can these trains be safely pushed by younger engineers

[grandpa]

sets oo675&oo692..............
ho train sets............

there dad has a lionel o gage just for cmas tree that the kids would rather push then 'drive'.......... can the bachmann ho set be safely pushed

the 2 boys have all the wooden push toys they need

[simkon]

No, they would more than likely be damaged and it may burn up the motor. Ho and N scale are way too delicate for pushing, with younger children you can have model railroads as long as you keep an eye on both the child and locomotive at all times for both their safety and the train's.

[jward]

if your kids want to push the trains, consider buying a couple of dummy locomotives for them to push. they can often be found in hobby shops or on ebay at modest cost. dummy locomotives have no motor or gears to damage. mechanically they are like a freight car......

[Doneldon]

from one grandpa to another-

No, alas, it's not a good idea to let little kids push trains along even though it sometimes seems as though that's what they prefer to do.  Buy a dummy loco, as suggested, or get a used loco from a train shop or ebay, take the motor out and let the kids go at it.  Be aware, however, that couplers, wheels, track and details are still vulnerable to little hands.  Above all, have fun with the grandkids and trains.
                                                                                                                                            -- D

[jward]

taking the motor out won't make a locomotive roll freely. you can leave the motor in place, but you need to take the worm gear off the tops of the trucks in order to make a useable dummy.......if you do this, keep the worms somewhere safe in case you ever want to make it a powered locomotive again.