So its that time of year, and i was thinking that we could all share or memories of being a kid and bringin out the trains for this special time of year.
Now im a young guy at only 23 years of age, but my foundest memories of my childhood Chistmas was definatly the trains. I remember two thing in particular, the first being that unmistakable smell of postwar locos and their smoke. As soon as that box from the actic was opened the sent filled the house. YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT! To me, that was the spell of Christmas!
The other thing that will burn in the back of my mind around Christmas time forever was the gentle green glow from the classic ZW. Even as an adult now, visiting my old place where the ZW is still in action it puts a great warm feeling into my heart!
So those are my memories… How bout the rest of you guys and gals???
Christmas 1953; I just received my Sante Fe Triple Unit Frieght and was running it around the tree when the Doctor stopped by (yes, it did happen in small town America in that era) to check on my Dad’s bad back. He (the doctor) then came out and layed down with me to watch the train and its lights go around and around. I still remember that vividly now some 52 years later!!
One December Sunday afternoon I was too sick to go to the church Christmas program rehearsal,so I was left home alone. I decided to do a little snooping around and found that my parents’ luggage weighed more than it should have for being empty in the closet. I opened one to find a Navy Alco A & B set and the helicopter car. Toughest thing I had to do was fake surprise on Christmas eve. Since there was no surprise, it wasn’t such a great Christmas. I decided that was the last time I’d do that!
i remember my dad telling me all about the Blue Comet when i was young…
and then, one Christmas, on a spare track behind our Christmas tree and little layout, ther was a brand new 0-27 Blue Comet set… I was in shock … that was a great Christmas!!!
I don’t have trains on Christmas Day persay but I do have the memories of putting up the trains with my dad. We always had a 8x12 layout 2ft off the ground. Many a night my brother and I would stay up past our bedtime to help wire and lay track. Screw track down and help with the crude scenery.
I love that hum of the old ZW and looking through my dad’s old Lionel catalogs like we could still get things from them.
Christmas 1969, I got my first accessory. Earlier that year, I got from an uncle, a '52 vintage 726rr, boxcar, gon, tankcar, and caboose, 4 switches, a bunch of track and an RW transformer.
Ran it almost to death.
In 69, I got a crossing signal, BRAND SPANKING NEW! I remember tearing the plastic package open, and chucking that bubble pack in with the wrapping paper. (how many out there are cringing yet?)
I was 7 at the time.
Now, many years later, I picked up a greenberg’s of the postwar accessories.
Look up my 154. The listing says pyramid shaped base. Look at mine. Same base as a 151! Seems that I managed, on my first accessory, to get a “rare” Hagerstown piece.
Every Christmas, that 154 gets hooked up to the track, and the wheels of that 726rr roll across it.
Several years ago, I started to collect postwar items. but the prize of my collection (ruynning collection I may add) is that 154 and 726rr set.
My kids love it too, now they each have a postwar set of their own.
Merry Christmas All!!!
In the next few days, I’ll post up the pic of that 154.
Dec 1970: Asked Santa for a Lionel steam engine. Refused to tell my parents what I had asked for. I knew I was a good kid, but Santa must have thought I wasn’t ready for it.
Jan 1971: Mentioned to Mom and Dad what I had asked for.
Dec 1971: Santa decided I was ready!! To this day, that’s the first engine to chug around the tree each year…
The early 60’s, Christmas downtown at the Crescent. It was a department store in the center of Spokane WA. Would watch the animated Christmas figures and trains through the windows, but I loved the trains most , They had trains large and small in the window displays. And inside they had trains set up and running with accessories etc. My Dad and I spent our time looking, pointing, talking, and dreaming. These modern discount stores don’t realize what they are missing. Am working on a plan to put such a display for Christmas 2006 at our business next year. Easy to put together the trains. It has been impossible to find animated figures that follow a theme.
Christmas sometime in the 80’s. I was in 6th grade and opened up a set of 2343 Santa Fe F-3’s, a little beaten up, but boy oh boy were they cool!! I couldn’t believe that I owned a set of these! Dad really came through that year, and I will always have fond memories of our time together!
Hello tstgbob! A few years ago CTT ran a article of a fellows layout ( forgot his name) Anyway, this Gent has a # 154 with a semaphore base also! What a neat variation of a common highway flasher. Hope you never part with yours. Have fun!
Every year, during the 1970s, my family would troop into NYC for a Christmas outing. We would take the train into Grand Central, and always visit the Citicorp layout and the one in the window of the SwissAir office. Sometimes we’d see a show or go out to dinner. There was usually more trains on display in the Department store windows or toy departments.
A PC train in Fonda NY was deadheaded due to track problems (1970). The guys in the caboose let me inside to look around. Have photo of the caboose somewhere.
Well, as Paul Harvey said, here’s the rest of the story.
I still have that 154, it was the beginning of a collection that is pretty much complete.
Every year, Mom and Dad would get me a car or accessory for Christmas, up to the time we lost them in '96 and '00. I started that tradition, with my kids, in the gauge that they are interested in.
Most of the items that my parents got was from a man in Rockwood Pa. named Huck Wiltrout. I knew Huck since I was six or so, he was the first signature on my TCA application ( a major source of pride BTW)
Huck passed away, on my birthday in '01.
01 was not a good year.
He rebuilt the bearings in my 726rr, I had ran them till they were egg shaped.
As I sit here typing this in, I realized that it is not so much about the trains or accessories, but the people who are linked to them. Each chip, scratch, dent, faded marking and such are a memory.
I guess my collection isn’t so complete after all…