Last weekend I set up an oval of Marklin HO C-track with manual turnouts (track switches) on each end in a semicircle to the other side of the track -- kind of looked like this 0=0 except the = sign lines should be farther apart and connected at the top and bottom to the O's. Essentially, it looked like a 2-dimensional drawing of a cylinder.
With my two toddlers alternating as engineer and switch operators, we got out one of the Fleischmann HO locomotives that I bought from a friend late last year. Specifically, this was a Fleischmann T3 -- a neat little Prussian steam locomotive. HO Scale Fleischmann trains are made in both 2-rail DC and 3-rail AC formats, and this Flesichmann had be converted from 2-rail DC to 3-rail AC (allowing it to work on my Marklin 3-rail HO track) and also has a digital converter installed.
The kids had a ball flipping the switches to send the Fleischmann through the O sidings and then back onto the main line. I think they may have enjoyed the switching as much or more than their turns as engineer. The details on the Fleischmann T3 are nice, and the side-rods are a little more intricate than many engines -- and therefore neat to watch at slower speeds. That helped me to convince the kids that there are reasons not to run the train at full speed all the time!
For more information about Fleischmann model trains (in HO and N scales), please see my Fleischmann trains site.
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