Lionel rolls into Cherry Hill.

My son is an avid train enthusiast so when we were invited to a parent event at the new Lionel
pop up Store at the Cherry Hill Mall, I knew we couldn't go wrong by going. And in my mind, Lionel trains meant, expensive model trains, trains that I probably wouldn't buy my 3 or 5 year old , but maybe in a couple years, so I warned them before hand that we weren't buying anything, I know, mean mommy. But sometimes you have to lay out the rules before you go, especially with my ever so enthusiastic crew.

Upon entering the store, I was greeted by some familiar faces, two of the other former Philly Mom's Time Out bloggers, Kim from Chubby Cheeks Thinks and Debra from Lucas' Journey with SPD. I also met for the first time, Kelly from The Centsible Life. Kelly is a current Philly Mom's Time Out blogger and you can catch her journey in the Traverse along with the other PMTO bloggers at the Philly Mom's Time Out Website.

Anyway, back to the trains....

As we walked into the store, my son oohhhed and ahhhhed and made his way to the back of the store, like he'd been there before, where The Polar Express Model G Train Set and a Lionel Little Lines Train Playset were out of the box and assembled.

George easily made himself at home with the Model G Polar Express set.

Helping assemble the tracks.

Checking out the tracks with Debra's son Lucas.

George is my ultimate train enthusiast, he loves trains of all types, kinds and colors. He knows everything about trains. And, which one did he choose to sit at, of course the Model G set, although not as expensive and more kid friendly than the collector Model O trains, the Model G trains are still a nice upgrade from Thomas the Trains and Geo Trax. And when your son is still in the stage that everything gets assembled, reassembled and carried around the house, a couple years wait are in order before upgrading. Sophia, my 3 year old, got into the action too, but she found her spot with the other kids at the Lionel Little Lines Train Playset.

Trains and kids to play with, she couldn't be happier.

Working the remote control.

Sophia playing with the Little Lionel Train Playset with the other kids.

Overwhelmed by the excitement, John was entertained by Kim's daughter Emma.

What are the Lionel  Little Lines Train Playset you ask? A plastic set that is great for your child age 3 and over. I was happy to see this set here because like I stated above, when I thought of Lionel previously, I never thought of Lionel having a price point or a train set that could hold up to the curiosity of my 3 year old. We were given one to take home and the kids loved it. Like the other plastic sets on the market for kids 3 and up, the tracks are sturdy and easy to assemble. But unlike the other sets, where the trains look like toys trains, the train on the Little Lionel Train Set resembles the same train as on the Model G and O. It looks like a real steam engine and that was what my kids liked the most. Although the tracks are not interchangeable with the other plastic sets, we found that Geo Trax Trains can easily share the rails with the Little Lionel Steam Engine.

The Lionel Little Lines Train Playset Steam Engine assembles a real Steam Engine.

Up and running.

Playing together.

Once we got home even John wanted in on the action.

This Lionel Pop Up store is the first to open in the Philadelphia Area by the 110 year old iconic Brand.The store in the Cherry Hill Mall is open through January and offers everything from a variety of starter sets and add ons to entice train enthusiasts of all ages. At the store you can find everything from add ons, trains, tracks and accessories to the Model O trains, Starter sets for the Model G trains, including the Thomas the Train Model G and the Polar Express Model G, which will be a big hit for gift giving. And for the littlest train enthusiasts, the sturdy plastic Lionel Little Line Set. If you don't have a Lionel Pop Up Store in your area, you can purchase all the sets mentioned above and more online at Lionelstore.com.

I see plenty of Lionel Trains in our future.

I was given a Lionel Little Line Train Set but all opinions and review of the product are mine own, and well, slightly influenced by the opinions, oohhing and ahhhing of none other than....my kids.