It was the commies.
Both wrong. The demise of toy trains in the late fifties was due to nuclear energy being used to generate electricity. This "new" electricity made it dangerous for children to have toy trains because of the radiation given off by the Santa Fe F3.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Total agree. I just have to juggle my time between playing trains and playing guitar.
Just received the January 2014 CTT issue, which contained a letter that was hysterically amusing to me. In it a reader postulated that the demise of toy trains in the late fifties was due to the rise of Rock Music, Motown Records artists, and stars like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. Say what?
In the year cited (1957) I was twelve years old, and I'm here to testify from first hand experience that Rock music had absolutely no effect on me or my train pals enthusiasm for our electric trains.
I think it's much less of a stretch to blame the decline of toy trains on the construction of the interstate highway system and the resultant decline of passenger rail travel. Or Chuck Berry. <G>
Pete
"You can’t study the darkness by flooding it with light." - Edward Abbey -
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