If your dad was (or is) still around would he enjoy running trains ???

[TurboOne]

Saw this in the O forum. Thought it was great as my dad is who got me started in trains when I was about 6 or 7. Santa brought me a lionel for Christmas, then I traded it for HO about a year later, as I dropped it on my foot and it hurt.

My dad is still alive and we talk everyday. He wouldn't care much about trains, just the time we spend together.

What about you ?

Tim

[Anonymous]

I wasn't that close to my father, but I think he would like them but he would be 114 years old that may take the shine off things!

Rgds Ian

[Anonymous]

no i don't think so, my dad is gone 25 years now , but what keep me in the hobby was we lived about 200 ft from a rail road trrack, are back yard went almost to the tracks, I saw the steamers , then came the diesel engine. , at age 14 we moved away from the tracks,to the city . I AM NOW RETIRED and moved back to the country , about 5 miles from the tracks , at night when it's quite, you can hear the diesel horn. BEN

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BennysRR

at night when it's quite, you can hear the diesel horn. BEN

Benny, last week when we had NICE weather, I opened my office window and heard the clack, clack, clack of the wheels on the Norfolk Southern going through town about a mile away.

YES, My dad enjoys the trains or maybe just the fact that he passed the hobby on. He and I really wanted to take my daughters on a train ride this summer but all the steam outfits around us are rebuilding or just displaying. If it's not steam Whats the point?

[underworld]

Yep! He was my first contact with garden railways. It started out as a figure 8 of O gauge track on a sheet of plywood that we would take outside. Later added a few sidings. [:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[kstrong]

Yes he is, and yes he does, on a routine basis.



If you're in the DC area, he's in the book. (Usually under "JAS Strong III" or also "James Strong III") (Or just drop me an e-mail, I'll forward it on...) He usually operates on Saturdays in the Summer. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Woodland Railway. It's lasted longer than a vast majority of real narrow gauge railroads.

Other scenes from the Woodland Railway:








Later,

K

[Tom The Brat]

Probably wouldn't have much interest in the trains. That would be my business, but he loved gardening and I remember many summer evenings with the whole family together in Dad's garden.

I think they'd call that "quality time" these days and try to schedule it. That can't be done--quality time only appears by itself and the trick to having it is quantity.

[jebouck]

Kevin, your Dad has got to have the most highest quality of buildings I have ever seen. I remember seing them from other sites and venues.

My Dad worked for the SP&S as station master in two small towns in the Palouse country of Wa state. I remember as a kid (+50 yrs ago) taking him his lunch and sitting and watching the small steam switcher at work. One time in Spokane, he made me climb up in the cab of an SP&S Mallet. Made me is the correct term, I was scared to death of this giant, living, breathing machine.

He is now gone, and, yes, he enjoyed my trains. I inherited a collection of pictures her had taken during his train career. One day, I ought to sort them out and publi***hem.

jb

[van buren s l]

My Dad has been dead for nearly thirty three years but if he were still around he would enjoy the trains. He built me my first train and many of my other toys and passed on the desire to build things to me. Most of my locomotives and rolling stock are home made as well as a couple of bridges and a trestle. Strange, isn't it , that he never made me any buildings for my train and I haven't built any for my garden railway? However, my wife is determined that the lack of buildings won,t become a family tradition.
Bob

[Anonymous]

Yea. My dad liked trains, and if he were still living I'm sure he would be involved with them in some way. He died when he was 33 from injuries he got in a fight outside of a bar. He just couldn't leave that alcohol alone and it cost him his life...

Tim, you've got a pretty wife there from what I can see in the picture. And no, I'm not interested in meeting her sister... I'm single and happy and I'd like to stay that way thank you.

trainluver1

[Anonymous]

Kevin,
Please say hi to your dad from me, amazing stuff mate. My dad's 84, still going strong, never had an interest in railways until this winter when he got bored with staying in because of the weather. He hasn't bought anything yet but me being the realist told him to buy G american then nothing would get wasted when the inevitable happens, he found that quite funny!! Love them whilst they are here people, when they are gone it's for ever.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Nah, mine never messed with my brother & I when we were playing with our trains. He'd buy them for us for Christmas & stuff, but wasn't interested in them.

Kim's got it though, love em now, cause when they're gone and you get older and start to realize things from thier angle you'll often think differently of them and they won't be there for you to tell them that at least you understand; not necessarily approve, but understand.

[TurboOne]

Kevin incredible layout. Woo Hoo.

