Hi all,
my name’s Martin and I’m living in southern Germany in the greater Munich area. Although being a member on this board for some 12 years now, I wrote almost nothing. This is about to change. Have to tell you my story.
It all started 30 years ago, when I discovered a Lionel NY Central Flyer starter set in my luggage after my return from a trip to the US. Actually, I knew I was supposed to be there, as I put it in. I bought this set as a souvenir in Chicago after travelling all the way from Louisiana through Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, ending up in Illinois for my return flight. I really loved this set, the somewhat basic looking 4-4-2 and the tinplate O-27 tracks. This got me into O-gauge. A year later I went to New Orleans again and bought me a K-Line Alco AA in SF warbonnet colors. Back home I subscribed to CTT magazine and signed up for the K-Line Collectors Club. I remained a KCC member and CTT subscriber until approx. 2002, then my interrest slowly shifted back to HO scale again and the O-gauge stuff was stored away and subsequently sold. Except a Williams New Haven E60 and the K-Line Millenium Club Car, which I kept, because I loved them too much.
I began building several layouts in HO, then in N, again in HO and took part as an exhibitor on train shows from 2009 on.
Only last year they asked me, if I would do a different layout for 2023, I agreed. Didn’t know what to do I suddenly came across that box with those old CTT magazines. Let’s do O-gauge! Honestly, American O-gauge is not really common in Europe, Lionel is not a household word as it is in the US, it’s more or less unknown to the normal audience. Might be an eyecatcher on the show, I thought.
As said, I only had less than a handful of pieces left from my initial collection, and only four lousy pieces of O-27 straight track.
I started from scratch again, found LEMAX buildings in the after X-mas clearance sale, searched websites for trains.
