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Beginning Track Layout
When a child gets a train set, the next thing they want is more track. Let's face facts, the basic oval of track that comes with a train set is boring! Your child has probably already been building layouts in Brio or GeoTrax. Limiting them to an oval will be frustrating. Invest in some additional track pieces soon after giving your child a train set.
Don't, however, go to the expense of buying any turnouts (switches) for them just yet. Stick with straights, curves and crossovers. At this point, giving children curves of different radii will introduce some very fundamental concepts of geometry to them. And will require them to expand their problem solving skills when laying out their track. Trestles will add interest also.
'Round and 'Round She Goes
Without turnouts, your child's layouts will be continuous loops. This doesn't mean that they're stuck with an oval. There are a number of types of continuous loops you can teach them to build; twice arounds, dogbones, folded dogbones, and others.There should be enough variety to hold a child's interest while they are mastering their throttle control and track placement skills. I'll be posting layouts for your children's train boards here. You can also find lots of layout plans on the web.Model railroaders' home pages and model railroad manufacturers websites are good places to look.Next Stop... Switching
Two turnouts that can divert a train on and off of a short parallel track is a siding. To introduce children to switching, I'd start by adding a siding to your child's continuous loop layout. In the real world, sidings are used for parking a train briefly so that another train can pass. This would be a good next step in your child's model railroading.Turnouts are the most expensive track pieces in model railroading, particularly so if they can be switched electrically by remote control. What you choose for your child is up to you.Just be aware that remote controlled turnouts require additional wiring connections. This may be another educational opportunity for your child.
Oncoming Trains
Parking a train on a siding teaches a fundamental railroad operation. But unless you're running a three-rail system, making two trains approach from opposite directions on the same track requires Digital Command Control. At the time of this writing, it costs about a $150 to add DCC to a train layout. In the next few years I hope we'll see lower cost children's sets that come with DCC systems. But regardless, DCC is a worthwhile investment today if your child takes their trains seriously.
Another consideration when running trains in opposite directions is the overall length of your child's track. You will need a long continuous loop of track to run oncoming trains, or things will happen too fast for your child to control them.
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