Your First Purchase.......

[wjstix]

Well it was either a Tyco brass rail turnout to add on to my 1971 train set, or possibly a Tyco PC GP-20. I don't have either one anymore, when I switched to O scale in 1973 I packed my HO stuff up and it disappeared. Can't remember if I sold it or gave it to somebody or it just got lost. I expected when I moved a few years ago to find it but no. Just for fun, I did buy boxed models of a couple of the cars from that first set on ebay a while back.

[Nataraj]

My first was LGB starter set I got for my birthday when I was 6 years old.
Then I was given an O scale lionel set


Then as time went on... I went to HO (many good years)
Then as time went on....I went to N (A couple years here)


Now.... I have moved back into G scale with the purchase of a Bachmann K-27. And I think I will stay large scale. Easy to see... easy and fun to build, and fun to operate... even have to option of live steam!

I have made it full circle

[LudwigVonDrake]

My first purchase (that got me into the hobby) was the MRM Modelling Railroad's of the '50's special.

I can't honestly remember what my first purchase was equipment wise was.

[RedGrey62]

An Athearn 40 box car lettered for Penn Central in 1974, I'd gotten an Athearn PC U28C for my birthday and needed some more PC cars to go with it.  Although I model a completely different RR now (CB&Q) I still have both the engine and boxcar.

Rick Keil

[baberuth73]

My first was an American Flyer tie-jector (?) car ordered from Bennett Brothers in Chicago, I think. This would have been in the very early 60's. Car is long gone, given to nephew along with all my other train stuff when my interests turned to fixing up a '62 Chevy Impala.

[mobilman44]

Hi!

Like a lot of guys my age (64), I started out with Marx trains gifted to me by my parents in 1954 when I was 10.  And like a lot of guys, I envied those with Lionel trains (and AF too!).  When I was 12 I got a paper route (Chicago Herald American), and with my Christmas tip money I bought a Lionel set for $22, which included the 0-4-0 switcher, hopper car, box car, 12 wheel derrick, and work caboose.  Oh, the guy from Western Auto even threw in a black gondola too!

This led to a nice Lionel permanent layout - all built with paper route & snow shoveling money and gifts and what ever I could scrounge in the neighborhood. 

A lot of stuff has followed over the years, with my latest major purchase being 3 BLI ATSF locos.

ENJOY!

Mobilman44

 

[tcf511]

I've been in and out of the hobby three times in the past 30 years or so. Don't remember the first two but this time around my first purchase was a BLI Light Mikado unlettered to run on a club layout. Great engine and I ran it on my layout yesterday.

[moelarrycurly4]

MIne was an Athearn ATSF 50 foot box car that says "Super Shock Control" on the side. I still have it.

[PA&ERR]

I'm suprised at the number of you that still have that first purchase.

Who dies with the most toys wins.

 

Uh... but he still dies!

-George

[fiatfan]

My first purchase was an Athearn GN jade green box car and about 30 feet of track (brass with fiber ties) in the summer of 1962.  I still have the box car (upgraded to IM wheels and KD couplers) but fortunately, the brass track is long gone.

Here's the boxcar still at workclick to enlarge 

Tom 

[New Haven I-5]

  2 Life Like GP-38 Low noses, 1 powered unit & 1 non powered unit. I got them in a trainset at Toys are US. I still have the shell's & chassis.

[Mr. SP]

While Dad and Mom bought me a Lionel Scout set in 1951 it was a Revell set in HO with a NW2 some freight cars and Caboose in Santa Fe that was my first purchace. We were living in Astoria Oregon at the time and I bought the set from "Link's Sporting Goods".

The set is long since gone now and the favoured road is the late "Espee"

[HEdward]

I'm suprised at the number of you that still have that first purchase.

Who dies with the most toys wins.

 

I see that some people have gotten the question a little wrong.  I do believe the question is what did YOU buy first, not what did you get first.  Going with the latter question since I already replied to the first, my Lionel HO set is still sitting on the top display shelf in my pool/bar room.  Some of the track and the power pack are still in the inventory as well.  Happy happy, joy joy.  The 60s are alive and well and hiding in the basement in Womelsdorf.

[pcarrell]

I do believe the question is what did YOU buy first, not what did you get first.

It's all good.  This was something just for fun, ya know?

[V&AL]

CHRISTmas 1990, my big brother gave me his 4X8 HO layout. I received alot of new equipment to go with his older stuff, but my first purchase was an Athearn F-7B dummy (Union Pacific), followed a few weeks later by a matching F-7A that was powered,  I still have both units, they are still running the old horn-hooks. I need to dive in there and upgrade them. Larry's Hobbies in Spring Texas was my origonal haunt, followed later by Spring Crossing.  Both are still in business.

[HEdward]

I do believe the question is what did YOU buy first, not what did you get first.

It's all good.  This was something just for fun, ya know?

I know that, but I think the idea was that the majority of us were given our first trains as young people.  That's why I went back and answered the question both ways.  :)  I just take the language in strictly defined terms.  Not being judgemental.  Not calling the railroad police on anyone.

