Your first large-scale locomotive

[amotz]

Around 1978 my wife and I visited a local Christmas store which had a very attractively decorated artificial tree encircled by an LGB passenger starter set plus caboose. My wife said she wished she could get the tree just as it was, and I said something to the effect that she could have the tree if I could have the train -- assuming this was fantasy talk. Two weeks later the train was greeting me on a dining room chair, and I was told that the tree could be picked up after Christmas. The following Christmas the tree was reassembled and decoration began. However we had acquired two kittens that we had hand-raised during the previous year. As soon as they saw the tree, they ran up my wife's back and immediately broke two ornaments. The tree was stored.
As for the starter set , the engine and one car, accompanied by two additional red/white vintage coaches spent last night running on my woodlands loop with sharp turns and a four percent grade. I used the Stainz because I didn't want to run out in the 25-degree cold to rescue a stalled train. Three trains ran for several hours on close headway on this automatically blocked single line -- and I periodically looked out the window and never failed to see the distinctive single headlight of my 28-year-old first engine aggressively holding its own in the sequence of trains passing in the moonlight..

[toenailridgesl]

An original Bachmann Big-Hauler battery op. R/C 10-wheeler.
Gutless, noisy,..... wish i still had it!

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Because I had such an intimate relationship with them (I rode on the PRSL RDCs for 10 or 12 years), as soon as I saw them in an ad, I ordered 2! Waited a year and a half for that slo boat to get here from China! Was another 6 months getting enough track down to really run them on!

[Curmudgeon]

I refuse to buy "sets" as something I need to use fully.
I may just to break it up to get the car I want if the price is right.

My first was a selection of engine, cars, track, most of which I still have and use, 20 years later.

TOC

[kstrong]

I clicked on "other," as "all of the above" wasn't an option.

Our first loco was an LGB #2070 "Zillertahlbahn" loco. While this was an individual purchase, it was done as part of a set of the loco, three cars, and an oval of track--a build-your-own starter set, if you will. So, that takes care of the first two options. Since dad actually bought the loco, and just recently gave it to me for my collection, that qualifies it as a gift, right? So, "all of the above."

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

Mine was the ubiquitous LGB Stainz. I can see why they put them in the starter sets though as they'll haul incredible loads for their size (40+ axles in one test I read about, and that was on a proper garden line not an LGB publicity stunt!).

[TheJoat]

Mine was a Bachmann Anniversary edition 10 wheeler. I replainted it and lettered it for my fledgling railroad. Put in battery, RCS, and Sierra sound.

Sadly it doesn't run as much anymore, as I'm headed over to the 1:20 side....

[cacole]

Mine was the Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation, and has been followed by nothing but Bachmann Spectrum 1:20.3 scale engines.

[BillBrakeman]

It was a Bachmann "Annie". It & the Big hauler rolling stock had/have the look & price that I want.
Bill

[Rene Schweitzer]

In most every layout story in the magazine, the author will tell a little about where/how he obtained his first locomotive. What's your story?