Your first train set

[M1Tanker]

My Wife's first train set was a Santa Fe War Bonnet paint scheme Passenger set after we got married in 1995. Now she is into MRL - I think we have a new train fetish!

[otftch]

My first set was a lionel.2026 engine with a white baby ruth boxcar.I still have and run it.I now have over 50 locomotives and who knows how many cars.I never got the trains out of my blood.even married the daughter of a yardmaster.

[casconi]

My first set(s) were a Lionel 50th Anniversary set and a 2343 Freight Set! Gifts from my father!

[Anonymous]

As long as my parents can remember, I was a train fanatic. Given this, when I was little I had various train toys. My first electric train was a Playmobil G scale set I got when I was 3 or 4. It ran on LGB track, but was designed with kids in mind. It had a red diesel switcher, brown gondola car, yellow boxcar, a circle of track and an assortment of little people and other accessories. That set had phenominal play value! My aunt found this set on sale at a toy store for something like $70, regular $250 and, knowing how much I loved trains, called my mom, who told her to buy it. Before long, that set was added to with straight track, a cattle car, caboose and more people and accessories. I've actually added to this set in recent years with two passenger cars I found for $10 each at a toy store that was closing out as well as various (non-train) Playmobil items I've gotten at garage sales.

When I was 5 years old, my family went on a trip to Minot, ND in the summer. We bought a Bachmann circle set at a toy store in the mall there. It had a chrome Warbonnet F9, UP hopper car, RI boxcar and ATSF caboose. I actually had an HO Union 76 three-dome tank car prior to this, so now I had a train to use it with. For Christmas of that year, I received an identical Bachmann set (but all in CP Rail this time), a Canada grain hopper, CN gondola with coal, EL boxcar, straight track and an Atlas station kit. I also got "the green board" to set it all up on (see my post in the "First Layouts" topic for more on that).

I acumulated more and more HO trains as the years went by, but what I really wanted was a Lionel train! My uncle had a Scout set when he was a kid and there's a photograph of him, my mom and my aunt playing with it. Ever since I first saw that picture, I wanted that train! At that time, my parents had put me under the ridiculous impressions that Lionel trains were all valuable antiques and weren't made anymore. For me, a Lionel train seemed like the Holy Grail. My wish finally came true, almost, when I was 10 years old. At a toy and hobby show/sale, we found a boxed Marx 4-wheel plastic set. It had a 490 steamer, tender, gondola car and caboose, all lettered for NYC. There was also a 6-inch tin DL&W hopper car added on and a big box of O27 track. Sure, it wasn't Lionel, but it was "an antique train" and that was as big a thrill as you could imagine! I'm still very good friends with the gentlemen who sold it and have since bought many other trains from him.

I got another boxed 4-wheel plastic Marx set for my 11th birthday and in the next year or so finally got my first Lionel (a postwar set with an M-K-T 600 NW-2 switcher). I'm 19 now and in that time have learned a great deal and now have more Lionel trains than I ever imagined having in my wildest dreams when I was just a kid looking at that old picture and dreaming of owning one someday!

[Anonymous]

A Lionel 2026 set with the following cars: Lehigh valley hopper, black NYC gondola, a two dome Sunoco tank car, and a Lionel lines caboose. I was 4 mths old and shared it with my brother who was (and still is [:-^]) 3 YO. Ah...did you say my first train set or my fathers? [:D]

[alank]

My first trainset was a 1949 2026 too. Like the other append about this engine with all the abuse and waer, it still runs great. Two years ago I completely disassemble, cleaned and repaired this engine, and gave it to my nephew last year for Christmas. In the years I have been in the hobby I have collected 4 of these, and although there are a lot of more desireables, I love these litle engines.

[TheS.P.caboose]

My first set was given to me in the early 1960's. An HO scale figure 8 powered by an A-B set of Santa Fe F units. Over the years I bought more track to expand it so it was about 10 feet long and 4 feet wide.

[Bob Keller]

Set 1000W in 1955. still have everything but the locomotive which got lost (I replaced it with another in 93 or 94).

[Anonymous]

Marx New York Central wind-up engine,tender, gondola and caboose for Christmas 1938.

[laz 57]

Lionel starter set in '57.
laz57

[FJ and G]

I believe it was a Marx, back around 1961. It was sold off by my mom to a door-to-door collector when I was in the Marine Corps. I believe I had a Brio or something like that previous to that.

[Jumijo]

Lionel Rock Island set with an 8304 loco and Sound of Steam tender. It's 30 years long gone, but my interest in Lionel trains returned unexpectedly last Christmas when I bought my kids their first Lionels. As a matter of fact, I bought their Thomas set one year ago this Friday (11/18). They are completely hooked. Certified train nuts.

