First large-scale purchase

[Rene Schweitzer]

Or perhaps instead of you buying something, you received large scale as a gift.

[Anonymous]

Hi Rene
My first Large scale Purchase and nearly the Last one as well.
Was a Tenmille brand kit for a Talyllyn Railway guards van in 16mm scale.
The Kit was wood with plastic overlays and very tricky to assemble and
easily [censored] which I did[:(] and did properly.
It was many years before I ventured into the large scales again.
But here I am and enjoying it even having a bash at scratch building[:D]
Regards John

[whiterab]

My first purchase was a box car flagged with the Denver and Rio Grande. It was a chance to see the reaction of my significant other. It was a good purchase because her father worked for a while on that railroad.

The reaction was too good. We are now over budget by a couple of thousand dollars but the layout is growing, and growing, and growing...... But as she keeps saying - it's still cheaper than a memeber ship in a golf club.

[bman36]

Hi Rene,
Yes my first purchase was a set. An Aristo Napa Valley set with an 0-4-0, boxcar, and a bobber caboose. Was'nt real impressed with the sound in the tender but loved the train! The whole family liked it so off we went for more. A local toy store was clearing all it's Large Scale at 40% off so we bought the whole load. The girl in the store was shocked. [:0] All she could say was "Have Fun!" [:D] Guess what...we are! Later eh...Brian. [tup][tup][tup][tup]

[vsmith]

My first large scale purchase was a LGB porter from e-bay, I intended to use it as a display item but the I got more and more into the scale....well, anyone in large scale can tell you what happened next.....

[GP-9_Man11786]

My first starter set was an Echo Toy's "Classic Rail" battery powered set. I baught it 10 years ago when I was in fourth grade. I still have it but it has been modified to use NIMH re-chargeable 9-volt batteries instead of 6 Cs.

[cacole]

My first purchase was a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Narrow Gauge Consolidation. The only other item I have purchased, other than rolling stock for the Bachmann, is a Heartland Doozie rail bus. I have installed AirWire 900 receivers in both and run them on battery power.

[Anonymous]

My first purchase was the Bachmann "Gold Rush" starter set. My first non starter set item was a Bachmann Passenger Coach from Trainworld's "closeout/blowout" section.

[Anonymous]

First set was a birthday present to my son,an LGB freight.Since he likes to pu***he rolling stock around the garden it only seemed fair for me to take a helping hand and expand it as much as possible![;)]
But when my wife trips over the trackbed it still belongs to my son!!
Troy

[Anonymous]

MY FIRST WAS A BACHMAN BLUE COMET PASSANGER TRAIN , IN ALL I BOUGHT ANOTHER BACHMAN ,LATER I WENT TO ARISTO CRAFT , I HAD BETTER LUCK WITH THEM , I HAD ALOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE BACHMAN ENGINES, I STILL HAVE THE PASSANGER CARS. BEN

[Anonymous]

Back in 1986 I was the co-director of a team of volunteers who were to build a train display for our small local museum in the city park in Bridgeton, New Jersey. I wanted it to be durable and relatively maintenance free.

You have to remember, things were much different back then. We built the structures out of plywood in 1:24 scale, and for the display I ordered a Stainz freight starter set and the Americanized version with a powered tender with a couple of passenger cars.

They have been running ever since (not non-stop of course!) but their record has been pretty much flawless.

During the 1990s I have to admit that for my own first purchase I bought one of those yellow LGB Americanized Stainz sets and added the powered sound tender to it. Since then my taste has become a little more discriminating, but I still run that yellow set when kids are visiting. I'll post a shot of it when I get a chance.

Bottom line: There is nothing wrong with a starter set if it gets your started!

Regards,
Bill C.
South Jersey

[Anonymous]

Here's that yellow Americanized passenger set that I bought back in the 1990s. A motorized sound tender and baggage car (actually a Lehmann boxcar) were added.

Although the passenger cars look very European, believe it or not the Jackson & Sharp company of Wilmington, Delaware built a two-axle smoking car of similar proportions for the Denver & Rio Grande when it first got started.

Regards,
Bill C.

[vsmith]

Bill

That yellow LGB set still looks great even today.

[bman36]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chestnut226


Here's that yellow Americanized passenger set that I bought back in the 1990s. A motorized sound tender and baggage car (actually a Lehmann boxcar) were added.

Although the passenger cars look very European, believe it or not the Jackson & Sharp company of Wilmington, Delaware built a two-axle smoking car of similar proportions for the Denver & Rio Grande when it first got started.

Regards,
Bill C.

Hey Bill,
Good for you! Nice to see it still running. Liked your layout too. (indoor) Personally I like the idea of starter sets since they really help to get you [:o)]... started. Value wise you tend to get more for your money. [tup] Thanks for sharing the pics! Later eh...Brian.

[Anonymous]

Yo Brian and Victor, always good to hear from you guys and the other GR forum members.

Here's a shot of the other end of that yellow train. It is a real workhorse and the kids love all the chuffing, whistle and bells. It is typically run for family picnics on holidays.

Have a great weekend. Personally, I plan to be on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey tomorrow if the weather turns out to be as good as predicted. I'll be sure to find some time to run trains over the weekend though.

Regards,
Bill
South Jersey

[emipapa]

Hi Rene,
My first purchase was an LGB #20232 Locomotive with Sound, It was a Christmas Gift from the better half. Many more items have been purchased in the past year and very soon we hope to start construction of the layout. We still have to remove some trees and do some rough grading then start to install the roadbed.
Ron

[jtrost]

I saw the Bachmann Shay and I was hooked. Bought one before I had a plan for a garden railroad, let alone any track to run it on.

[toenailridgesl]

I got into LargeScale following the purchase of an O-scale junk set at a garage saleback in '89. Decided to scrap the O-scale superstructures and build my own rolling stock on the chassis' to 1:32 scale, ie 3'6" gauge (as is common here in Oz & also in Sth Africa and New Zealand.) Strictly for display but the bug bit.
Next purchase was a Bachmann R/C 10-wheeler & it's been growing ever since.

[Anonymous]

my first purchase was the bachman paul bunyon 040 starter set, unfortunately the porter broke down relatively quickly, my fault, and i then bought another starter set, LGB's 30th anniversary Stainz starter set and to this date the Stainz has been my most reliable loco.[:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

WELL YOU WOULD THINK BY NOW I WOULD HAVE PURCHASED SOMETHING! For some[censored] reason or another the money just ain't there! Finacial obligations to family take precedence...




Severly discouraged [:(]

[Anonymous]

My first large scale train was a LGB starter set given to me by my wife and daughter for Christmas in 1987.

By May 88 we had trains running in the yard/garden and within a year we had torn down our extensive HO railroad in the basement.

George

[Anonymous]

Ten years ago my starter set was Bachmann's first Big Hauler radio controled offering. Junked the worthless loco but kept the cars, still have them.

OLD DAD

[Anonymous]

The Bachman Shay, what else?

[Chompers]

I never had a starter set, but i think i got some thing better.[^][^][^][^] When i was four my Grandpa bought me a LGB C&S mogul and a D&RGW combine and a D&RGW bobber caboose. (all lgb) For track i recieved a 8 by 10 train table w/ a rectangle of track, the curves were LGB R2. For a Power pack i Recieved a MRC controle master 20. [:D][:D] EVERY THING still works. leave it to LGB to make some thing that lasts this long.

[ron4trax]

My first set was an LGB logging train set sold on QVC. Still runs great.

[Anonymous]

I have not bought anything yet, but just bought a new house with an empty back yard and I always wanted a train. I was able to ride on alot of old steamers when I was overseas in the 1960s