what was everyones frist train set

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Wonder of wonders, this summer we got the stolen American Flyer "North Coast Limited" set back!

the detective suggested I contact the seller, offer to reimburse him what he had paid the presumed burglar for the train, and retrieve the set. I did just that , and the "North Coast Limited" is once again safe at home.

Not thrilled to hear you had to buy your property back, but very glad to hear you got it back. Im not sure I would have been so generous. If I thought he was honest, I would met him halfway.

Having said that, I don't know how many times I use the "modify" button to correct grammar errors in posts I've made earlier that I notice only when I log back on later. 

On other forums they will always seem to ask me what the edit was about, then I have to anser So I don't do it as often as I used to. Only if its really bad.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear All,

I specify my edits as a courtesy to the reader. 

I've seen others do this on another model train forum and thought it was a good idea.   

1. It makes it easier to see that there was an edit. 

2. It saves the reader the time to go over the entire post again and try to figure out what was changed.

Back to topic:

Tyco HO zebra stripe CN F7(?) freight set with a bobber caboose.

My loco was older and not as detailed as this: 



(From Tony Cook's ho-scaletrains.net resource.) 

Pretty sure we had a flat car with 3 culverts.  2 remote R&L switches forming an early cutoff oval on a 4'x8' half inch plywood sheet set on saw horses.  Fence was horizontal (smooth) laths nailed to the edge.     

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

[ebtnut]

On the general subject of theft, our club once shared space with the local trolley musuem and was open on Sunday afternoons when the museum was open.  We had installed a trolley line with working overhead and I had built a Pennsylvania Scale Models (later Bowser) Brill.  I painted in the old Captial Transit scheme complete with custom logo decals from a LHS.  Someone purloined said trolley off the layout and I keep hoping against hope that it might show up some day at a train show.  I'd buy it back, no questions asked. 

[Joe Satnik]

This is probably the set  from 1964-65 catalog:



Again, Tony Cook's site. 

The flat that I recalled earlier must have been from another source, as the culverts in this set picture are in a gondola.

Joe Satnik

[JON MATH]

I came into trains in an odd way.  As a kid I never had any interest in them.  I was asked by a friend if I could paint a locomotive for him as he knew I owned an airbrush and had painted helmets for people from time to time.
I remembered the Maine Central from childhood and when I saw a Proto 2000 caboose at a yard sale I purchased it just to set in my display case of lead figures.  A year or so latter I saw a flat car that caught my fancy and added that to the case. I got several requests to paint engines from people who saw the first one, and before long I was doing a couple a week.  Well somewhere along the line I ended up with one that was not claimed by its owner.  It too sat in the case; a one car train looked silly so I went out to add a few more cars, and discovered that engines could be had factory painted and made of plastic.  I always assumed they all came in brass   I collected a lot of engines and cars but finally saw a set of the Amtrak high speed Acella cars and power units and that became my first and only train set. 

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Having said that, I don't know how many times I use the "modify" button to correct grammar errors in posts I've made earlier that I notice only when I log back on later. 

Isn't it amazing how many spelling errors mysteriously appear as soon as you hit the "Post" button? Happens to me all the time, and I would swear I had everything spelled correctly before I hit that button. 

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Dear All,

I specify my edits as a courtesy to the reader. 

I've seen others do this on another model train forum and thought it was a good idea.   

1. It makes it easier to see that there was an edit. 

2. It saves the reader the time to go over the entire post again and try to figure out what was changed.

I noticed you do this Joe. Following you're lead, Ive done the same, if I edit after any length of time. I just don't think every little spelling mistake is worth an edit, I try to save that for "important" mistakes. Mostly I keep spelling edits, or edits without explanation, to within minutes of my first posting.

Isn't it amazing how many spelling errors mysteriously appear as soon as you hit the "Post" button? Happens to me all the time, and I would swear I had everything spelled correctly before I hit that button. 

Same here, I just figured it was gremlins messing with me .

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

This is probably the set  from 1964-65 catalog:
The flat that I recalled earlier must have been from another source, as the culverts in this set picture are in a gondola.
Joe Satnik

I wonder if you got a slight deviant from the norm, or a set that had its gondola swapped out pre-sale. I know that was fairly common in our neck of the woods, and dealing with suppliers for "you know who".

