has everyone seen the athern john deere HO train set walmart sells at christmas for $75? we found one brand new still shrinkwrapped at a flea market 2 weeks ago for just $20. perfect condition. we gave the man $20 and ran :)

I saw one last month at WalMart, and it was clearance priced at $30.00. I had it in my hands, and I started to take it up front, then I changed my mind and put it back. I probably should have kept it, but I've been much tighter with my collecting dollars lately, and I just didn't have enough reason to keep it. I miss the old days, when I didn't need a reason to spend money. :cry:

That's a diesel set, isn't it? I've seen the Athearn Pacific in John Deere markings on eBaigh.

Yeah, the one I saw was a diesel.

If you had bought it, would you have opened it and played with it, or stuck it on a closet shelf, figuring "it's too collectible" to break the seal?

Oh no, it would have been on the track. Are they valuable? I have one Snap-On set, that was a gift, that I have never opened. Not really for value's sake, I just never had a reason to run it. I have a Mantua Royal Blue, and the Matchbox Railroad, that are primarily display items. But even they have seen plenty of track time.

That's cool. I like to buy trains used, both because I don't want to pay a mint premium, and because I want to run them. The case you mentioned(a brand-new item at a bargain price) tends to put me in a quandry.

this will be ran at some point. prolly ina few more years when our 3 yo is ready. my wife tells me we're buying a new house very soon so hopefully we can have a hobby room once again. right now all out N, HO, O and G are in boxes waiting to be let out

this will be ran at some point. prolly ina few more years when our 3 yo is ready. my wife tells me we're buying a new house very soon so hopefully we can have a hobby room once again. right now all out N, HO, O and G are in boxes waiting to be let out
I think I was three when I got my first battery set. My folks put an overlapping circle of monorail track on the board, too. But, the monorail was a cheapie, and quit so soon, I don't remember even what it looked like. They left the track on for awhile, though, so I remember that.

Then, on a bithday, I think, they got rid of the battery track(the monorail track having long since disappeared), and put down O gauge wind-up track, for a Marx tin litho train. It was the following Xmas, I think, when that small board vanished, and I got the standard 4x8 plywood sheet on 2x4 framing, painted green, with an HO inverted figure 8 layout.

Point being: its not too soon, to get that kid started on a toy train addiction!

My older boy was 2 1/2 when he started running the HO trains in my basement. I let him use some low budget trains, like a couple of Bachmann sets, and a Snap=On set his uncle gave him. I have one of those Rix re-railers, so he used that to get all his cars on track, and he would sit there and build these huge trains. Once in a while, one would fall to the floor, but it's a small price for all the fun he was having.