1950's sears memories

The last store window display I remember with a train in it was a K-Mart in 1985 or so, and that was a Tyco set that wasn't running at the time. I was just in a Toys R Us last week. The "train" selection was some weird looking not even really HO size odd thing that didn't even look like anything running on North American rails. I remember a Lionel Polar Express set when they first came out (eight or so years ago?) as a display at a grocery store, but even then the curve tracks were made in squiggle shape and cars not on the rails, so it wasn't set up to run. Just a few years back someone here posted pics of a Lionel display at a Walmart, but I don't remember any sort of layout. Im just guessing that its too expensive to pay someone to set it up, then watch over it to some extent and maintain it. I was at America's Best hobby shop last week, which is Chicago areas arguably best stocked train store, and their display layout wasn't powered at all. No lights, no nothing.

Thanks for posting and bringing back such a fabulous old memory!  My parents would take me to the Sears on 4th(?) Street in Steubenville, Oh.  It had a huge toy room with a large operating layout.  My Allstate Marx set came from there.   For the next 10 years, my grandparents, parents, and aunt managed to get me a car or two, track, and accessories from that Sears.

George

complete train set $24.95! today you can't buy a lighted bumper for that.

The business model has changed.  Most stores, particularly the big boxes are in effect self service now, except for when you need something big or high value that's locked up.

In olden days, each department had its own staff and cash register stations, so there could always be someone to monitor the layouts.

Now, there's checkout lines near the exits and practically invisible staff at the stores, plus all floor space is retail space.  A section with layouts only becomes "non productive" space.

Stan Freburg was ahead of his time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5IXlfJSEi4

Rusty

I remember going to Sears (Sears & Roebuck as my father used to say) in Brooklyn, NY aroung 1952-3 to get some hardware for my Marx 333 layout which he bought for me in 1947. They must had about 200 of these oak drawers, about 6 in sq. where the the department guy would go to get exactly the screw or bracket or whatever we needed. I'll never forget that.

         --Bob Di Stefano

The Sears store was not on the main shopping street with the Kresge's, Grant's,

and Woolworth's, and two large department stores, Stewart's and Kaufmann's, these last I don't remember as carrying trains. The Montgomery-Ward's, a much smaller store than Sears, about the size of the above Woolworth's, with a basement which the other dime stores did not have, was in that line on that street and where my mother got my brother's and my bicycles.  This in my nearby city when I grew up.  I don't remember getting a train from Sears but remember that when I was in their basement looking at their train display, that was the first place I heard a record of Gene Autry singing, "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Raindeer".  The Sears store had its own parking lot but was several blocks from the street with all the other stores, and we were on foot, so we did not often make the trudge to Sears.

My grandfather made a trip to the city once a month in his 1940 Chevy coach to pick up his milk check, and we skipped school every month on that day to make the trip into town.  He took the car and disappeared for the day, and my mother and grandmother and us kids shopped the stores, ate at the same cafeteria every trip, and then met him later in the afternoon.  The first place I wanted to go was down into Woolworth's basement, as they had the biggest toy display year around.

During the holidays a sporting goods store opened up its mezzanine upstairs with trains.  It was the only place I saw the more expensive Marx sets, except for Sears,  and the only place I remember seeing separate sale Marx 3/16 cars.  Woolworth's just seemed to stock the 6 inch Marx, although once they had the #21 AA ATSF tin diesels displayed, and I bought a set, but never liked them, as they were too big for my 0-27 loops.  I had a set with #999 and 3/16th cars and I wanted compatible cars. The sporting goods store took down their display immediately after the holiday, which is when I had gift money, and when I got there on milk check day, they were gone and I never got to pick up another car.

I never cared for the Erector set I had, but my grandfather gave us an Erectorbrik set one Christmas, which we loved, and we clamored for and got another set the next

Christmas.  I never saw one in the stores, so don't know where he found them, and

they are darn hard to find now, although I don't actively hunt them.

If you want to have some real fun, go to Ebay and search for "Sears Christmas Catalog". You will find a whole bunch of them for sale, some cheap, others not so cheap. There are several compilation reprints of classic 1950s and 1960s "Wish Books" available, too (such as the "Toy Box" one), and these are terrific -- I have several myself. Sure brings back some great Christmas memories for not a lot of $$!

Or, you can visit this website:

http://www.wishbookweb.com/

Me.

I remember going to Sears (Sears & Roebuck as my father used to say) in Brooklyn, NY aroung 1952-3

That was the store on Bedford ave .. always had a nice supply of Lionel at Christmas along with the Macy's on Flatbush ave ...Macy's also put up a nice layout.. And your dad was correct, they were Sears and Roebuck till probably the mid '60's.. 

Have really enjoyed reading you guys stories of "Christmas past".

thanks!!

I am into the older MTH ps-1&2 and also the very beginning of lionel railsounds up to a soon to appear lionel northern at&sf 3751 all above are command control.

