TEST YOUR MEMORY ?

[rayhippard]

Who else besides me remembers HO modeling in the 1950's & 1960's ?
What I wouldn't have done or given for any of the models we have today.
My first kit was a wood box car that was litterally a few pieces of wood and
a decal sheet for C&NW. No airbrushes. You painted by hand brush and thought it looked good. Only dummy couplers. Trucks had to be assembled from many parts including the coil springs which could easily fly away when putting them in the side frames. But HO looked sooooo coooool to a 12 year old who had out grown his Lionel.
Ray--------Great Northern fan.

[grandeman]

That's a little before my time. I do remember the 70's. Still run some of my old equipment with my son on our current railroad.

[CNJ831]

Yes, and you learned to model with wood within given tollerances, how to carefully follow detailed instructions, to perfect your model painting and decaling abilities, and ended up with something you created by your own skills from very basic materials and you treasured it.

However, today you fork over $40, open a box and put a car assembled by some guy in China on the rails...personally accomplishing absolutely zero in the process! Has the hobby advanced or digressed?

CNJ831

[ARTHILL]

That was my era. I got an English Yard Bird with valve gear kit. I still have most of it. Laid brass track on Tru scale road bed. Was trying to model an iron mine in Northern Minnesota that was near my Gparents cabin. Started Model Railroader Mag in 1945. Talked about all their people being off to war and no materials for models. First cars were ore cars from DMIR. Still have the memories and the new layout is trying to keep them going. Love my new BL, sounds just like I remember as a kid. I would love to hear what others remember from those wild times. Art

[GN-Rick]

Hi, Ray.
Although I'm not old enough to remember the 50s, being born in '59, I still
revere craftsmanship and am permanently into building kits-as opposed to
RTR. While there are many wonderful products available in RTR, (some of which
I own-the Genesis GN PC&F 200000 series cars are beautiful!) I still get more
fulfillment out of assemblinga kit or doing a kitbash, then giving them an
individual paint and weathering job. So, I guess I'm more old fashioned than
not-I also like GN steam-wish I could have seen it in action. I definitely under-
stand your reminesces. Have a great day.

[grandeman]

Art, it's awesome that you've been in the hobby so long. God bless you sir.

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE:
Who else besides me remembers HO modeling in the 1950's & 1960's ?

The Old Dog can't say it did much real modeling in the period. But it spent many an hour reading MR and RMC,

QUOTE:
My first kit was a wood box car that was litterally a few pieces of wood and
a decal sheet for C&NW.

The Dog is beginning to think that the old wood kits were better. Paper sides! Get a computer colour printer and some some software and you can get your sides from anything available on the web or that can be scanned in.

QUOTE:
Only dummy couplers.

If anybody still makes them, they have a customer.

The Old Dog has been going thru its old MR's and RMC's looking for ineresting "stuff". Most such "stuff" seems to have been printed in the 1950's and 1960's.

Have fun

[Eriediamond]

Yep, remember it well. First layout was built with fiber tie and brass rail flex track spiked down on cork roadbed nailed down to plywood. my rolling stock was mostly Mantua with those Mantua loop-hook couplers. I remember some wood kits that included a small paper envelope containg a glue powder you mixed with water for assembly. That milled wood road bed was a bit rich for a farm boy to buy. 15" curves on a 4X8 plywood table, a 9 dollar Mantua 0-4-0 shifter, a few freight cars and man, I was railroad'n. Back then locos had rhynestone jewels for headlights and classification lights. Sometimes I'd lay in bed at night and just dream of the day I'd have whole room full of trains and 50 some years later I'm still dreaming the same thing. Oh well, someday!!! [(-D][(-D][(-D]

[tommyr]

I started in HO in 1952. I remember the loop couplers that Eriediamond mentioned. I still have afew of them. You uncupoled them by using a curved piece of celluloid between the rails--like a Kadee magnet of today. I used to have some Laconia boxcars & reefrs. The reefers were printed foil sides. The one I had was Chateaue Martin Wines --Purple in colour. My first loco was a Varney Dockside 040. It is still running on my RR today.
Tom

[cacole]

I still have two MDC and Tyco cast metal steam locomotives that were assembled from unpainted kits in the early 1960's, and they both still run. One is an 0-6-0 switcher with a slope back tender (MDC) and the other is an 0-4-0T (Tyco). The boilers and frames on both were bare white metal castings that didn't even have holes drilled for the add-on parts such as the whistle and hand railings.

