Bombproof locos and stock for kids

[Chris M]

My well used Thomas appears at the 1 minute mark on this video. The “exploding” wagon goes down well with youngsters and could also be seen as a starter towards model construction as it has to be put back together every time. I find youngsters enjoy rebuilding the wagon.

 

[Porkscratching]

Obviously Triang 0-6-0s as mentioned, what about old Jouef and similar clockwork locos...

Pity as I gave a few away recently..

[DCB]

Another vote for Triang or Triang /Hornby .  i have a load we used to take on holiday and play with on the floor of the rented cottage. The Jinty, Pannier, 0-4-0's B12, 3F 0-6-0 etc are excellent, the BoB, Brit  and Hall have fragile cylinders but the Princess seems pretty indestructible and most of the other steam locos are a bit rare possibly collectable.  The early ones have huge flanges and mazak wheels which can easily be turned down to suit code 100 with a file. The Transcontinental diesels are great except some have huge flanges on sintered wheels which can't cope with code 100 neither can they be turned down.

The A1A, CoCo and Hymek diesels are too fragile for kids with plastic axles crumble prone pick up towers and in the A1A CoCo plastic keeper plates. 

The proper Triang power units are ideal as they have pop up circuit breakers which stop kids overloading the locos .  When the kids grow up you can re wheel the chassis and put more fancy bodies on as the chassis will outlive you.

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, DavidCBroad said:

The early ones have huge flanges and mazak wheels which can easily be turned down to suit code 100 with a file. The Transcontinental diesels are great except some have huge flanges on sintered wheels which can't cope with code 100 neither can they be turned down.

 

 

... or look out for a job lot of System 4 track - also indestructible.

[cypherman]

Hi Steve,

Your J72 may not be beyond repair. The wheels just need requartering. The old J72's used a pin like method to attach the wheels to the axels. This quite often failed with age and the wheels rotated in the plastic centre stub. So the wheels can be reset in their correct position again. I used a small amount of superglue to lock the axels in place when I repaired mine.

[SRman]

17 hours ago, Chris M said:

My well used Thomas appears at the 1 minute mark on this video. The “exploding” wagon goes down well with youngsters and could also be seen as a starter towards model construction as it has to be put back together every time. I find youngsters enjoy rebuilding the wagon.

 

The OP asks for 'bomb proof' stock and you suggest the exploding wagon? There is a certain irony in that.   
 

All jokes aside, things like the exploding wagon and the giraffe car, plus some of the other action toys Triang put out (rocket/satellite/helicopter launching cars, etc.) all have great play value, with the down side that parts can get lost.

Enduring themes such as Thomas, and more transient ones like Harry Potter and Underground Ernie can also provide imaginative play value, with the ability to add scenic items in keeping with the themes (castles, bridges and tunnels plus other 'iconic' buildings).

At risk of duplicating what others have already mentioned, Bachmann had a 'junior' range and older Triang/Hornby locos were very robust, with few separate added parts to knock off and lose. Things like separate handrails that we modellers like to have can become sharp, even dangerous things for smaller children, so the moulded on details on these simpler models make them a lot safer for the youngsters. It also makes them more robust for the times they sail off the tracks at supersonic speeds and hit the floors and/or walls! Many older Triang models are available at swap meets for very reasonable prices but may need fettling to get them running properly. The Hornby 0-4-0 saddle tanks like 'Smokey Joe' and other livery variants mentioned earlier can provide a good starting point too, with reasonably convincing looks yet some of the robustness of earlier models.

Edited June 2, 2019 by SRman

[HonestTom]

Hornby's Railroad range has some neat little 0-4-0s. The 'D' class tank engine is about as simple as it gets - a one-piece body with a one-piece chassis with only a short funnel (so can't be broken off). They can be obtained second-hand for around £10-15, so if anything does break, it's easily replaced. From the same range, the J83, Jinty or Class 08 are also pretty good, and have been in the range for donkeys' years and so, again, can be obtained easily second-hand.

 

For rolling stock, I'd suggest Triang or older Hornby. A lot of their basic rolling stock is of no interest to "serious" modellers and so can be picked up very cheaply.

[Steamport Southport]

38 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

Hornby's Railroad range has some neat little 0-4-0s. The 'D' class tank engine is about as simple as it gets - a one-piece body with a one-piece chassis with only a short funnel (so can't be broken off). They can be obtained second-hand for around £10-15, so if anything does break, it's easily replaced. From the same range, the J83, Jinty or Class 08 are also pretty good, and have been in the range for donkeys' years and so, again, can be obtained easily second-hand.

 

For rolling stock, I'd suggest Triang or older Hornby. A lot of their basic rolling stock is of no interest to "serious" modellers and so can be picked up very cheaply.

 

You can get them brand new for a similar price. About £16 in Hattons.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/stocklist/1000389/1000588/1000640/0/hornby_oo_gauge_1_76_scale_steam_locos/prodlist.aspx?sort=5&showpreowned=false&pageid=1

 

 

 

Jason

[MJI]

Old Triang and teach them to not try pushing them along