I started out in 1978 acquiring post war lionel trains I have a 671 a 623 bell ringer diesel a ABA santa fe 2243 diesels 2 2026 steamers all working and have managed to remember how to set the tpc up on the outer level and I have been having a blast running conventional trains.

while running a milwaukee s-3 and a nkp 765 on 2 separate loops but I have to admit running the old postwar trains brings fond smiles of another era of long ago.

as to my home town in the twin cities growing up with sears and roebuck montgomery wards in a then 1950's era strip mall in between st.paul and minneapolis then in downtown stpaul we had the golden rule and emporium stores all of these stores had 3-4 train displays in the toy departments. oh my a boys dream come true and I would tell my mother I promise I will stay here while you shop oh it seems like a a lifetime ago yet all in a blink of an eye!

we also had a lionel authorized hobby shop and oh my the few times my mother brought me there I couldn't take my eyes off of that santa fe bright chrome passenger car set with those aba diesels at the point oh my.

it's the one thing I never did purchase before I retired had an opportunity but instead bought my other love the reissued great northern passenger set including all the add on cars and b-units.

and both the golden rule and the emporium department stores had window displays oh my those were always the first thing I headed for the day after Thanksgiving yes we actually shopped on friday after Thanksgiving funny though they never called it black friday!!

the kids of today for the most part have to be entertained they have no creativity to create there own fun with the simple toys we had.

now it's either a I something a tablet something a wii game  that always makes me want to go ---! a ps2 3 or x360 box times are changing me I'll stay with the trains of yesteryear where only ones imagination was the limit of what it could would or was made to do.

when I first started this post and seen it slide to what I thought was the pit of no return you all started posting your memories for that I thank you for sharing a time in your life where the only thing we had to worry about was getting home on time for supper.

$oo

Balshis: Thanks for the redirect.  I have a few of the old catalogs, and did not get

deep into the Wishbook site now, but hope the 1941 Spiegel's is on there, reported to have shown the first Marx 3/16 set, (just in time for Pearl Harbor), and that there are Western Auto catalogs on there, as they did catalog what are now some rare Marx sets.  I emailed the site to a couple of friends and asked them to shop for my

Christmas gifts there.

Me too!

Richie

Interesting reflections of the 1950's, during the mid-1950's there was a department store named Raus, later Carson Pirie, in Chicago Heights,IL. During the Christmas merchant season after Thanksgiving!!!, the staff at Raus erected a large working Lionel train display. Saturday morning, me and my buddies, would walk a considerable distance from our family homes to watch this display for hours. Favorite gifts received 1955 Lionel Train Set and AC Gilbert erector sets.

Correct, Joe, and right across the street from Macy's was a small Lionel Dealer where I picked up most of my 027 track and accessories.

In the here and now...

We have a Southern States kinda of hardware/feed store/garden supply place where someone comes in and sets up a very nice and large 3 scale "Wonderland". They don't sell trains but they do it for the Spirt. Train shop right across the street has a an active 3 scale setup, which they change periodically by season. Of the other stores in the area off hand, most have what I would characterize as test loops for demoing potential sales (or repairs), one guy even has his closed down and blocked off, which wastes a reasonable amount of space. Another shop has a permanent HO layout rigged so the kids can push a button and make the engine run, but no speed variation. I think it's still there by inertia very little is done to it. Simple loop with a tunnel and a few buildings, though the landscaping is nice if sparse.

If your Sears, Wards etc had a Marx operating display layout, it most likely looked like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZtjabw7IJA

Steve

Great memory!

--Greg

Very similar memories.....I am from Cambridge MD. Back then Race St had a Sears, Ward, Western Auto, McCroys, Woolworth's and a local hardware store called Phillips hardware.....all on the same block. The next block had a large hardware store called Hearns. This was in the 40's to the 60's.

As a ten year old in 1957, my buddies and I always frequented the Sears, Phillips, Hearns and Western auto due to the train layouts. They toys were a draw, but to be able to see Lionel in all its glory on those large boards, was a real treat.

Even the two dime stores had train related items. And who remembers the old bags of styrofoam snow and the crinkled brick paper we used at Christmas time?

As kids, we either had a 4x8 board that our father's (Santa?) put up, or those who had dad's with no inclination for such things, they put their trains on the floor. That was great....we ran the snot out of them, trying to see how fast we could go without losing it on the turn. Most plans were just ovals. My 1947 GG1 has a broken coupler bracket from one such mishap. I love crazy glue!

To look back and realize that a large outfit like Sears would have a large layout seems so out of place considering what one sees now when visiting department stores.

I am sure that back then we (and the adults) took some of the things we had back then for granted.  Locally here, even the train shops are hard pressed for enough space to put up a 4 x 8.... I built a 4 x 4 that Walt has in his shop, little more than a test track.

I am not sure what some of my buddies did with their O stuff, one loses touch over the years, but this Christmas, the layout I am putting up ( PLEASE see other thread, I'd like your opinions) will have in use, many of the items that either I bought or got as a present, or that my father bought when he put up the old "train garden" in our small house.

Things change. However, I hope some things never change...and that my 8 year old grandson gets to enjoy this year's layout, and also in the future, long after I am gone some of the items he will see this year at Christmas.

When he is my age, it is not imaginable what he will have for memories of trains and Christmas shopping...doubtful that they will be like mine are. But, who can tell?

I have no control over the future, but I am going to do what I can to make the present a gift.

Thanks for all the "looks back" from everyone, neat reading. And Merry Christmas!

Greg

There's no 1941 catalog, but there's a 1942, and I think the Marx trains you want are in it.

Thanks for the link. Thoroughly enjoyed looking at the catalogs from the '60s that I would pour over a a child. Couldn't wait for them to arrive!

I remember those wish books well, but never received anything, despite all my circling of items.  Maybe I should have left the catalog on the parents' bed, like Ralphie did.

My parents always maintained that I got more enjoyment out of the Wishbooks than anything I ever got from them.

I think they were right!

Rusty