Fond Memories

At 77, I still vividly recall those wonderful train years of my youth and can still smell that wonderful Flyer smoke!

I also had a favorite uncle who custom designed and constructed a sliding, aluminum frame control panel, with a center flat portion for my ZW, and left and right slanted panels for control switches. It was installed on one end of one of two 4 x 8 plywood tables set on sawhorses, and could slide under the table after an operating session! THANK YOU, Uncle Nick!

That uncle worked on the line at the Grumman Aircraft plant in Bethpage (Long Island) and in those days, small, otherwise unusable scraps of aluminum could be had by employees.

I’m 70. My first set was a 2036 steamer with 3 cars for Christmas 1950 courtesy of my Dad. After that he added 2032 Erie Alco with 027 passenger cars and a 400 Budd Car. He also added accessories such as a gateman, cattle loader, crossing gate and a double track signal bridge. I still have all of these and run them. In 1955 he got me a ZW. The ZW is still my main source of power. He built me a platform, painted it green and spread sawdust on the wet paint for grass. Priceless memories. Thanks Dad. 

It is wonderful that you were able to save those trains to the present. Alas, at about age 16 in 1958, my interests shifted and I asked my dad to sell my trains so I could purchase a high quality reel to reel tape recorder! Although, at that time I had no regrets, in later years, I did!

Don't forger the smell of ozone from the AC motors.

rrvics posted:

I’m 70. My first set was a 2036 steamer with 3 cars for Christmas 1950 courtesy of my Dad. Thanks Dad. 

If that's true, you must have been less than a year old when you got your first set. I suspect your Dad got the set for himself - you were the excuse!  

To breezinup,

I was born in November of 1949, so I was 1 year 1 month old for Christmas of 1950 when I got the train set. 

breezinup posted:

If that's true, you must have been less than a year old when you got your first set. I suspect your Dad got the set for himself - you were the excuse!  

I agree!  My bet would also be on your dad thought you were the perfect excuse to spend the money on a train - happened all of the time. 

My fondest memories begin in the Fall of every year in the 50's and 60's: getting the new catalog, planning the new "Christmas Garden", finally being allowed to bring the trains and the 4'x6' platform from beneath the basement steps after Thanksgiving, shopping for new Plasticville at the 5&10 and trains at the hardware store, shopping again the day after Christmas for the sales, and finally running my trains until I had to pack them away on New Year's day.

Now I'm a retired old fart and have a year-round layout in the basement and can play everyday! 

breezinup posted:

rrvics posted:

I’m 70. My first set was a 2036 steamer with 3 cars for Christmas 1950 courtesy of my Dad. Thanks Dad. 

If that's true, you must have been less than a year old when you got your first set. I suspect your Dad got the set for himself - you were the excuse!  

Isn't that the closest thing to the Fountain of Youth for a grown man?

That was true for my father when I got my 1st Lionel trains at the age of 3 on Christmas Day 1954, and true for me when I set up those same trains and they ran like a charm around the Christmas tree in 1989 when my daughter was 3 years old and my son was 1 year old. Those are very fond memories. Arnold

Christmas eve,1959.....set 1591....thanks grandpa....still got it in the OB....

Christmas 1948, 2026 freight set under the tree. I was four years old and still have that set. Got things for my trains every Christmas and birthdays after that. Once in awhile my pop would take me to Col. Bob's train store I think was the name of the store in Los Angeles.. He bought me a pair of 027 electric switches once and a KW transformer from there. I remember a layout on the right as you walked in. That's were I first saw Gargraves track. I was hooked after that. Finally got some at Christmas in about 1952. Shot of my sister and I about that time. Don

https://ogrforum.com/...-joe-s-display-shelf

Christmas Eve 1952, my parents gave my brother and me, I believe, The American Flyer Mountaineer, 462 Pacific #282 with a baggage car and three passenger cars plus an oval of track. That train ran almost continually until after the new years. The engine eventually wore out but I have the original cars in played with condition plus a 282 replacement locomotive. I also now have more trains than I ever thought I would have and love running them.

Ray

Thanks for sharing those wonderful memories!  :-)

 From 1955.

Ah, another Gilbert S gauge Flyer lad! My neighbor in Woodhaven, Queens was the switchboard operator at the Gilbert Hall of Science, and was able to get my parents her 40% discount on the five-car A-B-A North Coast Limited passenger set. The forward A unit had twin motors and the B unit had "diesel roar" and a Nathan Air Chime horn sound. Heady stuff for a young teen in the mid fifties!

My first train WOW moment was when I saw my favorite uncle’s NYC F units and passenger set running on an oval on the floor of his unfinished attic.  The oval seemed huge at the time and the trains were just amazing.

From 1956 to 1966 my layout grew, After all these years I realize all the work that went into my Dad putting up and taking down the layout,and I never once saw him  running them. From 1960 on for the year or so or whatever it was  my dad would start to set the trains up in the basement.My parents used to lock the basement anyway so I wouldn't fall down the steps when i was little.The lock was all the way at the top of the door so I couldn't reach it. I used to get a chair and stand on it to unlock it .Every year when my dad would set up the trains he told me that he was helping Santas elfs put the trains up,and that one of them was always there.If  I opened the door and peeked,the elf would see me and they would take the trains away and never bring them back, It worked

Christmas morning 1957.

Still have the trains (and sister)