Childhood Memories

[Anonymous]

Love to here about your first trainset as a child or what hooked you on trains from such an early age.Last night I visited my parents and Dad broke out the old 8mm Black and white home movies...As I sat there watching my youth on his big pull up screen in the living room.The usual scenes of everyday life as I was a young child ,relatives, birthdays .Thanksgiving clicked by on the screen then Christmas day came on and then before my eyes I gazed apon Me being 1 year old with a spanking brand new Marx Commodore set chugging around the Christmas tree.It was a wind-up and I loved it!!... It brought back a slew of early memories of that set and the fun I had with it.I guess I was hooked for 42 out of my 43 years on trains.Thanks Marx for the fun [^]

[prewardude]

The first set that I ever had was a Marx set, as well. It was my Dad's when he was a kid, and he had it set up around the tree when I was about 4 years old. I still have very vivid memories of that Christmas. Unfortunately, I burned-up the engine a few years later.

Regards,
Clint

P.S. A LOT of the trains from my youth ended up in similar circumstances. [|(]

[Anonymous]

Werent marx great, If it was a Lionel State set I bet you`d be in mourning.
Thanks for sharing[tup]

[thor]

My first train set was a Hornby O gauge windup - goods. Two tank engines and a bunch of wagons. The engines were mechanically identical but one was much faster than the other, never could figure out why.

However at the same time I was playing with Dads Trix Twin 00 - he bought the Hornby to keep us off his Trix. The Trix was much more fun and despite Dads fears, tough as nails.

So I kept the Hornby to use with my Meccano and playing with my friend across the street who had a lot of both.

[otftch]

I don't ever remember a Christmas without seeing my Lionel set run.It was one of the cheaper sets,2026,blk lionel gondola,baby ruth (white) and caboose,smoke but no whistle.I still have the set and run it once in a while.
Ed

[fievel]

My first train set was a Lionel steamer, with about 4 freight cars and caboose.
I don't remember any of the reporting marks, except for a Rock Island hopper.
I got it when I was 5 years old, for Christmas. I fondly recall it !

I imagined myself in the cab with the train crew from Petticoat Junction.
Those were the days ! Part of the magic was the box art - an over/under
shot of a steamer and a diesel. Unfortunately, that set is long gone.

I grew up just yards from a busy Nickle Plate line. That's what influenced
me most. I'm an N-scaler now, but I always remember the joy I had from
my youth whenever I see a Lionel or other O scale. 3 rails,or 2 rails -
it's all fun ! [:)]

[Anonymous]

In 1946, when I was 4, I got a Lionel 224 and freight cars for Christmas. My mother thinks the set was given away long after I lost interest in "toy" trains...cars and girls being the new interest. I recently bought a 224, and it ran on my Christmas layout this year. It's not my most "impressive" postwar engine, but its my favorite.
I think my love of trains was really sparked by the fact that I grew up during the last days of steam, and spent many hours watching them in action. Joe

[nitroboy]

My first train set was an MPC "Trains 'n Truckin" set with an 8770 switch engine and a TON of stuff to play with. They should bring back sets like that.

[Dr. John]

My first set was a wind-up Marx tinplate set. I have a picture of me on Christmas morning of 1962 sitting in the middle of the circle of track.

My first electric train was a Marx Allstate set I received for Christmas in 1966. I had a couple of manual switches, and set it up on a pingpong table. My buildings were Lincoln Logs or made out of shoe boxes. I had a blast with those trains. Unfortunately, my dad sold it to a neighbor for $10 when I was 13 or 14.

[Anonymous]

my first was lionel yardmaster when I was 4. I had already used and abused my dads old marx stuff most of which didn't survive. We also had some athearn ho on a 4x6 board. I still have most of the ho, all the lionel and what was left of the marx. What a mess he started too, 30 years later I have 92 lionel engines+ another 18 mth,af, & marx. Then another 25 or sp ho. Add in many times that many cars and accesories and I don't even know what to play with! Oh course my wife would like it all to go!
Heck she doesn't like the two old 911's that hang around either! Its a good thing I pay the bills I guess[:D]
Dennis