didnt see

If they mention Brio, that's that original wooden train set that's so pricey. Thomas & Friends and those other kits mentioned are the same size since they copied it.

wonder how much this would cost lol

The cost of a college education. LOL