A Special Tribute to Dad, Christmas, Trains...and Great Memories!

Alomst wonder how that engine would look witht the polar express cars. Either way, she looks great. My family is deprived of a Christmas train this year, because the 1033 I use died a few days ago. No Marx or Lionel tinplate under the tree this year.

Also, and I might be wrong here, but it looks like that set is one that was remade recently, as well as the original production. I love that set, and am curious if there was an operating boxcar?

El Classico posted:

Also, and I might be wrong here, but it looks like that set is one that was remade recently, as well as the original production. I love that set, and am curious if there was an operating boxcar?

EC, yes and yes!  Lionel did reproduce this set recently.  I purchased one but haven't run it yet.  My Dad's original set from 1947 did include the much-sought-after Pennsylvania operating merchandise boxcar.  I do have it but it's currently "out of service" due to a broken coil coupler!

Yep, they did two versions of the Berk in the Conventional Classics line of repros. One was a freight set and the other was a passenger set with the three Tuscan Madison cars.

Lol.

Joe,

I'm sure your Dad is smiling down at you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just gotta love the trains of our forefathers. Bulletproof, and able to run around the tree as nimbly in their old age as in their youth.

Same with my husband. Love your tree with the big lights. I normally use those too, but have now "settled" for prelit. We have a mojave pre-war standard gauge set under ours right now.

T

I sure appreciate you posting your story and the video.  My story is similar with my dad sharing his train with me at my 8th Christmas.  His/ours was a Lionel #2037, a 2-6-4 which I recall being referred to as a Prairie engine.  Its tender had no whistle but we had a Marx train station that had an awesome whistle; at least it sounded awesome to me at eight years old :-)  I'm glad you have such nice memories of your dad.  Merry Christmas.

My dad is the reason for my love of trains. Each year he and my uncle would build a "new" Christmas layout in the basement of my uncle's printing shop. My dad was an engineer for the PRR and he just loved Lionel trains. Somehow my parents managed to be able to buy most of the Lionel items on our wish list after visiting the Lionel showroom in NYC. It was only some years after his passing we finally found out about those odd Lionel items we also received but had never asked for. Turns out those trains were the ones he just had to have but of course, dad's in the 50's did not buy themselves toys for Christmas. I think of him every time I power up a ZW and run either very old or very new trains.

Ed

Great memories, thanks for posting.

Karl

I have my fathers as well and when we run it, it brings a big ol smile to his face. Merry Christmas to you all

I love posts like this one.  Its always great to see people paying tribute to their dads and grandfathers.  I was only five years old when my dad died in 1953 of wounds he suffered in France during WWll but I still have his Lionel 1423W set he purchased in 1948.  The little 1655 still runs like a top and its tinplate style tender still whistles although a tad raspy.  The outfit's associated freight cars are all in top notch condition.  I run it under our tree every year so he is still with us.

JoeyA,

   The old girls looks beautiful to me!   Enjoy the memories, our Trains make them happen every Christmas here at our home, looks like it happens in your home also!

PCRR/Dave

great story. thanks for sharing. I'm doing the same this year with my Uncle Jim's trains that he left me. And some of the trains that were his, my Dad had passed down to him, and some trains that haven't been run together for over 50 years are on the same tracks again. 

Doug W. posted:

 

Doug W, all I can say is WOW!  Your video puts mine to shame.  Outstanding!  Thanks for sharing!

Joe,

Thanks for the compliment but that is a video from youtube  that is the background to one of my favorite groups and song.

Those old early postwar Berks were beautiful - you were fortunate that your dad had one. Looks as if she still smooth and strong!

Joe , 

   Great looking locomotive and a nice story. Properly maintained, you can get another 68 years out of it. 

Merry Christmas,

Tom