What was your first train?

[Anonymous]

I got started in this hobby after I received a Tyco toy train set for Christmas many years ago. Boy Oh Boy! I've sure come a long way since then!!!

How did you get started?

-Joe

[trolleyboy]

Hi basically just like you.My Grandmother knew I loved trains so she bought me the Tyco silver streak set with all the telephone poles and signs and all the fixins.It's just snowballed from there. You're right though alot has changed for the better since that set.My guess is you will find most people likely started with a set of some sort. Enjoy Rob

[philnrunt]

My brother and I got an American Flyer set from a friend of my momma's, but it wasn't a diesel so I didn't play with it too much. My G-pa had given me a ride on his switcher (NYC) so I was a dyed in the wool diesel fan.
Then, when I was about 8 my momma got me a Varney MoPac set, had an F-7 (as I remember) and I wore it out. The next B-day, she picked me up an N scale set, and it had Rivarossi C-Liners in Pennsylvania colors. I had a small styrofoam pre-formed layout, I would place large rocks on the tracks and use the engines to batter them off!
Stayed in N for quite some time, then went back to HO.
Now, I have N, HO and G, but at this time, nothing is running!

[Anonymous]

Rob,
Mine was the Silver Streak also. Do you remember the glow in the dark locomotive? I saw one at a train show about a month ago and thought about buying it for sentimental reasons. As I recall, that set also included a truck and trailer where you could use the included crane to load the trailer onto a flat car. Am I remembering this correctly?

[Anonymous]

Mine was a set also, an F-7 I belive, in the Bi-Centennial paint, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you who made it. Woke up Christmas of 76 with it running around the tree, the track was mounted on a piece of half inch ply cut to a 38" circle with linolium (spelling?) on the bottom so it would slide under the bed. That loco eventually went thru several paint schemes courtesy of spray bombs, it's death was a slow agonizing one with all those colors on it, broken couplers, bits of the shell missing, and then the motor died. It lived on as part of the scene and in derailment photos until I got the 4x8 up and running and it was replaced with an RS something or other, didn't like that one much though, and it went thru repaints too. But thats another story for a different day. [:)]

Chris

[Anonymous]

I don't specifically remember exactly, but I think it was a Tyco train set. I remeber having a Chessie F unit and a bunch of cars.

[Virginian]

My first train item bought, before transformer, track, or anything else, was a Sunset N&W Class J in brass. Never regretted it and still have it.

[Anonymous]

My first train was a Bachmann HO trainset back in 1988. It included a Chessie System U36B and a few freight cars.

Kevin

[Eriediamond]

I got started way back when with a toy train set. I believe it was a Marx set. Anyhow it was a wind up steam engine and had a mechanism consisting of a wheel and flint that shot sparks out the stack when it ran. The set consisted of the engine, tender, box car, tank car, and caboose, and had an oval of 0 guage two rail track. That set would probably be banned from todays market because of the sparks. Next train set was a Lionel Scout set. That was 1945 I think. That set got me into trouble with the law-- kinda. thats another story in itself. Thanks, Ken

[simon1966]

My first train was given to me when I was a kid in England. I was about 8 years old at the time. It was a Triang road rail set. A loop of track with a siding. At the end of the siding, there was a special ramp. This was the cool bit, as there was also a loop of road. I had an OO scale Jaguar E type (XKE here in the USA), it could be driven around the loop of road, up the ramp and onto a special train car. Then off you could go with the train! When it worked it was wonderful. But, and a big but, it was not very reliable. The car was very jittery and would contantly stop. The auto carrier had special contacts that allowed it to have power for driving the car on and off and these were prone to failure. (I don't have any recollection of track cleaning, so I bet it was just oxidization!) Anyway, one day in a fit of temper, I stamped on the auto carrier car.

35 years later, I still have the small red loco that came with this set, it is all that survivied. When I got back into the hobby 4 years ago, I purchased an Atlas train set. I don't beleive that they make them any more? This set is still all in use. The S2 loco is one of my favorites, now upgraded to DCC with LED lights front and back. All 3 pieces of rolling stock are on the layout, they are standard better quality Atlas items. The DC pack is now a jump throttle, for my Zephyr and part of the Trutrack makes up my test track and wheel cleaning track.

