Learning about trains

[Akiree]

My 5.5 year old son is a huge train fan.  We've been doing the wooden train sets but he's starting to get a little old for them.  We got some Playmobil in the past year - Fire engines, Airplanes, Ferry and more, but I really wanted to get him a Playmobil train.  We love Playmobil!  He's to young for true model trains - he still wants to push them himself sometimes, put them on and off the tracks, etc. In short, he wants to play *with* the trains and not just watch them go around in a circle.  I love that the Playmobil trains have people, luggage, etc and are pretty sturdy.

So I bought an RC set off of ebay for Christmas.  It's a white commuter/bullet train thing.  I don't know the set number.  But it's awesome for how he plays and he loves it.  But I still have a few questions.

1)  Is there somewhere that lists with photos all the trains sets and stuff?  I see so many different things on ebay - an engine here, a flat car there - I don't know if they are part of a set or just a separate special car.

2)  Our RC train battery is finicky and the charger is too.  Does the battery holder that is sold by playmobil that holds AA's fit in place of the rechargable battery?

3)  Are the track clips sold by playmobil the same as the track clips for the plastic RC track?

4)  I'd love to do a garden railway set with the steam engine as well.  How do I know if I'm getting a good deal on the electric sets?  I know they are older than the RC ones and hence rarer.  I also know the trains will only work electricly if they are on working metal rails.  I'm fine with that, I think it would be a good begining into model trains.  Where can I get more info on the electric trains?

I've been reading past postings and getting lots of info.  This is great!  I look forward to being a part of the Playmobil train community.

Erika

[Tiermann]

I'm not a train expert so I will leave most of your questions for one of the others.
To see the sets you can visit PlaymoDB. Here is a Link that will get you to the train pages directly. You can choose the show images option to see them.

If you haven't already be sure to read the Train FAQ at the top of this forum. It has answers to a lot of the most common questions.

Welcome

[Rasputin]

1) playmodb, look under both train theme categories
2) Yes, the only one that is new is the brand new train and it takes more than 2 aa's. I would buy lots of re-chargables that you can put into the new unscrewable battery pack. The one you have you will notice is soldered together and the one you see on the web site has a screw. Also the tabs inside the train motor get corrosion and will not make contact unless you clean them. I use a dremal with brush attachment
3) yes they are system x connectors and they hold the track together. there are 2 kinds but they work the same. Ones with long tabs that were supposed to hold the track more and the short ones that you will also see in building sets.
4)You watch auctions and figure out how much you are willing to spend on what condition and if the boxes are there etc........You will pay from $100 to $1000 . You have to over come sticker shock on brass track layouts as it will dig deep into your pocket book. I want a round house switch and if you can find one they starts at $800

[playmofire]

The plastic rail connectors are not really System-X connectors, they were designed for use with the train tracks.

There is also a radio-controlled steam train, so you don't have to go back to the old electrical sets for this, and you can also use the plastic track outdoors.

This site will also give you a lot of information on the trains:

http://www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk/

The owner of it is a member here and has close links with Playmobil.

As regards prices, the radio controlled trains and track are cheaper than the electrical ones and the brass track.  The rolling stock (trucks, carriages) can be used on either type of track.

[Rasputin]

The plastic rail connectors are not really System-X connectors, they were designed for use with the train tracks.

the ones you are talking about are the 30 22 2820 ones and yes they are longer and have little tabs that were supposed to hold the track better. If you buy add on packs of track they come with 30 20 4400's. Most of the inventories for the plastic add on pack shows the wrong ones that came with them. You can see them in the DB pictures having the 30 20 4400's. They both are system x but yes the longer ones would not fit well on say a floor as the tabs would get in the way of cliping all the way down. Both work to hold the plastic tracks.

I must say you are picking a good time to start a collection of trains seeing as playmobil just released a new train theme.

[Walts-Trains]

I have just reinststed my web site. It has not quite come out right at the sides but still works to take you to other pages.
I hope to find the fault and repair it.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk

[Rasputin]

I have just reinststed my web site. It has not quite come out right at the sides but still works to take you to other pages.
I hope to find the fault and repair it.
www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk

Here is to your figuring out you sites glitches  I like looking at all you shows

[playmofire]

When I try and visit your site, Walter, I get a warning about it being an "attack site". 

"Reported Attack Page!

This web page at www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences.
                 
Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners."
       
       
       
       
         
         
         
       
     
     
       
     

[zugpferdchen]

When I try and visit your site, Walter, I get a warning about it being an "attack site". 

"Reported Attack Page!

This web page at www.walts-playmobil-collection.me.uk has been reported as an attack page and has been blocked based on your security preferences.
                 
Attack pages try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.Some attack pages intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners."

Me too: I also got this warning (I ignored it).

[playmofire]

Me too: I also got this warning (I ignored it).

So did I.