Me too Brit, I mean bad running with a Hornby tank engine.
My 0-6-0 Jinty was so frustrating that I finally decided to permanently attach it to a brake/2nd with pickups (on the wheels) wired thru to the loco.
Now its the ever faithful branchline shuttle.
My first locomotive was a LifeLike CP Rail F40PH. The rubber on the wheels has worn off now, but other than that it still runs pretty good.
~ðrågóñsläµér[:)]
My first locomotive is a bachmann CN GP40. When it’s front truck got broken, I used a CP F7.
You want to know something? I found that the Elastics used for Ortidontic works fits the wheels perfectly. Because I had a bag left over from my braces, I replaced all the rubber rings.
The first I remember was a battery operated double-cab European prototype set called the “red comet” I got when I was 6 or 7. Dont remember much except that it didnt work!
When I was 10 or 11, I got a Marx trainset that was pretty good for its time. Kind of a poor mans Lionel set. I remember playing with it like Gomez Addams played with his trains on the Addams Family, its amazing they survived as long as they did!
mine was an Athearn BNSF GP38-2 sold it last year.
Mine was a Tyco Penn Central GP20. Or was it an AHM delux dockside 0-4-0? AHM S2? The first really good one was an Atlas Chessie System SD35. Still runs good after 23 years.
In case you’re interested I can tell you a bit about that first set of yours. It was a Japanese-made copy of a Tri-ang Big Big train. Tri-ang (known for making OO Briti***rains) made a line of O gauge plastic battery powered trains geared toward younger children called Big Big trains from 1965-1972. Later a Russian company called Novo made these trains from '75-80. Today these are collectors items and are worth big bucks. That Japanese set is quite rare. I once saw a boxed set on ebay a couple years ago and it sold for almost $200. Having heard that I bet you wish you still had it. Incidentally, the engine is a model of a Hymek diesel locomotive. There’s some pictures of the set at www.tri-ang.co.uk/BigBig/Red%20Rocket.htm .
Thanks “Sask”, especially for the photos.
That is indeed a sad approximation of a Western Region Hymek – the last example of the Western’s Diesel-hydraulic independent identity.
Anybody know where you can get a good HO model of a Hymek ?
Chances should be good – there’s at least one operable (full size) copy in preservation.
First one that was really mine (not Dad’s) was a Plymouth switcher made by Tyco and painted in Santa Fe colors (picture and description: http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrains/id16.html).
This was a tiny locomotive, with only one truck! My grandparents bought a Tyco set for me for Christmas when I was eight years old (1975), and it was called “The Switcher Freight.” Consisted of the loco, two cars, a caboose, and a circle of track. Boy did I have a blast with that thing, just watching it go round and round (especially at night with the lights out!)
I’ll never forget going to Gimbel’s department store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with my grandparents, a few weeks before Christmas, and seeing the massive layout they had set up in the train department. Oh man, I was absolutely drooling.
Dad had a Lionel set when I was much younger, with a B&O F unit and a few freight cars, but I think he did something stupid and gave it away or something–haven’t seen it since.
In the March, 1993 Railway Magazine there was an article all about the history of the Hymeks. It said that there were 4 examples in preservation, all of which were operating. It said that two were at the West Somerest Railway, one at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and one at the East Lancashire Railway. Chances are that that’s changed in the past 10 years, though.
In my own collection I own one of the original Tri-ang Big Big “Blue Flyer” Hymeks that the Japanese one was copied from. The colours aren’t accurate, but at least it’s closer to what BR used than the red. Tri-ang also made a verion that was yellow with a red roof and ends.
Mine was a Conrail SW1500.
My first locomotive was a LGB Stainz in a work train starter set. My Uncle got it for me when I was two and it still runs great today.
My first engine was a Bachmann F9A, painted in Chessie (C&O) colors. It ran well for awhile, until the motor cooked. I replaced it with another Bachman F9…which I retired a few years ago.
i really dont remember what my first one was. i started off with HO scale Tyco and Life Like train sets back in the 80’s when i was a kid. i cant remember what all i had back then.
all i remember is that i would get very frustrated trying to get the trains to run on that bad sectional track. i do remember my first good locomotive. it was an Athearn Union Pacific GP50 that i got from Arnies Trains in California back in 1989
My first was Reading lines GP18 By Tyco . My dad purchased it at an auction. When i was 12 I saved $12.00 and purchased my first new loco It was a Burlington Northern Green GP18 By Tyco. I still have it. But it dosent work well. Joe
that BN GP50 is my first real as i call locomotive that will actually be run on my layout. my first ever locomotive is a Bachman Sante Fe F7 from like 1992 or something. long time ago it seems.
First one, was a Tyco GP-20, about 30 yrs. ago, still have it, Next came a Rivarossi Hudson, still runs great, Last one was an Athearn Amtrak AMD 103, In case anyone is wondering, It has the new Hex drive, and is very close to Kato in running ability, but still has typical Athearn noise,but maybe a little quieter than the average Blue Box kit.
My first locomotive was in 62 or so which was a Christmas present, it was a Lionel 2-6-0 I believe. After that, a few years later I got an HO set for Christmas, a Pennsy 0-6-0 (?) and I’ve been hooked on HO ever since. I don’t have the Lionel’s anymore, and all that is left of the HO set is a green City oil tank car and a CB&Q caboose which still remain on the roster even though they are a bit out of place period wise and road.
Sad to say I don’t think there’s a HO Hymek available. Heljan have just brought out a new one in OO and Hornby are planning to re-release their venerable model - these were available in the '70s if not earlier. The Heljan model will certainly be a better runner and looks better as well - judging from the one example I’ve seen in my LHS.
A Bachmann GP-30 in Chessie System livery. As with others who have posted, I’ve moved on quite a ways from those days, but I still run the thing every Christmas under the tree.