General Discussion (Model Railroader)

I am new to the forum, but I have been collecting HO trains for a long time. And since I am new I would like to ask what was everyone's first layout, train, or engine. I don't have any pictures ,because my first HO engine is being fixed up. It is a NorthWestern NW Diesel Engine.

 I am a teenager so let me get that clear. I have been born with train blood and have always loved trains. So I have the blood of trains, and I passed it onto my brother. I have been working on getting my trains back up and running. I have been collecting HO since I was seven and haven't stopped. My NW Diesel went in yesterday along with my Union Pacific Diesel Engine, for reasons I don't know. But I love them anyway. I will try to have a picture of it up.

 I haven't gotten my layout started, because I just haven't been able to afford it. My first true train for HO was I think two Alaska Diesel Engines with four or five passenger cars. I could be wrong, but it was that or Amtrak.

So what was your first train?

(Yes I am new to the forums , so people will have to teach me about being on here, all I know is that I have been collecting trains all my life, started when I was two with wooden trains, then when I was four and I got OH, then when I was seven I got HO and I haven't stopped.)

NW Diesel-First Engine

Two Alaska Diesel Engines-Four Passenger Cars/w upper room(a few weeks afterwards I got six CSX Coal Cars,so I could switch off from passenger to freight.)-First Train

1964, O Scale Marx set with SF A-B E units, boxcar, gondola with containers, autorack with autos, SF caboose on 0-27 track.

In my case, that goes back more than a few years. The first trains that I ran were a set my father bought (and I still have), an American Flyer S Scale steam freight set, with a Union Pacific 4-8-4 and 10 freight cars. It still runs and I usually put it up at Christmas time. I have a loop made up of S scale flex track, the sectional track was too tight of a turn. A friend of mine into American Flyer collecting cleaned and lubed it for me a few years ago.

C.P.C.S.:

So what was your first train?

 Mine was an AHM set that my pops got me for Christmas one year when I was like 4 or so. Had that sucker for years, even up to my teens along with a bunch of other stuff I collected. I traded that old CF-7 in PRR to my cousin for something, don't remember what now. But lo and behold, last year I found that exact loco on ebay for like $15 and I snagged it right up. Brand friggin new!!!! I ran it on my layout just to get that smell!!! Man that took me back. I'll never part with that loco now.

I remember a plastic train of roughly S scale size when I was in pre-school (yes, I do). It was actually quite cool, as there were enough cars to make a train twice as long as I was, and they had an effective coupling mechanism.

Then I remember a tootsietoy stamped metal steam "freight" set and the companion yellow diesel passenger set, complete with A-A F unit power taht only coupled one way...

Prior to age 10 (OK, I still do) I collected Matchbox cars (when they actually came in boxes [the first time]), and sometimes we walked several miles to a local hobby shop, and I would carefully study the selection, and then pick one out. that store had a 4x8 or something, and I remeber liking the building layout and imagined playing on it with my cars.

Around 1976, back when they sold trains in department stores like Sears and Penny's, I got some Tyco/Bachmann/Lafelike HO equipment, and mom helped be build a 4x8 (she even tried to explain easments, go figure), which turned into frequent trips to the hobby shop to buy better gear like AHM and Athearn, etc.

By the early '80's right before "those teenage years", when the hobby typically takes a backseat, I had developed a theme of a small coal hauling road upset after a major calss 1 takeover (must have been proximity to PC), and had a standardized paint scheme of black and gray with red stripe on the Athearn SW9 and AHM Alco S1, and a fleet of Athearn rib side 2 bay hoppers in gray/black with different numbers applied. I was also in the process of converting to KD couplers.

At that time I still built models, but shifted focus more to 1/25 cars and 1/72 and 1/35 military.

1957 or 58.  I got an American Flyer, Northern Pacific A-B-A diesel set with 5 passenger cars.  Had and ran that until mid 70's when I went to HO.

1936 Lionel standard gauge, 2-4-2, four freight cars and 3 passenger cars. took up the whole front room at Christmas

Christmas middle 1950s. an American Flyer S Scale steam freight set,   Changed to HO in my teens.  Gave me somewhere to spend the money I made on my paper route.

I bought my first train set back in 1974.  It was a Model Power set, with the rolling stock made by Lima of Italy.  The set came with an FP45, but I wanted a yard switcher, so I had a Cox SW1500 (same as Athearn SW7) substituted.  So the set was as follows:

Cox SW1500 (Union Pacific)

Lima 50' flat car (Pennsylvania) with two containers (ACL, Sea/Land)

Lima 50' gondola (Southern)

Lima 50' mechanical reefer (Pacific Fruit Express)

Lima bay window caboose (Santa Fe)

Oval of brass sectional track

Crossing gate

Power pack

The body shells on the freight cars look very similar to Athearn blue box cars of the same type.

The loco burnt out a year after I got the set, the caboose was scrapped, and I repainted and later sold the flat car and gondola.  I still have the 50' reefer. 

A few years back I found another gondola and flat car (without containers) and I decided to create a replica of my first train set.  I substituted a Life-Like SW9 and an Athearn bay window caboose rather than seek out another Cox SW and Lima bay window caboose.  Every once in a while I'll run the train just for nostalgia's sake.

My grandpa bought me my first train set when I was 5 years old. That was back in the late 80's. He bought a used lionel O27 hudson from the 50's I think, it said 'Lionel Lines' on the tender and the class lights had green jewels on them. I loved it. It also came with a caboose, a box car, and an empty coal coal. I don't remember what happened to it exactly, but I think my mom gave it away to Good Will when I was a teenager, as I didn't play with trains at that time. I will never forget that engine, I loved the weight to it.

At age 12, my dad bought me an athearn B&O f3 diesel, that was my first HO engine, I think back then it cost about $30 or so, I liked that one a lot too.

1994 O Scale: Lionel Lines 4-4-2, the standard starter set of the late 80's- early 90's

1996 HO Scale: Bachmann Santa Fe F3, also a common starter set locomotive.

I recived the O scale set first, followed by the HO scale set a couple years later. The dates are just guesstimates too, I don't remember reciving ethier set, I was too young.

P.S. both locomotives still run fine

Mine was a Marx tinplate in 1957 - it was a hand-me down - NYC 0-4-0 loco & tender, Gulf tank car, livestock car, gondola and a caboose.  I still have it and it still runs.   I don't think I was ever so excited as that Christmas morning. 

 Christmas 1945 or '46, -- an American Flyer Royal Blue train set.  Known today as S scale.

That AF NP set in two tone green is a beauty. I found one of those while doing work in the atic of my aunt and uncle's book store while I was in my 20's. I thought it was so cool, I set it up and ran it for a little while one day.

Didn't quite rekindle the fire for me, but I never forgot it.

BTW I do still have my Athearn SW7/9 from the late 70's/early 80's.