[Virginian]

I barely remember the '50s modelling wise, but I remember the prototypes pretty well.
If, I say again IF, you want to build everything from scratch, there's nothing to stop you, but the incresed availability of highly detailed good running equipment, whether RTR or shake the box 'plus' kits has greatly added to my enjoyment.
I do wonder if they couldn't lower the pricing on steam engines if they offered them unassembled. I would really enjoy putting one of those together without having to file crummy castings. But, I suspect the manufacturers know they would get inundated the first time someone was assembling a 2-10-10-2 and tab A didn't fit perfectly into slot B on the first try. I believe the expectations of most consumers had led us to where we are. We are well into the age of plug and play, so we may as well get used to it.

[Pruitt]

I got into the hobby in the late 60's. I remember the fiber tie flex-track and brass rail. I saved my allowance to buy one three-foot section of nickel-silver flex-track with plastic ties (just coming out) each week for 75 cents at the LHS. My layout was in the basement. I always worked with music playing. When I hear certain songs today, I'm transported right back there, having a great time for very little money.

When I was in college, I sold nearly all my accumulated equipment - I thought I was done with the hobby. I sure regret that now - not for the detailed fidelity of the equipment (old Athearn, Tyco, Mantua, etc.), but for the memories I can no longer reach out and touch.

[MisterBeasley]

I boxed up all those memories when I moved out of the family home in the early 70's, and earlier this year I opened the boxes and let them all out again. Yesterday I was installing Kadee #5's in an old Athearn belt-drive GP-9 (Milwaukee Road) and I pulled the old headlight out, since it will get a LED one of these days. The mount for the headlight was one of those old loop-hook couplers, bent and glued to the roof of the engine shell.

I was a teenager then, and I didn't scratch-build very much. Wood kits were way out of my league, but I built some of my rolling stock from plastic kits. Now, I've got more patience and I'm discovering the joys of spending a few hours just to get one little detail right.

[grayfox1119]

I remember Ray, I earned money by cuting lawns, etc. in summer, just so that I could buy a model or two. I even sliced my middle finger so bad with a double edge rasor blade that I could not straighten the lower knuckle of that finger for many years afterwood. Ohhh the tools that they have now that we never had...tsk, tsk.

Thanks for the memories Ray,

[BRAKIE]

Ray,I started modeling in the 50s..My dad was a modeler and the first locomotive kit I built was a Penn-Line PRR 2-8-0..I was 10 years old.Dad told me I had to learn how to build locomotive kits so he got me that Penn-Line kit and told me to start building it..Dad did not help me but,would check on myprogress..If dad came in and just shook his head I knew I made a mistake and would find and correct the mistake before moving on to the next step.Now if Dad nodded his head I knew I was doing good.I will always be grateful to my dad for those valuable lessons.[:D]

[IRONROOSTER]

Not quite, I started in December of 1971. But I do remember the fiber tie flex track with brass rail - it was on my first layout. Paper sides were gone by then, but NMRA printed some in their Bulletin and I built two cars with them.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

I remember those tiny springs in the trucks, and the "amazing flying springs" in the old Kadee #4s. I bought some HO in 1957 and found out I had very limited skills. It's 48 years later and I still have limited skills compared to some of my "heros" in the hobby. I can handlay track now (but I don't-not enough time available), I have a lot more patience with couple installations and I'm an old hand at decoder installations now, but I look at Allen McClellend's work or Chuck Hitchcock's modeling and I realize I still have very limited skills.

Ed

[fiatfan]

I started in the early '60s. By then Athearn had blue boxes. MDC was a little more complex. I have a little different spin from most of the above. I'm tickled to death at the highly detailed models available today.

Yeah, I have the time and patience now to assemble a good kit. But (not being all that talented mechnaically) I find the new stuff absolutely amazing in the amount of detail. I just saw my first Kadee hopper car the other day. What a beautiful model.

When I lay track now, it works. I used the brass track with fiber ties. I even used the Atlas (?) switch kits with fiber ties. I couldn't afford spikes so I glued many of them. Needless to say, performance was less than stellar.

