First locomotive In 1950, A little tin windup locomotive thar ran on floor
Got the first of several American S gauge train sets in 1952. Oval with sidng set up on 4x8 table.
Revell HO train set with F unit about 1959
Dad traded in his worn out Lionel trains to Lewis K. English, Sr. of English’s Model RR Supply (who assembled what today is known as Bowser Manufacturing from more than 23 other model railroad companies) when I was a very little boy. Lew was a big Lionel collector who amassed a large private collection, and he retained my father’s trains in the collection (Dad was able to point them out to me on the walls). I vividly remember the small train store they had then, which has since grown to be a wonderful and larger store. Dad and Lew, Sr. and Shirlee English are all missed now.
My first locomotive, circa 1972 or 1973, was the HO Mantua Tyco C-430 (freight train set) painted in the Santa Fe red and silver warbonnet sheme (matching the one used in real life on the U28CG’s). During the '70’s and '80’s I ran the wheels off it, eventually replacing the brushes a couple times.
Today, my favorite loco on hand is an HO Tower 55 BNSF ES44DC.
I grew up in the train store, worked some summers, Thanksgiving breaks, Christmas breaks and spring breaks there during college and until getting my first engineering job after college. I learned many valuable life lessons in that train store, or in the Bowser factory, and made many friends whom I’ve treasured among the employees and customers. We all have had a lot of fun with the trains.
John
I was fascinated by trains from pre-school on ward. Santa gave me a Lionel train set with a Hudson steam engine at age for and that was the beginning.
I still have that Hudson for nostaglia but it’s worse for the ware from my childhood years.
As a very small child I had an American Flyer 4-4-0 with two freight cars and a caboose with an oval of track (not tinplate, it had scale-type plastic ties) that came out every Christmastime to run under the tree. Later I got an N scale train set (about 1968?) but it only ran for a short time before dying (probably just needed a good cleaning).
I figure my real start in model railroading was an HO Tyco train set with an MRC Golden Throttlepack that I got for Christmas 1971. My dad was the mailman for Woodcraft Hobby in Minneapolis and he got them there - I still have the receipt tucked away in my dad’s papers, think it totalled like $46.95. I got my first copy of MR about the same time - Dec 1971 issue.
The set had a U.P. 4-6-2 that I don’t still have, although I do have other Mantua engines (like the similar 2-8-2) that I got much later. (After a brief HO experience, I was a O gauge “Hi-railer” for about 15 years before coming back to HO in 1988.) I do still have the AF 4-4-0, but not the original cars…
My parents gave me a Triang trainset when I was 6 years old. A roughly detailed CP Rail F7 and four or five CP lettered cars. To me at the time it was super detailed. Still have it somewhere.
i got into model trains in 6th grade when my grampa gave me his Life-Like christmas train he ran around the tree, and when my dad gave me his old TYCO sets from the '80s, my grampa gave me 2 Great Northern F7 A-units and an assortment of freight cars too, my dad gave me the Big Logger TYCO set with everything from the box as well, a few months after that, my grampa gave me his old Athearn blue box sets from the early 1960’s, he gave me 2 sets, the Hustler set with 2 cars and a caboose, and he gave me a Santa Fe passenger set with both powered A and B units with 4 cars. i still have the Santa Fe set’s original box in my basement, as well as the box the Hustler came in too, so that’s how i got into modeling. i’m now working on creating a mid-1940’s to early 1950’s Pennsylvania railroad style layout in HO with my friend.
I remember when the Severna Park club was on the cover of MR. Are they still around?
As far as I remember, I’ve always been into trains. I got my first set when I was 2 (wrecked it, of course), and my family used to take 2 or 3 trips a year on the Arcade and Attica excursion trains.
My first layout was a circle of track on a 4x4 sheet of plywood. Used to love watching trains just go around and around.
The first locomotive I remember owning (and still do) is a Tyco 0-8-0 Chattanooga that came with a set. Thing’s big enough to be a Mike [(-D]. Anyway, she doesn’t run anymore, but I still have it for sentimental reasons.