[samgolden]

My first train was a Lionel "027" train set. It had a steam engine and 2 cars and caboose. This was in the late 40's when I was in high school. Graduated in '52 and joined the navy. Don't know what happened to it as by the time I got out of the service, my parents had moved. Never saw it again. Got back into Model Railroading in the 60's with HO and played/ worked with that into the mid 60's. Got interested in auto racing and work and lost interest in trains. Got back into the railroad when I discovered DCC, 2001.

Sam

[cwclark]

My first train set was christmas of 1965...I still remember it well...It was a Lionel O gauge Rock Island PA1..the rolling stock included a car that shot rockets, a knoxville gold car (I found it hard to believe that they would ship that much gold in a glass windowed boxcar with canvas side covers without a platoon of marines gaurding it...that's probably what the rocket car was for!... LOL)...a Frisco 40 ft. boxcar, a lionel flatcar with some kind of removable tanks and a M & St.L caboose...I still remember building a Lincoln Log structure on the tracks and crashing the trains into it...Must'a been something i saw on the Addams family ;) ....Chuck

[Anonymous]

My very first train set was a Tyco set from Canadian Tire. It was a CN diesel locomotive, maybe something like a GP38 (I can't exactly remember). Like many, trains went out of my life for many many years. Only recently with my threee year old sons newfound addiction to Thomas the Tank Engine have I gotten back into model railroading.

Trevor

[IRONROOSTER]

My first set was a Fleischman set when I was about 8. The one that started me in the hobby was a Tyco set given to me by wife when she was pregnant with our first child. I think she thought of it as a Christmas tree train for when our first child was born. But I saw a Model Railroader magazine on the new stand the next day and was hooked.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Had Lionel O gauge in the family when I was a child. But was given a Life Like Chessie F7 unit train set in HO. The brushes on the motor finally wore out in the late 80's after 10 years of top speed running.

Nothing remains of that set as it was used as a painting exercise in preparation for bigger and more expensive models and quality paints which were much better than the small glass bottle paints of the day.

[GRAMRR]

My first trains (there were two) were Lionel O-27, early 40's vintage. As was often the case, I was the only one NOT allowed to play with them because I was "too young." I finally was re-united with them in the early 50's; finally I was "old enough." One was a cast metal 2-4-2 with whistle and three very nice passenger cars with embossed rivets and window frame detail. They had automatic "box-hook" couplers of the 40's style. The other was a streamlined 2-6-2 (looked kind of like some pics of Lehigh Valley streamliners that I've seen) with four lithographed tin freight cars with manual "box-hook" couplers. Unfortuately, like many they've been painted. They still are around and still ran the last time they were out of the box about twenty years ago. When the train room is built, they will have their own display shelf. Many fond memories!

A side note: My wife got hooked on those really nice porelean or cast resin Christmas display buildings that are popular now. She had accumulated quit a few by Christmas and would require a substantial display area. I had an old Marx A-B diesel set with three lithographed passenger cars that I had acquired during some trading back in the 80's......... I promised to build her a display table if I could put a train on it. So, until the weather breaks and I can get out in the barn to arrange some storage area, our living room currently has a 4 x 8 foot display table with 22 lighted buildings, lots of little people, and the Marx train which still runs like a clock. Guess we never really leave the "little boy" behind.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the options for the survey should include Lionel trains, as many model railroaders credit their exposure to these trains as youngsters with starting them in the hobby.

I started with a used Louis Marx 027 train set that I traded from one of my school mates. Hauled it home on the bus in a shopping bag. I got a piece of 4' square hardboard and fastened the loop of track to this. This basic setup grew to two 4'by 8' tables and a few extensions in the cold damp basement of my parents' home. I later sold off all of the 027 stuff and swtiched to HO scale. It's been down hill ever since!

There are a few photos of my early efforts on my website, under "history".

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

In the late 60's ( I was about 8 or 9) my dad bought me one of those pre-fab foam layouts,and the train with the "rubber-band" drive. Now getting back into the hobby, the first thing my father asked me when I told him I was building a train layout " do those still have the rubber band drive". He must be scarred for life from the call "Dad, the rubber band came off".

Steve

[CP5415]

I got a couple of HO scale Model Power trains sets one year for Christmas.

Both CN, YUCK!
Both ALCO's YEY!
I have the body shells off of one still, the motors died a long time ago.

