Christmas rollback - 1950 something.

[pbjwilson]

O.K., Christmas 1950 something. Which would top your Christmas wish list?

[02camaro]

tough choice...I'd take the trains, but my wife would choose the Schwinn hands down :)

[Anonymous]

I ad all three back when I was a kid: Schwinn "Black Phantom" bike; pretty much the same Erector Set depicted in your photos (although I'm not sure it was the exact set); and Lionel's Santa Fe passenger set, headed by the 2343 A-A combo. I was a VERY lucky kid! We weren't wealthy, by any means, but being the only boy in the family, I was rotten spoiled by my mom and dad.

The Schwinn eventually gave way to an Allstate (Sears) MoPed, followed later by a small Harley; not sure what happened to the Erector Set, but it sure gave me many hours of pleasure; and I still have the Santa Fe 2343s. So I guess it's safe to say that the trains outlived the other interests.

As an aside to show how hooked I was on trains in the 50s: I made a small "Lionel Trains" license plate that I mounted on the back of the Schwinn "Black Phantom." I guess I was actively promoting model railroading even way back then!

[cnw1995]

Oh boy, what a dilemma. You were a fortunate boy, Allan. 'Course I wasn't alive back then but if I was - I would've loved the ... Erector set - I know - heresy! But I've never seen one - it looks like it would've been really fun to play with - to make things with...

[locomutt]

Guess I'm a bit like Allan Miller,I also had all three back in the 50s.
Born in 1950,then Christmas 54 got a used "American Flyer" set,to
be replaced in 1956 by an Athearn HO scale "Hustler" set;and in the
next couple of years,the Erector set,and then a second hand bicycle.

Didn't do much with the trains until ages 11-12,then lo,these many years
later,I'm still going strong(albeit in O scale)

[Anonymous]

Doug:

Erector sets were (are?) absolutely great toys! I recall building an operating ferris wheel, among who-knows-how-many-other items. Many, many hours of creative fun because there really was no limit to the things you could imagine and then attempt to build--sometimes with more success than at other times.

That's one of the real differences between today's playthings and yesterday's toys. Back then, imagination played a major role in a child's playtime activities--trains, Erector sets, chemistry sets, electronics sets, and a wealth of other stuff--all of which required a youngster to be totally involved with the product, and all of which stretched the imagination, and evoked creativity. You find little of that kind of thing offedred or encouraged for today's youngsters, and most seem to prefer sitting in front of a PlayStation, or some such piece of hardware, and rather mindlessly trying to accomplish some action to reach some artificial goal.

But we also spent a lot of time playing outdoors. Cops-and-robbers, cowboys-and-indians, building dams on the nearby stream, constructing a treehouse, and all that sort of thing. How many kids today do you see engaged in those kinds of activities on a daily basis (aside from a ride to an organized sports activity in soccer mom's SUV)? Today, toy guns appear to be a no-no for kids (never have understand that kind of thinking) and most kids seem to focus on one organized sports activity. Back then, we engaged in baseball, basketball, football, tennis, swimming, ice skating, roller skating, bike riding, ice hockey, hunting, fishing, and a few I've probably overlooked. And I mean that virtually ALL kids in my neighborhood did ALL of these things. What great physical activity, not to mention the benefits of learning and developing in other ways!

I know it's not possible to turn back the clock, but I can't help but think that it sometimes would be very nice if you could!

[cnw1995]

I completely agree with you, Allan. Without waxing too nostalgic, even in the 70s when I grew up, I went everywhere on my bike, and played outside in the good weather until dark. Inside, I read, drew, played Legos, or just puttered around, Maybe the difference is TV - there were only five B&W channels then and we were pretty restricted on watching it. I think 'boredom' leads to creativity or inventiveness. And boy, is there something to be said for 'unstructured time' and a hands-on hobby!

[Warburton]

I agree with Allan. We were outside most of the time in good weather. And in winter, played hockey on a frozen pond nearby. Nowadays, parents seem to arrange their kids activities and shuttle them everywhere in vans. Very little of kids choosing up their own games and activities anymore. More the pity, as much is to be learned about interpersonal relationships from such spontaneous activity! Parents are way to controlling over their kids today, but they are worried about child molesters, illegal drug use, sex, etc., etc. And the news stations hype this stuff and scare them more and more all the time. A *** shame in my opinion.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Everyone! The Bicycle,Erector Set, and Train sure are desirable Collectibles now. It's too bad todays kids are not exposed to these type of activities like older generations were 50 years ago.

[Dr. John]

While I did not have those particular items, I did receive similar Christmas gifts: A Marx Allstate Set from Sears, A Sears Spyder bike with banana seat and high rise handle bars, and the Sears version of an erector set. (Notice any patern? I thought Santa must work at Sears!)

All were loads of fun, but alas, all are long gone. The bike and train set in yard sales, the erector set was given to a younger cousin (who probably managed to destroy it within five minutes.)