I remember when my wife and I moved into our first house, I built some laughable benchwork made out of lath because that was all I could afford.

The short version is that, while I enjoyed trains in the '60s, it's so much better now.

Tom

[leighant]

Stopping up sinks with hydrocal, 99 cent plastic cars, scratchbuilding with balsa wood, wanting to be John Allen when I could avoid growing up....

[Doug Goulbourn]

Ray,
Remember those days well. Fibre tie strips with brass rail laid on cork roadbed. Still have a couple of Atlas switch kits(new in box?) I never used. Had a few Mantua cars with the Mantua style couplers that I changed out for X2Fs in the early 60's (they now have Kadee's)and my first kit was an Ulrich stock car. I saved my weekly allowance and would buy a Varney kit and work on it dreaming of my huge fleet I would someday have.I bought a Globe dummy Diesel one day and was amazed. I inherited a few Varney, Red Ball, Silver Streak, and Laconia kits from a friend of mine when he passed away and keep them to remind me of my youth and the hobby's growth. I appreciate the variety of equipment we have today but maybe that's because I (we) learned model railroading by building the things we wanted or needed and being resourceful. Hmmm, maybe I will get out one of those old kits and recapture my youth.

Doug

[Anonymous]

Oh yes. Mid 60's. I started with a Mantua 0-4-0T kit, a Silver Streak boxcar, a 3 foot section of brass flex with the fiber ties, and a small transformer of indeterminate make. The first time my newly built engine pulled my newly built boxcar I thought I had died gone to heaven. After a few more Silver Streak kits I tried my hand at an Ambroid ACL watermelon car. It wasn't perfect, but after the Silver Streaks, I thought I had joined the big leagues. [:D] While I appreciate the advances made over the years, I still get enjoy finding an old Ambroid, Northeastern, or even Silver Streak kit and add them to my roster. For me the enjoyment of being able to say "I built that" means much more than "I bought that" even when the bought item is technically superior to anything I could build.

Cliff Smith
Duluth, Ga

[Attaboy]

I remember the late 50's and 60's, but wasn't into mrr at that time. Was in high school in the 60's with other interests (read females). For me though the building of a layout, cars, structures, etc. is the most fun part. Although I will no doubt have some RTR stuff for convenience I expect to build quite a bit. Even though my skills aren't what I would like them to be. Someday I may get brave and try scratch building a brass steam loco. Especially since I plan an HOn3 narrow gauge layout.

[coalminer3]

Memories for sure. BTW, anyone else out there remember the dinosaur on the G&D and also Blaze Starr in ads for Felischmann in the old Model Trains magazine?

work safe

[Anonymous]

I started in the 60's but my old man decided Marklin was the way to go so. Have lots of memories of running stuff around an oval at 300 mph. I had a crocodile (heavy electric) that was so heavy and loud that I'm sure it must have driven my parents crazy with me up at dawn running ttrains.....There is a photo of the loco on my site in my signature.

For me christmas was the big time for trains. My dad would spend most of Nov and Dec working on layouts. We would get to see the new layout on Christmas day. I also remeber sizing up the packages under the tree to figure out which ones were train boxes...

[IRONROOSTER]

QUOTE: Originally posted by coalminer3

Memories for sure. BTW, anyone else out there remember the dinosaur on the G&D and also Blaze Starr in ads for Felischmann in the old Model Trains magazine?

work safe

I remember the dinosaur.

Fleischmann trains were what I had as a kid in the 1950's. My brothers and I found it great fun to cra***hem into each other. They were tough and kept on running. I remember that when we moved back to the the U.S. from Germany we had trouble finding that brand here. Eventually, we found them at Corr's Hobby store in Wash. D.C. Unfortunately, both the hobby store and the trains are long gone.

Enjoy
Paul

[rayhippard]

Mister Beasley ---- Yep, I had 2 or 3 Athearn " belt " drives which were really rubber bands if you recall.

Fiatfan ---- I agree, we have so much more and better " stuff " today.

Grayfox1119 ---- I also mowed lawns for train money.

Ebriley ---- I also lost a lot of Kadee springs. Never could find them in the carpet.

Eriediamond ---- Those rinestones looked pretty good and I couldn't afford Truscale track either.

Leighant ---- John Allen was one of my inspirations.

