Which came first? Modeling or Railfanning?

[Wolf359]

SeeYou190

 

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I grew up in Gainesville, Florida. Not much railfanning for a kid there.

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-Kevin

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Small world! I was born in Gainesville, Florida, but spent the first few years of my childhood in Ocala, Florida. As for the topic at hand, I got into trains through Thomas the Tank Engine, and got my first Lionel for Christmas shortly there after when I was 5? I think. I'm not sure when I got my first HO scale set, but I've been hooked on that scale and model railroading ever since.

[SeeYou190]

Model railroading came first.

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I grew up in Gainesville, Florida. Not much railfanning for a kid there.

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-Kevin

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[Harrison]

When I was very little, my parents dragged me to the local train station to see the Amtrak. A couple years later I saw the ADK&LC layout at the local train show, but didn't start playing with model trains until about 8. Now I drag my parents to the station.

[doctorwayne]

I remember watching trains (steam and diesel) while playing on the front veranda at the age of three...they ran past our house, on an elevated right-of-way, literally right across the street.

I discovered HO (it might have been OO) at the age of five, when a classmate's older brother brought his train set over and set it up on our livingroom floor.  I don't recall the maker, but it was in a beautiful lacquered wooden case, with a colourful steam locomotive and, as I recall, very nicely-detailed passenger coaches.  I can't comment with certainty on its origin - may have been German or British, or possibly Japanese, as the classmate's family was of Japanese origin.

I got my own HO at the age of nine:  an ABBA set of Globe F7s (one powered) and an assortment of freight cars...Varney (metal and plastic), Athearn (metal), MDC and Authenticast (metal), and a Silver Streak caboose (wood and metal).  Kadee K-type coupers on all, and working rubber diaphragms between the diesels.  Some of those freight cars are still in service on my current layout.

Wayne

[RR_Mel]

I was 8 when I got my first train for Christmas 1945.  Don’t know for sure but I don’t think I saw a train until my teens when the company my father worked for transferred him to El Paso in 1949.  The company arranged for my mother brother and I to ride the UP City of Los Angeles from Salt Lake City to LA and the SP Golden State to El Paso.

 

The City of Los Angeles got stuck in snow on Donner Pass (December 21, 1949) for 16 hours, memorable moment for a teen.  

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[Tinplate Toddler]

I was a toddler when my dad took me to the train station to watch trains, so I guess railfanning came before model railroading. I got my first train set aged 7.

[steve-in-kville]

I actually meant for you as an individual. I edited my post to clarify. I am rather new to the hobby. Took my first real train ride this past summer and have been fascinated since. I do some track-side watching at least once a week. My children are showing interest in model trains, hence my entrance into the hobby.

[riogrande5761]

steve-in-kville

I was told over on the other forum that every railfan eventually discovers the hobby of modeling. So what came first? Models or watching the real thing?

Considering real trains came along before models of any real usable type, railfanning seems the logical answer.  Very likely you could watch trains before there was a practical ability to model them, unless carving a train from a piece of wood constitutes "modeling".  I suppose techincally it does, but not in the modern sense.

[steve-in-kville]

I was told over on the other forum that every railfan eventually discovers the hobby of modeling. So what came first for you? Models or watching the real thing?