What Influenced You?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by manitoban

Riding behind a smoke, cinders and steam belching CN Pacific 4-6-2 to the beach every summer in gas-lit, arched-windowed wooden coaches was what peaked my interest in railroading. The prime excitement every day was to meet the noon train, and hitch a ride in the baggage car to the wye, water tower and back, as the crew turned and watered her for the trip back to the city at 7:00 p.m. (The second highlight of the day.) As a consequence of my enthusiasm, my dad got me a tinplate train set for Christmas one year.

Hey Manitoban - do you know if the Countess of Dufferin is still hauling the Prairie Dog Central from Winnipeg to Gross Isle every Sunday? I used to take my kids on it occasionally (that was my excuse to ride steam and smell the coal burning).

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by manitoban

Riding behind a smoke, cinders and steam belching CN Pacific 4-6-2 to the beach every summer in gas-lit, arched-windowed wooden coaches was what peaked my interest in railroading. The prime excitement every day was to meet the noon train, and hitch a ride in the baggage car to the wye, water tower and back, as the crew turned and watered her for the trip back to the city at 7:00 p.m. (The second highlight of the day.) As a consequence of my enthusiasm, my dad got me a tinplate train set for Christmas one year.

Hey Manitoban - do you know if the Countess of Dufferin is still hauling the Prairie Dog Central from Winnipeg to Gross Isle every Sunday? I used to take my kids on it occasionally (that was my excuse to ride steam and smell the coal burning).

[Sydney]

I voted "other". I bought a wind-up version of an English loco plus freight wagons for my four-year-old son. The set came with the usual round-circle track. He enjoyed it until the spring broke. It was not worthwhile replacing the spring, so I decided to buy a Fleischmann steam loco plus a diesel loco which I bought at a reduced sale price. Some Peco track, a baseboard - and we were on our way. I'm 70 now and he turns 40 this year, but we still both have an interest in model railroading and attend many of the exhibitions held in the Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. My second wife has also become an interested fan.

"Sydney"
New South Wales
Australia

[Sydney]

I voted "other". I bought a wind-up version of an English loco plus freight wagons for my four-year-old son. The set came with the usual round-circle track. He enjoyed it until the spring broke. It was not worthwhile replacing the spring, so I decided to buy a Fleischmann steam loco plus a diesel loco which I bought at a reduced sale price. Some Peco track, a baseboard - and we were on our way. I'm 70 now and he turns 40 this year, but we still both have an interest in model railroading and attend many of the exhibitions held in the Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. My second wife has also become an interested fan.

"Sydney"
New South Wales
Australia

[Anonymous]

I got my first train set at 4 months og age at Christmas. It was a Lionel Steam freight set. I still have most of the cars and some of the track. I also have the sets that my younger bothers and sister got in later years. I switched to N scale when Lionel became hard to get (I hate HO because of that). Now I work in both N scale and G scale for my garden railroad. I would love to move to rideables, but my hillside would make that difficult. I also like the real thing and take Steam rides when I can. I also visit public and private modle railroads around the country as I travel. I just wish I had an unlimited budget!.

[Anonymous]

I got my first train set at 4 months og age at Christmas. It was a Lionel Steam freight set. I still have most of the cars and some of the track. I also have the sets that my younger bothers and sister got in later years. I switched to N scale when Lionel became hard to get (I hate HO because of that). Now I work in both N scale and G scale for my garden railroad. I would love to move to rideables, but my hillside would make that difficult. I also like the real thing and take Steam rides when I can. I also visit public and private modle railroads around the country as I travel. I just wish I had an unlimited budget!.

[Anonymous]

Had Uncle who built live steam engines (OK, some operated using air pressure). He made everything-was a farmer and his basement had a complete machine shop, including blacksmith furnace, in it. We used to ride behind one of his engines, another one that used air pressure was used to send to mail box where Rural Carrier would pump up boiler pressure, place mail in tender and send back to house. I was always fasinated by this.

[Anonymous]

Had Uncle who built live steam engines (OK, some operated using air pressure). He made everything-was a farmer and his basement had a complete machine shop, including blacksmith furnace, in it. We used to ride behind one of his engines, another one that used air pressure was used to send to mail box where Rural Carrier would pump up boiler pressure, place mail in tender and send back to house. I was always fasinated by this.

[Anonymous]

Got a Lionel set around the Christmas tree in 1956 at the age of three. The rest is history! It just grew and grew and around eight I traded "up" to HO and in later years tried N for awhile, too. I recently said to Dad, "This is all your fault. You created a monster!"