[lvanhen]

Talk about what we GOT first - mid '50's new PRR steam turbine, searchlite car, Sonoco tank car, dumping flat with pipes + my 2 uncles pre war stuff from the '30's!!  That included a box cab electric, 5 passenger cars, 5 or 6 freight cars, AND A HUDSON WITH THE COPPER PIPEING!!!  No, I don't have it anymore!  I swapped it in the late '60's for something I could buy today for $100   Will someone please shoot me?

[HEdward]

Will someone please shoot me?

NO!  I didn't bring my camera, but I am in Jersey right now.

[Arjay1969]

This is an excelent topic!

 

Let's see...my first HO scale train set was actually given to me by my parents at Christmas.  It was the Tyco Golden Eagle set.  I still have the locomotive and caboose (sentimental reasons), but all of the rolling stock is long gone.

 

Ths first model railroad items I purchased myself were a Tyco Railbox boxcar and their Howard Johnson's restaurant kit.  I still have the HoJo's, but the boxcar is long gone.

 

Now, if you want the first rolling stock that I bought that I still have, that would be an  Athearn 50' double-door boxcar.  I still have it, still run it, and have a hobo sitting in it that gets a lot of comments whenever people see it at open houses or train shows.  

[lvanhen]

Will someone please shoot me?

NO!  I didn't bring my camera, but I am in Jersey right now.

No thanks with the camera, I was thinking more 357 or 9mm!!

[aloco]

I bought a train set when I was twelve years old.  It was a Model Power set that was made by Lima of Italy.  The hobby shop had the set on sale, and I told the owner that I liked the set but I wanted a yard switcher for a loco.  The set came with an FP45, and he told me he could substitute the locomotive.  So I got the set with a Cox SW1500 (same as Athearn's SW7) instead of the Lima FP45.   Little did I realize that I got a better running loco than what came with the set.  The loco eventually wore out and some the freight cars took a beating, so I chucked them out.

I still have the 50' reefer that came with the set, but I had to scrounge up a 50' gondola and a 50' flat car to recreate my first train set.  I couldn't find a Lima bay window caboose or a Cox SW7, so I use an Athearn Bay window caboose and a Life-Like SW9 instead.   

 

[HEdward]

Will someone please shoot me?

NO!  I didn't bring my camera, but I am in Jersey right now.

No thanks with the camera, I was thinking more 357 or 9mm!!

I'll send you a PM with a politically based joke relating to me and guns.

[joseph2]

Purchased an Athearn S-12 for $14 back in 1977 from Braun's Hobby Shop,Decatur Indiana. The S-12 still runs the hobby shop is long gone along with most of the area railroads.  Joe

[jbinkley60]

 

My first puchase was a Lifelike P2K SD60.  I just added sound to it.

 

[dinwitty]

We all started out somewhere in the hobby. 

My question to you is, what was your first model railroad related purchase (besides a magazine)?

As a side note, do you still have it, or any pictures of it?

 

Mine was an HO Tyco Spirit of '76 train set (pn. 7330) with a bicenntenial painted Alco Century 430.  It's long gone now though.

good question, made me think a bit. as a kid played with O-27 but I made a move to HO.

But the O-27 I didnt buy, it was like a father gift. The HO was me.

I think the first was the ole Dockside and some track, and a friend of my fathers gave me a bunch of equipment which I still have (he has since passed away.) 

The rest is history, a few layouts, a club, and a new layout starting.

 

[RedGrey62]

My first purchase was an Athearn GN jade green box car and about 30 feet of track (brass with fiber ties) in the summer of 1962.  I still have the box car (upgraded to IM wheels and KD couplers) but fortunately, the brass track is long gone.

Here's the boxcar still at workclick to enlarge 

Tom 

Tom

Got the same one, probably one of my first 10 purchases.  Gotta love the Goat!

Rick

[RRTrainman]

My first purchase was a tyco train set in 76 thats 1976.  Istill have the complete set and its still in operation today.

[gmcrail]

Wow!  That's stretching the ol' memory cells....  My first scale model railroading purchase was in 1955 (or '56) - three boxes of Kix cereal!  General Mills had a promotion where if you sent in 3 Kix box tops and $3, you got a Varney dummy F3, and 3 freight cars:  an outside-braced box car, a 40' gondola, and a caboose.  The loco and caboose were lettered for NYC (lightning stripe, but the loco body was light grey).   My next purchase was a conversion kit Varney made to make the engine powered.  That was followed immediately by track, and a rectifier and reversing switch to hang on my old Marx transformer.

 Somewhere I've got an old photo of the train, but the train itself is long (45 years or so) gone..

[MisterBeasley]

I don't think I ever personally bought anything for my original Lionels.  I was just a kid, and everything had to be a gift from my parents.

Once I switched over to HO in the early 1960's, I bought an Athearn set - a rubber-band drive GP-9, a Katy stock car, a gon, a TOFC set, a caboose and a couple of other cars.  I've still got them all, but the engine is now a dummy.

Those were all in boxes until a few years ago, when I pulled them out and started working to restore them.  My first purchase was a set of rubber bands from Athearn for that old engine.  It never did work well, but it started a good relationship with my LHS.

[Trynn_Allen2]

First thing I bought myself that was RR related was a Tyco flat car with 3 culvert pieces.  Yes I still have it.  The first thing that I bought that was none Tyco related was a Athearn BB Milwauke F7 AB set.  I bought the A unit and my grandfather and dad decided I needed the B unit.