General Discussion (Model Railroader)

Although the OP asked what was the oldest loco/piece of rollingstock that you (still) use on your layout, I notice that quite a few of us have simply listed the oldest item that we own. So, for the sake of completeness, I'll add in my pre-war (ca. 1937) Varney HO brass Reading I-10sa consolidation. Kinda a rare item these days!

CNJ831

My oldest rolling stock is the original American Flyer set my Dad bought for "me" in 1951. 

It's a PRR K-5 Pacific (312AC) with 2 New Haven coaches (650) and a remote control mail car (718) all in the dark green plastic.

 The oldest piece of rolling stock is a 1957 Revell 50' gondola. The oldest locomotive is a brass IC 4-6-0 "Casey Jones". The blueprint is Dec. 1st 1958.

The oldest operational piece of rolling stock I currently have is an old Mantua U. S. Navy 40' flat I bought about 1954  It originally had body mounted Mantua horn-hook couplers, but now has a pair of truck mounted Kadee magnetic couplers.  Just didn't want to try filing or machining down the sloped ramp for body mount.  I still also have some parts, frame, drivers, cylinders, motor, from the Mantua Booster 0-4-0-T I bought at the same time.  Also still have a couple pair of passenger trucks from old Globe (later Athearn) passenger car kits I bought a few years later.  Oldest kit built car I have is either the wood body from an old Strombecker coach (had to replace the card sides with scratch built sides) or a Mainline all wood Pullman Palace  chicken car.  Almost matches with the slightly newer Ambroid chicken car I built in the 1960s.

wholeman:

I am young (24) and got started when I was ten.  So my oldest piece goes back to the mid 90s.

What is your oldest loco/piece of rolling stock you use on your layout?

I have a Mantua Pacific (4-6-2) locomotive I built in 1957 and am still running. Also an Ambroid passenger car (wood) of the same vintage still in service. There is a couple other old freight cars from the 50's still on the rails too. Everything in those days was a kit you had to build yourself, no RTR 'made in China' stuff. The loco was re-powered with a can motor and some details added in the mid 80's. All my old couplers have been replaced with Kaydee couplers by then too. ( I've been "playing with trains" for almost 60 years. )

Hello most of the old stuff I have was my dad's  from the mid 40's to early 50's .Most of the rolling stock is Vareny wood/card stock kit's and some silver streak kit's. I have a Varney loco F3/F7 and a MDC 060 that still run. You can see a green Varney caboose behind the 060

Have a nice day Frank

I still have an operable A.C.Gilbert 0-6-0 that"chuffs" and puffs smoke, from 1955....and a half dozen paper-sided cars from the same era that run occasionally on my layout.....

I have an old Bowser Pacific that is about 35 years old. Still haven't finished it. Its on my list though. I also have the old Pine Lumber locomotive, cars and caboose with the operating log dump to the mill that is fully operational. Its probably the same vintage I would guess.

HowardL:

I have an old Bowser Pacific that is about 35 years old. Still haven't finished it. Its on my list though. I also have the old Pine Lumber locomotive, cars and caboose with the operating log dump to the mill that is fully operational. Its probably the same vintage I would guess.

I built my Bowser K4 Pacific in 1973, it's a nice kit.  A year later I bought a Bowser E6 Atlantic, but changed scales before I started it.

Enjoy

Paul

My oldest loco is a 1950's Athearn "Hi-F" F7A and oldest rolling stock would be 2 MDC 26' ore cars from early 1960's

The oldest operaing piece of equipment that I have is an Athearn Western Pacific Box car that I purchased in 1963.  The car has had the trucks and wheels replaced but the car and couplers are still the original from '63

Thom

I have a Life-Like dome car that was part of my first train set that I receeved when i was about six years old.  Besides that, through other means and collecting, I have a Varney NW-2 switcher that I occasionally pull out and a AC Gilbert HO scale American Flyer New York Central Hudson.  The Hudson smokes like crazy and has the mechanical chuffer still in good working order.  Being cast metal throughout, it also pulls like crazy as well.  It may not be as sophisticated as a Broadway Ltd. engine but I do enjoy running it.