I'm currently starting THE dream layout (finally) in my 24 by 38 foot basement. Realized recently that if I could drive a gold spike in the mainline on Christmas of 2006, it would mark the 50 year anniversary of receiving that Lionel set back in 1956, and my start in the "World's Greatest Hobby".

[Anonymous]

Got a Lionel set around the Christmas tree in 1956 at the age of three. The rest is history! It just grew and grew and around eight I traded "up" to HO and in later years tried N for awhile, too. I recently said to Dad, "This is all your fault. You created a monster!"

I'm currently starting THE dream layout (finally) in my 24 by 38 foot basement. Realized recently that if I could drive a gold spike in the mainline on Christmas of 2006, it would mark the 50 year anniversary of receiving that Lionel set back in 1956, and my start in the "World's Greatest Hobby".

[Anonymous]

All of the above. I recieved a Lionel train set when I was 8... lost interest for a while.. built a lot of plastic models. Then a friend got a N-scale postage stamp train set for Christmas and that is when I became a model railroader for good about age 13. I modeled western railroads in N-scale for about 17 years and have been modeling the Colorado & Southern in HOn3 for about 14 years. I also was influenced by a family trip on the real California Zephyr in 1969.

[Anonymous]

All of the above. I recieved a Lionel train set when I was 8... lost interest for a while.. built a lot of plastic models. Then a friend got a N-scale postage stamp train set for Christmas and that is when I became a model railroader for good about age 13. I modeled western railroads in N-scale for about 17 years and have been modeling the Colorado & Southern in HOn3 for about 14 years. I also was influenced by a family trip on the real California Zephyr in 1969.

[Anonymous]

When I was 8 or nine I lived in Louisville, KY and a neighborhood boy named George Yeater (now well known in RR activity} whose father worked for L&N, would walk over a mile to Strawberry Yard, much to the horror of my mother , and play in the old passenger cars stored there and watch the trains pass on the adjoining mainline. This left an indelible love of railroading on me. It was not for another forty years however that I began duplicating my memories of railroading with a large HO layout that is far from finished. Will it ever be finished? Who knows, I am 79 years old and still working on it! Incidentally, I have seen George only once during the past 70 years.

[Anonymous]

When I was 8 or nine I lived in Louisville, KY and a neighborhood boy named George Yeater (now well known in RR activity} whose father worked for L&N, would walk over a mile to Strawberry Yard, much to the horror of my mother , and play in the old passenger cars stored there and watch the trains pass on the adjoining mainline. This left an indelible love of railroading on me. It was not for another forty years however that I began duplicating my memories of railroading with a large HO layout that is far from finished. Will it ever be finished? Who knows, I am 79 years old and still working on it! Incidentally, I have seen George only once during the past 70 years.

[Anonymous]

John Allen is why I am in the hobby and try to follow the examples set by John Allen.

[Anonymous]

John Allen is why I am in the hobby and try to follow the examples set by John Allen.

[Anonymous]

I received a Karl Bub windup O guage railroad when I was about 5 however after a while I was given a Trix Express oo/HO catalog and lobbied the folks for an electric train which I received at age 9 and which grew until age 13, when I switched to 2 Rail HO after getting an HObbytown caboose only to find it didn't run on Trix rails. This lasted until university. Subsequent to graduation, I started collecting in North American, and German HO as well a LGB. The latter gets set up in our hotel lobby on special occasions (Xmas, Father's Day etc. An HO layout is in the planing stages. So it's 53 years in the hobby at various levels of involvement but a constant reader of MR since age 13.
Ulrich A. Krings

[Anonymous]

I received a Karl Bub windup O guage railroad when I was about 5 however after a while I was given a Trix Express oo/HO catalog and lobbied the folks for an electric train which I received at age 9 and which grew until age 13, when I switched to 2 Rail HO after getting an HObbytown caboose only to find it didn't run on Trix rails. This lasted until university. Subsequent to graduation, I started collecting in North American, and German HO as well a LGB. The latter gets set up in our hotel lobby on special occasions (Xmas, Father's Day etc. An HO layout is in the planing stages. So it's 53 years in the hobby at various levels of involvement but a constant reader of MR since age 13.
Ulrich A. Krings

[lhrfan]

I was always thrilled to find a copy of M.R. at the local news stand when I was a kid. Then, the NYS&W reopened the former L&HR Rwy.through my hometown of Franklin,NJ. It was like living my childhood again. Big, noisey, Alco's again. I love it, I love it !!!!!!

