If you have a youngster who loves to watch Thomas the Tank Engine early morning shows, or if you have an older child who is a train enthusiast, trains are a marvelous theme for a whole room décor. For the younger set, design a bed that resembles a train. Add a headboard or side pockets that can hold favorite books about trains and perhaps even a train lantern night light.
For the little train enthusiasts, a frieze of stylized trains carrying circus animals or fantasy creatures can provide visual fuel for budding imaginations. For older youngsters or even young teens, photographs and realistic pictures of trains can enhance a hobby or enthusiasm.
Don’t forget the train station while you are designing the room furnishings. A ticket-taker style booth for a desk or waiting room bench seats can provide an area for hours of role-playing for younger children, or a conversation piece for youth.
Thomas is a well-known character in children’s viewing. But other train stories can provide fuel for the imagination. The Polar Express, the magical train in Harry Potter, and even the non-fiction book, Locomotive by Brian Floca can provide inspiration for your budding engineer. For teens, there is even Harry Harrison’s Deathworld 1, with scenes of a desperate train ride to outrun an alien season that can be deadly to humans. For youngsters who like fantasy, there is also the magnificent train scene from the Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
Or to put it another way, there is a train for almost any youngster who is a fan, ranging from Thomas and the Little Engine that Could, to realistic depictions of the real trains that joined a continent from one side to the other or more modern trains, such as the monorail. Consult your child to learn his or her favorites.