Jim

[Anonymous]

My first train set was given to me as a Christmas present I believe in December 1953. It was an American Flyer set number K5352W "The Pacemaker Steam Freight Train". It was a huge American Flyer train close to 7 ft long. I've held this set all these yrs. I am afraid the yrs and my playing with it as a kid took their toll. I recently sold the set and it was like a piece of me had been cut off. [:(]

[artyoung]

My first set was from 1952: a Lionel #2025 steamer with a NYC gondola w/barrels, a Sunoco 2-dome tanker, a Santa Fe animated boxcar (027), and the SP-type caboose. My mother bought it the day the Doctor told her she was pregnant. Still got it, still runs great.

[MartyE]

My first set was a Lionel "Big Trains for Small Hands" Santa Fe freight set. It has a FT type diesel forward reverse only with a passenger consist. Bought at Bill and Walts on Smithfield street. I wanted an Amtrak set but could not find one so when I called B&Ws they had this set and quoted me $85.

My dad took me down and when we asked for the set and the man rang it up the register showed $125. Mt dad questioned it as I was only 11 and the gentleman said this was the price and the quote was a mistake. My dad was fine with that and I was majorly bummed. Another gentleman behind the counter said he remembered me calling and he did quote that price. His response...Sell it for the quoted price. Boy was I happy. My first Lionel than ran side by side with dad's. I still have most of that train. Some pieces are missing. My first Lionel.

[Sturgeon-Phish]

My first set was an American Flyer 300 and freight cars. Bought it 4 years ago, and started an addiction. Our family could not afford trains when I was a kid so I'm making up for lost time.

[tgovebaker]

My first was the Chesapeake Flyer, a Lionel starter set from 1976. It still runs well, and will this year make a run around our Christmas tree in our new house.

[hugoroundhouse]

The first was a used American Flyer steamer loco and one passenger car from my dad about 1954. The second, third, fourth (and so on) are used American Flyer steamers I have bought for myself in the past year and a half. I think I see a trend here...!!![:D]

Jim E.

[dwiemer]

My first set was a Sears set from the early 70's. I believe the engine is 8040. Cheap and I still have it. I was also given my father's set from 1949 including the 2020 engine. I have all my old trains. Over the years I dabbled with HO, but held onto the old lionels. Now I am getting my plans together for a all out three rail. The HOs are going on the sale block.

[Anonymous]

My first set was of course the 1862 General set that I still have and run today. I got it in 1961 for Christmas, I was 5 years old. I even have movies of me taking it out of the box and then of it running on the board layout. All the buildings and all the accesories I still have as well and they too are all on my board and functioning.

[BNSFNUT]

I received my first train set in 1949 when I was 2 yrs old. All I can remember is it was a steam engine. I got rid of it about 1954 [:(] when I went to HO scale.
Now after all these years I am selling the HO stuff and going back to 3-rail because my health will not allow me to work in smaller scales any more. The old hands don't work like they should.

[espeefoamer]

My first train set was an American Flyer set with two freight trains.It had a Reading 4-4-2,C&NW Baldwin diesel switcher,about 10 cars,and two cabeese(is that correct?)

[Heartman]

I got my first train set on my first Christmas when I was 10 months old in 1947. It is a Marx NYC Freight set and I still have it with it's original box. It still runs and I used to run it under the tree 'till a few years ago. It now sits in the dining room on a shelf with lots of other 'stuff' so it can be seen all year round.

Dennis

[Tom1947]

I got my first set for Chrixtmas in 1955, It was AF Atlanitc fright set. I still have the set except for the transformer. The engine is still a good runner. It came with several cars.

[MTsteamfan]

My first was a #1606 "Lionel Lines" set from the early 1960s. It contained a plastic 2-4-2 loco, a Lionel Lines "bank" boxcar, a NYC gondola with 3 milk cans, and an "SP" type caboose. I still have the whole set and it still runs fine. I wi***he engine had an odometer -- that thing has some miles on it!

[trigtrax]

My first set was the 1949 Version 2026.. Nickel rims and slide shoes... That puppy still runs perfectly.. There aren't many other products that last that long [^]

[Anonymous]

My third Christmas, a Marx wind-up train set. I still have a picture somewhere in the house.

Wayne

[tmcc man]

My first set was a Lionel New York Central Deluxe freight, and I got it at Christmas when I was eight. I still have everything in the set.

[SchemerBob]

Well my first O gauge set was a Lionel as well...the "Chessie Diesel Freight" set of 2002. I still have the original box as well as every piece of the set. I don't use the transformer as much anymore (since I have two more powerful ones) but still run the train regularly. The set is just like it was when I got it except the electric horn on the diesel is broken.