[lhrfan]

I was always thrilled to find a copy of M.R. at the local news stand when I was a kid. Then, the NYS&W reopened the former L&HR Rwy.through my hometown of Franklin,NJ. It was like living my childhood again. Big, noisey, Alco's again. I love it, I love it !!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Unfortunatly, the death of my gradfather flung me into model railroading (unfortunate that I could not share it with him.) My great Uncle (other side of the family) was actually the first person to show me scale trains. I'm still in High school and plan on having many years of fun.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunatly, the death of my gradfather flung me into model railroading (unfortunate that I could not share it with him.) My great Uncle (other side of the family) was actually the first person to show me scale trains. I'm still in High school and plan on having many years of fun.

[Anonymous]

I think that I was obsessed with trains when I was in the womb! I don't know eactly why I became so interested in trains, but ever since I could talk I've been crazy about trains. Of course it was only natural that I get a train set. My first electirc train was a Playmobil G scale set I got when I was about 3 years old. Extra cars and track were added to it and I still have it now. I got my first HO train (a Bachmann Warbonnet F9 circle set) when I was about 5. I've been accumulating HO trains ever since. My Dad built me my first HO layout when I was in grade 2. I've also been very interested in toy trains and wanted a Lionel set for as long as I could remember because my uncle had a Scout set when he was a kid in the 50's. I now am a collector of Lionel and all sorts of other vintage O and S gauge tinplate trains in addition to HO. I'm only 17 right now and the basement of my house is packed with trains. I have no intention of slowing down at all!

Glen Chenier, the Countess of Dufferin doesn't pull the Prairie Dog. That operation is run by a different 4-4-0 that used to work for Winnipeg Hydro. The Countess is on display at the Winnipeg Railway Museum in the Via station.

[Anonymous]

I think that I was obsessed with trains when I was in the womb! I don't know eactly why I became so interested in trains, but ever since I could talk I've been crazy about trains. Of course it was only natural that I get a train set. My first electirc train was a Playmobil G scale set I got when I was about 3 years old. Extra cars and track were added to it and I still have it now. I got my first HO train (a Bachmann Warbonnet F9 circle set) when I was about 5. I've been accumulating HO trains ever since. My Dad built me my first HO layout when I was in grade 2. I've also been very interested in toy trains and wanted a Lionel set for as long as I could remember because my uncle had a Scout set when he was a kid in the 50's. I now am a collector of Lionel and all sorts of other vintage O and S gauge tinplate trains in addition to HO. I'm only 17 right now and the basement of my house is packed with trains. I have no intention of slowing down at all!

Glen Chenier, the Countess of Dufferin doesn't pull the Prairie Dog. That operation is run by a different 4-4-0 that used to work for Winnipeg Hydro. The Countess is on display at the Winnipeg Railway Museum in the Via station.

[crzink]

Got my first Lionel set in 1954, at age 4, from my Granddad. My Uncle was ah HO'er, and a neighbor of my Grandmother was an O'er. Then my Dad gave me an HO setup at about age 11. So, I guess I've been hooked for almost 50 years!

[crzink]

Got my first Lionel set in 1954, at age 4, from my Granddad. My Uncle was ah HO'er, and a neighbor of my Grandmother was an O'er. Then my Dad gave me an HO setup at about age 11. So, I guess I've been hooked for almost 50 years!

[jjardel]

Dad was a Fireman on Pennsy (Philadelphia Div.) and brought home a Lionel set which I still put up at Chrstmas time. That grew to a layout in my bedroom that gave me enough room to walk in and either lie down or play with trains.
He took me on a lot of steam engines when I was little but he had no interest with model trains. I now model HO but neither of my kids have been biten by the bug.

[jjardel]

Dad was a Fireman on Pennsy (Philadelphia Div.) and brought home a Lionel set which I still put up at Chrstmas time. That grew to a layout in my bedroom that gave me enough room to walk in and either lie down or play with trains.
He took me on a lot of steam engines when I was little but he had no interest with model trains. I now model HO but neither of my kids have been biten by the bug.

[Anonymous]

3 railroaders in the family--grew up in Boston, Ma. & had Beacon Park Yard behind the house. This became my world outside of my home. Crews took me thruogh the roundhouse, rides on the turntable, cab rides in the switchers, taught me the basics of repairs in the shops. Seems like the 1950's was the last time it was fun being a kid in the city, you didn't get arrested for being curious! 50 years a railfan- 40 years a modeler.

[Anonymous]

3 railroaders in the family--grew up in Boston, Ma. & had Beacon Park Yard behind the house. This became my world outside of my home. Crews took me thruogh the roundhouse, rides on the turntable, cab rides in the switchers, taught me the basics of repairs in the shops. Seems like the 1950's was the last time it was fun being a kid in the city, you didn't get arrested for being curious! 50 years a railfan- 40 years a modeler.