I played with my older brothers pre war Lionel [baby Blue Comet etc.] until 1954 when my parents and brother let me trade them in for new post war Lionel at Frenchs Lionel Train House in Midway, Washington. In later years when HO was hot [around 1960] I traded my Lionel in for HO. Jack French tried to talk me out of it and said I would be sorry. My mom said "Russ are you sure this is what you want to do?" I said yes I'm sure. Two weeks later I tried to kill myself for making the mistake of my life. [just kidding but I was upset]
Very nice 726!
My Dad and I used to visit my Grandmother in Avon Pittsburgh PA. twice before the holidays, going to Pittsburgh and not seeing a train was like going to Detroit and not seeing a car...it was a very exciting time for me.
I was 6 at the time and my Uncle drove from Mceesport across the river to visit every day while we stayed with Grandmom. One night a week before Christmas my Uncle, my Dad and I drove to a friend of my Uncles house. I walked in and in the main living room was lionel and american flyer trains set up, complete with a spiral mountain with a train that went almost to the ceiling ( I was short then). Just like the Polar express movie... I could not believe the layout, the TRAINS! Irvington cars pulled by a 733, a black GG-1 with all sorts of operating cars, a girls train set, and an American flyer war bonnet with chrome colored cars, all the operating equipment, and scenery to boot. This was a Christmas layout too...so it was temporary! Well I could have stayed all night but we had to leave after an hour of being in heaven.
The next day we were returning to Michigan, when my Dad said we had to make a stop before we left, We stopped at a small warehouse, walked in through the shipping door, and it was a flurry of activity. We met the same man that set this magnificent train layout up and he handed my Dad a few boxes and we left. When I got home, my dad gave me the boxes to open and I found a two prewar american flyer sets. one passenger the other freight, with big steamers pulling the pack. The other two sets were a TCA Coke set, and a TCA BiCentenial passenger set from Lionel... just beautiful, the TCA sets I played with constantly, the Pre War sets my Dad displayed and only under careful eye could I run. I still have the sets today minus the Pre War pass set ( I think my Dad traded up for some additional sets), but later in life I learned that the man I had met and traveled to his home was Lou Redman, who was the TCA president and to me the KING of trains!
1970 Sears set was first purchased for me. My first train was my Dad's from 1949 headed up by a 2020. Still have them all. My Sears set needs some tlc, but that 2020 works like a sewing machine...smoothe and consistant.....the plunger for the smoke does make the usual noise, but she's supposed to do that.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
My first, and most treasured train engine - purchased by my Dad a few years before I was born - a Lionel 726.
Sixty-one years old (the engine, not me) and by far the smoothest most reliable engine I have ever had.
Santa brought mine Christmas of 1949 or 50. It's a Lionel Scout and I still have the set. It seems like it took Dad and my Granddad TWO HOURS to show me how to run it The next few Christmases I got a 2035 train and a 601 diesel set. Dad mounted the layout on a 4x8 plywood and I ran those trains in my bedroom for years.
They were neatly packed away when I got into my teens. Just lately I got them out for my grandson to see and we are having a ball with them.
Hopefully, he will have fond memories of them and me as I do of my recently departed dad and me playing with them.
I think I told this before but my first train was bought in 1957 ... I worked on farms for $1.00 a day and my dad went to auctions . I had saved up about $35.00 and there it was ... an American Flyer small set with a couple cars ! He let me bid on it and I won . From then on I added every car and accessory I could find at auctions . I ended up with about every addon they made and around 20 cars .... and a huge oval . She was beautiful ... and a smoker ! It had what dad called white walls ... LOL . It took years to build ... I spent 1,000 's of hours just watching her roll . Then one day I went to get it out and found out my father had sold it !!!! Broke my heart . There were alot of trains at auctions back then ... at prices even a kid with little money could afford .
What a neat story. I never had Lionel as a lad. My dad did - but his trains would rarely come out even at Christmas. I discovered MR mag as a grown-up. Got into a smaller scale. Then made a conscious decision to sell everything and move into O - just loved the heft, sound, lights and ... history of Lionel. Got myself a Ballyhoo circus train set and I've been off and running 027 ever since. Then I discovered trolleys - and Thomas... but that's another story. ;)
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
It was winter of 1994 when I recieved my first Lionel train engine. I believe it was in November, before thanksgiving. Me and my dad went to a local hobby shop, called Iron Horse Hobby Shop. Owner at the time was Frank Hare. Me and my dad spent about an hour looking at all the postwar lionel steam engines. We narrowed it down to just 3 possible engines that I liked. The 726, 736 and 2046. Frank pointed out that the 2046 was my best choice for a beginner. So, I took his advice and purchased the 2046. Frank even said it was a better buy, because both the engine and tender had original boxes. And that the engine was a better smoker and much faster engine. i will never forgot the day my father took me to the hobby shop to buy my first Lionel Postwar engine. Frank was the greatest hobby shop man I have ever met. He had such great information, great love for the hobby and just a great person. I still have my 2046 to this day and is in the same condition as the day me and my dad bought it. No repairs have been done on it, because it was my first, so i treat it like it means something to me. So tell me about your story about buying your first train engine. Thanks.
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