[glennk28]

I am an old geezer who will be 72 my next b'day--My first trainset came in the depths of WWII--when such things were not allowed to be made.  Lots of things were rationed--so the second-hand market was my source of trains and other "necessities"for a 3-year-old.

My parents did not smoke, but they bought their ration of cigarettes every week and stashed them away .  For Christmas 1943 (or possibly 1944) they put an ad on a bulletin board for a train--offering to trade cigarettes for one.  They got lots of offers to buy the cigarettes, but "A little boy needs a train  for Christmas".  Eventually they found a Marx "Army Supply Train"--a wind-up one at that--because they were worried about me having an electric one at that age.

I can't really say that I still have it--but over the years A have managed to find most of the components of the electric version.

  Even earlier--my mother that my dad had a set of Tootsie Toy trains when he picked us up at the hospitalwhen  I was born!

[dutchbuilder]

Due to lack of space my father had his layout underneath the parental bed.
The track and locomotives were Fleischmann.
The track was folded steel tracked and had cardboard sleepers.
His first loco was an American diesel switcher and his second a T3.
I still have them running in my collection.
I was born literally with trains under the bed!
I can remember my first train set.
It was a windup from Fleischmann.
Have a look in the 0n30 section/pictures of my website.
www.pe2tr.nl
The first photo is me in 1958 with the diesel.

Ton
The Netherlands

[jonathan]

Ton,

Great layout!  Thanks for providing English translation captions.  My Dutch is a little rusty.   

Regards,

Jonathan

[Morgun 30]

Had to be late 50's or early 60's when I got a Lionel O gauge set. It was boxed up and put away when I started high school in 1966. About 10 years ago, I started wondering what happened to it. Mom said I had it, I said it was still at her house. Looked both places several times by couldn't find it.

When I started having grandsons (had daughters, no sons) I started to think about the train again because the boys loved to watch Thomas and play with the wooden trains.  Once again I searched, but still couldn't find it. Got some HO stuff and have set it up several time in the kitchen so we could play with it. Been slow working on a table in the basement so we can do more with it.

Two months ago, my sister was looking for some stuff she had at mom's and found it. Flat cars with a boat, one with two cars, one with a helicopter (broken) , a magnet operated mail car (door opens and a bag is thrown out (bag missing), train station, diesel engine. Don't know if it would work. Sure is dirty and the track is in pretty rough shape, but I'm happy I have it back and will likely have the guy at the local train club look it over.  Morgun

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Morgun,

http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=3428

What are the numbers on the loco (usually 3 or 4 digits) and cars (4 digits or 4 digits "dash" - 2 or 3 digits)?

Joe Satnik

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

[quote author=Morgun 30 link=topic=22399.msg193637#msg193637 date=1379858759

Flat cars with a boat, one with two cars, one with a helicopter (broken) , a magnet operated mail car (door opens and a bag is thrown out (bag missing), train station, diesel engine. Don't know if it would work. Sure is dirty and the track is in pretty rough shape, but I'm happy I have it back and will likely have the guy at the local train club look it over. 

[/quote]
Good news Morgun. The broken helicopter, and lost mail bag, can be replaced with re-pops for about $20 and $3 respectively. Just match the winder style correctly if the helicopter car has a launcher. Boat and car re-pops can be had too, I believe those originals are "collectables" to be shelved. The engine would likely run if it was running when you boxed it. A little clean up and lube and I bet that old diesel lives another 50 years. The track if dirty, will be likely be more forgiving that an HO would. If its more tarnish, than flakey, or deep rust, a little Scotchbrite will probably do to clean that up.   
Ooooh! the pain..The loco number? Photo? Is that only the "exciting" stuff? You left us hanging Morgun! ... ...

[Morgun 30]

Sorry, my computer was hit by a spyware program and I just got it back today. So I've actually got something that's worth a little money? Cool! Selling it, however, is the last on my mind.

Yep, that's the mail car. Loco is a Northern Pacific #628 (Lionel 027 diesel switcher)


http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=628