To all the rest, dads are great. I am blessed that I get to talk to mine everyday. He is one of those that has to give you something everytime we get together. I get old magazines, food, stuff. But to spend time with him is great.

Take care all, keep the dad stories coming.

Tim

[Anonymous]

My dad is the reason I got into trains, both real and models. He worked at GM's Diesel Divison in London Ont. for 30 years. Plus we had trains running in front of the house and a siding that came along the side of the house. As far back as I can remember there has always been model trains around.
My father is now 76 years old and is rebuilding his HO scale railroad, again, and is always showing me what he's come up with and is also still toying with the idea of building an outdoor railway.
Hopefully this works, his web site is http://leojohansen.tripod.com/index.html

[TurboOne]

Mike, your dads layout is cool. Nice car bridge and creek. And at 76. Woo Hoo. Great job dad.

Who put the pics on the web him or you ????

Another kudo.

Tim

[Anonymous]

That was all him. I figure if he has lots to do, then he stays out of my mom's hair. LOL
The other thing he's trying to get me to do is handlaying turnouts. All the turnouts on his layout(s) are hand made. But I keep telling him, must be nice to be retired and have all the time for that. I wish I could. I need to retire, all this working is interfering in my hobby/play time. What would be great would be earn my income as a full time hobbiest. Well I can dream. LOL

[nalts]

My father retired last year after working 35+ years for the Milwaukee Road/Soo Line/Canadian Pacific...all from the same yard! LOL! His advice to nearly anyone he met? Stay out of the railroad business.

I don't have any tracks on the ground yet. Hopefully this is the year. When I do, I hope he gets some enjoyment out of it. Model railroading must be in my blood. My grandfather was one of the founding members of the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum in St. Paul.

http://www.tcmrm.org/

Go to the layout page (http://www.tcmrm.org/layout.html) and you'll find "Nalty Junction." This is named after my grandfather. It was a hoot seeing that as a child. Now I get to take my boys to the layout, show them the building with our name on it and tell them stories about their great-grandfather. [:D]

[Anonymous]

yep he would but he's gone.

[TurboOne]

Hey guys, my dad took me to breakfast today. It was fun. We ate mexican food, chatted, have a great day.

Tim

[tangerine-jack]

My dad was a sailor, he never did show much interest in hobby related things. Ships are all he cares about. He does think my garden is "nice".

Growing up I would hear him talk about the USS Preble, the first ship he was on and the ship he was assigned to the fateful day he met my mom. I knew of the special place the ship had for him, so a couple Christmas's ago I set out to get him a hat or anything with the ship's name. The ship is now decommisioned, making the search difficult. To make a long story short, my search turned me on to a gentleman at the Philly shipyard where the Preble was being scrapped. I managed to get a brass alarm bell and scuttle wheel, complete with official government documentation verifiying the items as artifacts of the Preble. I set out to get a hat, and got a piece of the ship instead. Christmas morning, 2002 was the first time in my life I saw my dad cry.

So, no, he is not interested in the trains (I am more like my uncle, who has passed on) but I don't really care, he's still my dad.

[oX)]

[Anonymous]

my dad build me my first HO set when I was too young for Kindergarden. He is still living, he is 50 and I am 28. He is more into 1:1 automobiles works. He works for Exxon/Mobile Oil and has a shop at the ranch where he has a few vintage and restored pieces.

He is only mildly curious about the line. My Daughter likes trains and she is 2 years old.

She has never seen a steam locomotive (aside from the ones on the set) but when you ask her how a train goes she says "WOOOOOWoooooo!"

[Bucksco]

No doubt in my mind. He's still here and one of the things I really cherish is the time my father and I spent doing models (ships,planes,railroad,etc...) together.
He was also a sailor. He served on Destroyer escorts in the pacific in WWII.
I did a major conversion of an old Revell DE kit into the U.S.S. Fleming DE32.I think it was one of the few times I ever saw him tear up.
Here's a link to a photo of the model:
http://www.msnusers.com/KeystoneDesign/variouswork.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=38

[TurboOne]

Buckso, very nice looking model. I have built fleets of ships back in my teenage years. When I quit trains I made ships. I feel as if I built the entire US, and German navies from WWII.

TJ great story about dad, that was awesome what you did.

Capt. thats cool your daughter likes the trains. Wooooooo Wooooooo. Also, I didn't know you were that young. You carry yourself very well.

Take care all

Tim