# Granddaughter's first layout



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

My granddaughter turns 8 in July. She has been having some strife lately with my daughter and her ex-husband arguing over custody. Last time I saw her she commented on missing coming over to play with my trains.

By chance, my LHS called and they had just received two of the Tomix Hello Kitty bullet train sets, so I told them to hold one for me. My son and I took a little time out from working on our new layout in his shed and decided to build her a layout of her own. It is a very simple DC layout with two loops, a cross over, and a siding on each loop. I will drive it down to Houston for her next month. In the mean time, I am looking for a second train for her. I think I want to get the Kato Amtrak set that has the P42 locomotive since that is what she rode to Dallas with us last year. I am open to other suggestions for a second train and will probably take her to a hobby shop and let her pick it out. After all, there has to be one good hobby shop in Houston somewhere, right? That way I know she will like the second train too.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

So nice to hear your Granddaughter is getting some positive influence during this troubling time.
As you know, Model Railroading is a great way to brighten the imagination and a wonderful escape from todays reality.
Keep the positive vibes going! 
As far as trains for girls, the more color, the better. I suppose I love to model Santa Fe because of the wonderful warbonnet paint scheme and the nostalgia of those wonderful advertisements of yester-year. 
Looks like N scale but not sure... Hello Kitty Train Set might be an option.


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## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

SF Gal said:


> So nice to hear your Granddaughter is getting some positive influence during this troubling time.
> As you know, Model Railroading is a great way to brighten the imagination and a wonderful escape from todays reality.
> Keep the positive vibes going!
> As far as trains for girls, the more color, the better. I suppose I love to model Santa Fe because of the wonderful warbonnet paint scheme and the nostalgia of those wonderful advertisements of yester-year.
> Looks like N scale but not sure... Hello Kitty Train Set might be an option.


Thanks, SF GAL. That is the set we bought at the LHS. She is definitely getting that one. Being a typical little girl, she likes Hello Kitty and she likes pink (her motorcycle helmet she picked out is also pink). As a side bonus, her mother doesn't like pink because it is too girly, so I get to tease her at the same time. I have also been really strongly considering the Santa Fe F7 Warbonnet freight train set that Kato sells. I like it for how iconic it is, but I think you have a point about her liking the colors too.

I was just talking with her mother and I am thinking more and more that the correct thing would be to take her to a hobby shop and let her pick out what she likes best. I had her pick out the freight cars to give my son on one trip, and she had fun looking for "different" cars. She comes back to my daughter from the ex in July, so the next weekend I can give her the set is her birthday weekend. That gives me time to look around and decide.


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## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Here is the video I made at my granddaughter's birthday party. At first, she did not want to be in the video at all, but by the end, you will see how happy she is with the trains.


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