[Jim Duda]

Wanted the Lionel...got a MarX. Wanted a Schwinn...got a J. C. Higgins (Sears) bike. Wanted an A. C. Gilbert Erector Set...got that! Only one thing I really wanted that wasn't part ot the "Big 3" above was a Flexible Flyer sled. I got a much cheaper model - I think it was a "Yankee Clipper" or something like that. But I wanted that Flexible Flyer where the runners ran back up into the wood platform. All you guys up north rember those from the '50s, don't you?

[Anonymous]

Had all three! I think the bike and Erector set were used. However, the big winner always was and will be the Lionel trains.

[Anonymous]

Darn right I remember the Flexible Flyer, Jim (I was Ohio born and raised). We had a very large public park adjacent to my neighborhood, and it had a spectacular sled-riding hill. In addition, the Parks Commission would close one of the hilly roads through that park in the winter, and it became a natural for very l-o-n-g downhill rides. Great memories of great times!

[prewardude]

Well, I was born in '68, and I did all the same things that you older folks did: lots of outdoor activities (bike-riding, baseball, etc.). I had an Erector set as a kid, but I didn't enjoy it all that much, for some reason.

By the way: The #1 thing I always wanted for Christmas was a new train... and I got lots of them over the years. Unfortunately, they were mostly all Tyco HO sets. There were a couple Lionels (MPC era) in the mix over the years, though, and they were the ones that I treasured the most. Unfortunately, I had a bad habit of taking them apart without being able to get them back together again (man, would those brush springs launch those brushes!).

Now you know the reason I always ended up with cheap Tyco sets!

[pbjwilson]

Flexible Flyers were great. At the top of our sled hill we would pick up our sleds and run as fast as we could sled in hands. Then when you got just past the top slope you belly flopped onto the sled. It was great to get three or four friends racing at the same time down the hill. Crashes half way down the hill were common but the amount of clothing we wore gave us plenty of padding . Great memories.

[Anonymous]

I definitely would have taken the Lionel. I had a Marx UP A-A diesel set that my folks got at Noah's Ark (anyone remember that chain?) and on Christmas morning I was trying to get traction as the powered engine just spun it's wheels in place. Too light, I guess. So I "invented" a tire by finding just the right rubber band and gluing it to a traction wheel. My "rich" cousing had a Lionel that I envied him for, but then he worked an 80 coustomer paper route to earn that. My 12 -dollar, used, ballon tire bike was fine and sparkled with a new coat of paint each summer and sounded great with that playing card thumping along the spokes. I did get a small Erector Set but kept losing the nuts and bolts. My chubby hands couldn't hold on to them. I guess I got more "mileage' out of Tinkertoys. Yes, I look back with nostalgia and gratitude for having had to use imagination and inventiveness. Now that I'm retired I have MTH and Lionel with Railsounds to tickle my fancy but to be honest iIthink I got more enjoyment out of making the most with much less when I[:)] was a kid in the 50s.

[Anonymous]

>But I wanted that Flexible Flyer where the runners ran back up into the wood platform. <

I had a hand-me-down Western Auto bike, an off brand (but a good one) Erector set, and never got a train, so in 51 resorted to buying my own.
A few years ago I did get a brand new Flexible flyer. I hauled a load of tra***o the dump, and somebody had tossed one away. It still had red paint on the bottom of the runners.
No way was that going to the landfill, even if the red paint is still there.

Bob
Inside every old man is a kid wondering what the hell happened.

[3railguy]

I would take the NYC set for sure. I was born in 58 and got a Lionel set in 63. The cheapened variety headed by a 44 tonner . I got an erector set and Schwin single speed bike with training wheels too.

What really turned my crank was the pick-up trucks my uncles drove. late 40's and Mid 50's chevys, Fords, and Dodges with monster hoods and step side beds. They were disgusting beaters in the eyes of my mother but boy did they have character and they were they a joy to ride in. I'll never forget the sounds and smells. No frills. Just a dashboard, stickshift, and steering wheel. So now I'm into restoring old trucks. Started with a 69 chev which is from an easy series to start with. I decided this is for me. Now waiting for the right 59 Apache with a straight body and machinable 348 to come along. I can remember my brother and I dirt biking deserts in the 70's and seeing these old beasts litered all over. It would be a gold mine today.

[ben10ben]

The 1932 #10 for sure...but then there are only a couple of those $20,000+ Erector sets in existance. On a closer look, that might be the 1931 version...I can't recall. Still, it's a $10,000 set today. A little bit more common than the 1932 set, but still extremely rare. Most collectors consider the purchase of a late-model #10(or any #10 set for that matter) to be pretty much the culmination of their collection, as they're about the rarest and most desirable sets out there. I've seen the manuals alone and missing a few pages fetch over $600 on Ebay, and some of the specialized parts even more.

By the way, the 1931 and '32 versions of the #10, which contained the parts to build both the Hudson and Tender(8 1/2 set) and the Zeppelin(#9), along with the Ferris Wheel(Set B), White Truck(7 1/2), Steam Shovel(#6), and plenty of other models that I can't think of, weighed more than the average 10 year old to whom the set was targeted. The number I have heard quoted, I believe, is somewhere in the neigborhood of 150 lbs.

As tempting as the train is, the glamour of the top-of-the-line Classic-period Erector set is far too tempting.