Gordon

Gordon

[Anonymous]

I had to vote for other since I don't consider my Bachmann set a "toy". My first train was the Bachmann Spectrum Acela. My second one is coming together now as a piece by piece train. (ACL - Purple and Silver)

[Anonymous]

Really enjoying reading these nostalgic posts. Mine was Christmas 1952 Lionel steamer with two freight cars and caboose. I was 5, and actually allowed to run the transformer and the whistle on our 4 by 8 plywood, after careful lessons from dad. We gave it all alway to a neighbor's 5 year old when we went to rubber band HO in 1960. What a mess those engines were! Would love to have that Lionel set now!

[Anonymous]

My first train I owned (as in, not playing with my Dad's Lionel O gauge set) was a Lionel HO set of the Freedom Train that ran around the country during the bicentennial. I still have it carefully packed away.

[Anonymous]

I received small battery powered O guage circle when I was 8 for Xmas (which a friend broke shortly there after). Then I found a Life Like set my stepson had got one year before I met him He was 9 when I set it up for him he lasted about 10 minutes at it. I've been at it for over twenty years now.

[RoyalOaker]

My first set was a Tyco Santa Fe

This engine still runs although its missing a side rail and a horn on the dummy unit. I can't remember what cars came with it though as my set soon became a mix of anything that could be found at garage sales and such.


I had an uncle that liked to party, He bought me a six pack of beer refers cars! I was like 12 when he bought this and all my friends were like "what is Tuborg" [:)]

[egmurphy]

QUOTE: geoeisele: Mine was Christmas 1952 Lionel steamer with two freight cars and caboose. I was 5...

Weird, I was about to write the same thing, same year, same age, and probably the same set. It was the 2-4-2 steam engine, iirc.



Regards

Ed

[Paul3]

Man, I got you all beat.

When my grandfather learned that he finally had a grandson (my dad was 36 when I was born), he immeditely started making me a wooden toy train. I had a steam engine (2-2-0), some boxcars, and a caboose by the time I was 6 months old! The couplers were linked eye hooks, the wood was unfinished, and the wheels were wood discs...

But, I still have them now, 30 years later.

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[siberianmo]

My first train set was a Lionel 0-27 freight featuring the Pennsy turbine 6-8-6 w/tender.

The loco had Magnetraction along with smoke. The tender, with Lionel Lines on it, contained the whistle. Now here's the hazy part - I don't recall all lthe cars, for this all took place back in the 1940's.

Over the years I added as many cars as I could afford - all from a trainstore that sold used stuff. My solitary freight grew and grew and before I knew it, I had a competing passenger train pulled by an NW-2 switcher. The cars were green and they were the stubby 0-27's with names like Chatham - Maplewood and Hillside (found those in the catalog!).

I graduated up to a 190 watt KW transformer leaving my 90 watt original for other duties.

Anyway, the original set had an operating log car (black), a black Bucyrus Erie crane car and a dark gray wrecking caboose w/searchlight - DL&W. I just cannot recall with accuracy what the other two cars were - but the set did come with a total of 5 cars. What a great Christmas present back in 1947 or 48.

I have tried to locate that set in the Standard Catalog of Lionel trains (1945-1969) by David Doyle, but can only get close. Oh well, it's fun to look back through those pages at the cars I added and the cars I wished I could have! We have all been there.

All those great Lionel trains of my childhood vanished after I joined the service in 1956. Around 1966, I decided to get back into model railroading and started my son off with a Tyco HO freight set - a bit "much" for a 4 year old. Anyway, within less than a year, that starter set damned near filled up the 4 x 8 ft board in our basement. Each year I added a train set for each new arrival in the family - and then of course, some more as the budget would permit.

Today, retired for 16 years, all of those HO trains are within display cases in my trainroom. I have the new model RR of my dreams - HO - in my basement. But you know what? That Lionel set was by far the one that gave me the best of times and memories.

What I don't have physically, will always be in my mind!

Great question.

[cjcrescent]

For my fourth birthday, I recieved a Marx windup set, that came with a figure eight plastic track set. For Xmas the next year I got a Marx electric. When six I got an AF set with two locos and about fifteen cars. Played with that til I was eight and discovered a boxcar kit from a company called Mantua at my LHS. Been building in HO ever since. I'm now 53.

[Anonymous]

My first train set was the Marx Big Rail Work Train. I wanted one so badly that year but the local JC Pennys was out, except for the display. My dad paid the manager double for the display model just so I could have that train.
I still see them from time to time on eBay. I should probably get another one....

[gvdobler]

Lionel steam with3-4 cars and caboose.

In the early '50s. I ran that train around the living room countless times.

It is too bad kids don't enjoy it anymore because of video games. ( I know some do)

Jon - Las Vegas