Doug Goulbourn ---- I tried to add weight to a Globe plastic diesel with hot liquid solder with disasterous results. Just too young and didn't know plastic would melt.

Coalminer3 ---- Dinosaur was an " organic switcher ".

Trainnut1250 ---- Christmas was always a special time for trains. After being married for only 3 years, my wife surprised me with a new Tenshodo crown S1 - 4-8-4 brass factory painted $125.00 steam engine. This was in 1963 when I was making only $75.00 per week. She has always been good with money, but this totally " blew me away ".

Ray -------------- Great Northern fan.

[Anonymous]

In 1952 my Dad gave me a Mantua Shifter (0-4-0) as that was the normal kit to start with. I had a lot of fun with the plastic sided passenger cars that took three or four DAYS to build and never did run right. Mantua couplers were the standard and only the oddies used the Kaydee couplers. Remember having several cars with different couplers on each end so you could make a long train (nine cars)?

My first layout was built with Tru-Scale milled roadbed and brass rail. About half of the track was on hand laid ties. Atlas switch kits were the ultimate, you had arrived when you could afford to buy them ($1.95 ea). I bought my first brass loco in 1959, it was a Tenshodo 0-8-0 in kit form for $24.95 and I had to pay it out $3.00 a week.

Varney had a 2-8-4 that was availavle in several kits - you purchased the frame kit, which had the frame and running gear. Next you bought the boiler kit, and so on. You could buy the WHOLE thing at one time for $74.95 I believe, but who had that much money for a loco?

I still have some Red Ball kits that I build every once in a while. I've even got some Ulrich hoppers that will be built someday. I must admit that I never thought that I'd have every kit that Central Valley made because they cost so much ($2.95). EBay has been a good place to shop for the old kits and has really helped my model railroading empire. Just yesterday I was able to puchase an Alexander Coaling Station that I had to have as time and neglect destroyed my old one.

But really the good ole days were the ones last week - remember the window fan for cooling - sleeping on the front porch because inside the house was to hot. WALKING wherever you went because the bus cost ten cents. I don't want to go back.

[rexhea]

Oh, I remember HO in the late 60's quite well...that's why I got out of it after a couple of years. Track cleaning twice a session...derailing cars...horn couplers...miles of wiring...no MRR forum...and contrary to many opinions, it was very expensive for the time.

If my memory serves me correctly, I had a Big Boy (don't remember the man'f.) that had two motors in it. We lived in an apartment complex and at that time there was no cable TV, only a central antenna system. Every time that I would run the BB, I would screw up everyone's TV reception with noise. After a short while and many attempts to eliminate the problem, the landlord raised cain and I had to quit running it. Not long after and with other MRR frustrations I gave it up.

But: [:D] I'm back and having the greatest time of my life (even beats fishing)[:D]

REX

[rtraincollector]

I remeber a black diesle switcher my one brother had a f unit Santa Fe (ruber band power ) my other brother had a B&O(ruber band power ) (ruber band power = electric engine rubber bands from wheels to metal shaft from engine)

I also remember getting train cars in cereal boxes so Dad could put them together for us . We would pick those type cereals just for that reason lol. we had a couple of coal cars and 1 caboose and 2 or 3 boxcars that way lol they were very light and plastic dad put salt from can of pretzeles in coal car to wieght it down some.

We had a 4' X 8' with the green paper stuff for grass and some plasticville buildings.

I got out of HO thou in the mid 60's about 1964 and into Lionel super O gauge . Until recently when a freind brought me a Lionel HO trainset which has turned out to be an old promo set from early 60's set # 9904 can't find it listed anywhere (greenburg ect.) as they don't carry the promo sets as I have been told as there were not that many of them . Been told by a couple of Lionel HO gauge collectors that they are rare one even said in his 7 years of buying and selling on ebay he has never seen one offered. (promo set)

[rayhippard]

TEFFY ---- I remember the Varney several kits to make a complete engine, but I didn't have the skills, tools, money or nerve to buy it. Walking or riding my bike everywhere was not only cheap, but good exercise. I should sell my van and go back to it cause I'm soooo out of condition.

REXHEA ---- brass track has always been a problem keeping clean. I wore out many
" BRITE BOYS " in my lifetime.

RTRAINCOLLECTOR ---- didn't that green grass paper look so real at the time ?

Ray --------------- Great Northern fan.