Advice on "affordable train set" for 9 year old boy

[pandora174]

I am 95 % done for DS 9 Christmas shopping. All I need is a DS 3d & some games. I've gotten some good online deals for everything. But DS threw me for a loop when he said he rather have a train set rather than the DS 3d. He's been saying this to both my DH & myself.

I have no idea where to look. I googled & it seems the train sets are not one big set like a racetrack but smaller sets that you build on. Also very pricey for the realistic ones. Any suggestions ? By looking is this thing going to take up a ton of space ? Knowing DS his favorite place to build is in the middle of the living room With legos I have no problem since I bought him a small desk & he has rolling drawers that I can fit in a corner.

I would like him to have a set he can enjoy and won't fall apart but not sure where to shop & what budget to expect ? Any ideas or suggestions from other train lovers out there ??

 

[akcire]

You should be able to get a lionel starter set for under $150. It will include track, the train with 4 cars, and the transformer. It is something you can build on if the interest continues or just look under the Christmas tree if the interest fades.

They are sold tons of places including online and at Menards.

Alternatively if he is very into legos, you could look into a lego train. Lego trains are highly collectable and many people end up in clubs.

My husband has Lionel trains (popular when he was young) but has often considered getting into Lego Trains. Each year we attend a Lego train event where people show off their trains.

 

[Cindy B]

I wish you were local to me. I would have been able to direct you to one..