[:)] It all started in Japan in 1953 or there abouts. It was Christmas, no T.V., Armed Forces Radio only but it was great listening to all of the shows from Jack Benny, to George and Gracie Allen, boy that’s dating myself but I loved it. I wanted a train and asked Santa for one. On Christmas Day when I ran to the living room I couldn’t believe it, an oval track with a siding, a Lionel steamer with frieght cars and three stainless steel passenger cars on the siding. A working train station, a village all lit up and some cars
I ran that train all day, switching car running frieght and passenger trains, what a ball. In 1956 my father closed off his office for two weeks even put paper over the door windows. The Christmas tree was in the living room. On that special day I went down stairs and his office door was open. A ton of stuff under the tree and on the floor in my fathers’ was a huge oval with sidings, villages, lighted stations. My frieght train oval was the inner railroad, (027), while a brand new O guage was on the outside with two F inits in Southern livery with four aluminum passenger coaches on the out side with switches, cross overs, over head signals, I mean everything. I admit I was a fortunate kid.
It started when I was about seven, switched to HO in Junior High school. I am now 72 and still building and running trains.
The oldest engine is still going strong. This ICG by Atlas, purchased at a hobby shop in Memphis, TN. I bought it in 1974 or so, even the headlight still works.
Not bad for an engine that is 45 years old. Only maintenance has been a few drops of oil about once a year and running it.
What a great hobby and what great memories.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line
Newberry, SC
My dad and uncle got me a nice Lionel for my first birthday and christmas (1950) some years later I actually got to play with it. About 1960 I got an Athearn Hustler and some assorted cars, most of which are still in use, and have been in HO ever since. Dad built my brother and I a 4x8 for HO and himself a large dogbone layout for the Lionel. We moved in 1964 and the Lionel has been stored since.
My father was a career fighter pilot in the Air Force. While we were in Europe, he bought a train set from Märklin, but can’t remember what locomotive came with the set. Years later, my younger brother and I got Lionel trainsets. Mine had a Santa Fe F3, in its warbonnet scheme. After my time in the Air Force, I got serious about model railroading. Since we lived in Phoenix at the time, my motive power consisted mostly of Athearn blue box Geeps.
I received my first electric train when I was around 5 years old. On this photo (1974, I am around 6), I have one locomotive (US prototype, (Santa Fe), and string of european passenger cars and US freight cars, all made by Mehanotehnika (later: Mehano)). There is also one shell of “F” type diesel locomoitve visible, I do not know what happened with the rest.
The red car and police car were sent to me by my aunt (lives in California). I still have this red car.
After a while my father realized it is better to fix tracks on a wooden board (second picture), and that is how my hobby began…
I also still have all LEGO “rolling equipment” somewhere.
Hrvoje
I got a Lionel set when I was 4 or 5. It had a generic short steamer. I kept that set until I was 12 or 13, and then went to HO. My first HO engine was a belt drive Athearn GP-9. I still have that engine. I am 72 now.
The engine is now a dummy with sound and lights.
When I was about 5, back in Germany, Märklin was the brand of choice. My first “layout” consisted of an oval with a 0-6-0T DB (German Federal Railway) class 89 steam engine, 2 freight cars and 1 2-axle passenger car, and LEGO buildings. Over the next 3-4 years, this layout developed nicely. In the end, it had reached 7 x 3.5 ft, 5 engines (in addition to the class 89, a 4-6-2 class 01 steamer, a class V 200 Diesel, a class E 63 electric, and a class E 41 electric), about 10 passenger cars and 10 freight cars, had working catenary to run two independent trains, had working signals (including “dead” catenary when the signal was red), and quite nice landscaping.
As there was no Dad in the picture, it had all been built by my Mom, always in the weeks before Christmas, hidden from my eyes. Two of the engines had actually been built from kits, to save money (Märklin engine kits were about on the same difficulty level as Athearn BB car kits). The layout was stored for a log time in my Mom’s basement, but we gave it away after she passed away. The engines and some rolling stock still exist in the basement of my mother-in-law.
My first locomotive is the Lionel 2037 which is my avatar. My brother got the Lionel war bonnet. Our Christmas present in 1956 running on a Christmas layout put together by our Mom and Dad.
My first engine (IMS) was part of a Life-like train set that I got for Christmas. (An F7.) I don’t remember how old I was. The train resided in my maternal Grandmother’s basement. I eventually found that it didn’t work real well as I could only have a 4’ x 5’ board and I had to put it up when I was done with it.