Growning up in Pa with O Gauge Trains

The one below?  I see nothing below.

 

Guns,

   You were two quick look again now!

PCRR/Dave

Gee Dave, you posted the thread without the pictures, what can I say.   No fair editing them in after the comment.

 

Guns,

   Merry Christmas buddy!

PCRR/Dave

Dave, I lived with my aunt and uncle every summer of my school day life in Hatboro Pennsylvania.  I am talking the 50's.  My Family spent Christmas 1958 with my aunt and uncle.  Pennsylvania was always a very special state to me.  I was amazed at the stores that sold O gauge trains in the area.  Lots of Flyer was also present.  My Uncle Joe was a Flyer and O guy.  He knew every train store and place that sold trains at Christmas.  Christmas in Pennsylvania was the best.  I remember winter and summer going to the Snellenburg Department store in Wollow Grove to see the layouts.  My uncle was also a real train guy and we watched the GG-1 locomotives all over the area.  Great times, great memories.  My aunt, uncle, and the much loved GG-1 is no longer.  The memories will live forever.

That is a great scene. It looks like Horne's department store. I grew up in the Pittsburgh area in the 50's and 60's. Too bad there is not an S version for us American Flyer types. 

Dave:

I grew up in Lewistown, PA in the heart of Pennsylvania and astride the PRR's Middle Division.  With four mainline tracks and somewhere around 80 trains per day plus daily branch line locals, including one that passed my elementary school, railroading was a near constant presence in my life growing up in the '50's and '60's.

Toy trains were a constant presence too, especially at Christmas.  We had a train around our tree; my cousins had trains around theirs as did my grandparents and most of the kids in my neighborhood.

In our extended family there was no argument between which was better - Lionel or American Flyer; we were exclusively Lionel!

I've often wondered how anyone who grew up where I did could have avoided liking both toy and real trains.

Curt

Marty F,

    I actually feel sorry for the kids today, lots of them can no longer experience what you and I did, lots of it is gone now.  Some however has been preserved, but when we were kids, Christmas in Pa was magical, and lots of it centered around railroads, big and small, and the memories were just incredible.  In a lot of ways it helped shape who we are today.

PCRR/Dave

Tom,

   You are right on the money, it is the old Hornes Main Store, in downtown Pittsburgh with the ice skating ring just out side.  I remember my mom taking my daughter there at Christmas time so my daughter could experience what we did as kids in my era, which my Mom & Dad also did in theirs, and my grand parents and great grandparents also.  My daughter still brings this up, when I am lucky enough to get her home for Christmas.  There was something magical about that place at Christmas time, and still is.

 

Curt,

   No doubt about it, Pa's Railroad history is so big with so many of our families working in it, thru the generations, that our O Gauge hobby maybe stronger, here than any where else in the world.  In fact we still have young people in our family who are Engineers & Yardmen even today.  Christmas and O Gauge trains are almost un-separate-able here in Pa, it's that much a part of our family histories.

PCRR/Dave

Nice little story and pics Dave.My Grandpa and my uncles worked for the NYC here in Cleveland.There was always talk about railroads and Lionel trains came as presents.Thats where it all started here.Thanks for posting.Nick

I was born in Mount Carmel, PA, one of the premiere coal towns in the entire state.  It was served by Reading, the PRR and the Lehigh Valley.

 

When I was two, my family moved to Bloomsburg, PA, which had both RDG and DL&W trackage.

 

Finally, my father got a job in Huntingdon, PA, directly on the PRR main line.  I spent a lot of time down at the station in the Fifties and early Sixties.  As Juniata Guy has said, railroading was a constant presence in my life.  Though I've lived all over North America since then, the memories of those years never left me, and certainly influenced my continuing interest in the great days of American railroads.

 

Nick,

   You can almost bet that because both our Grand Parents worked for the Railroad, that they knew each other in some way, all those railroad people were close, many even related.

PCRR/Dave

I was born in northeast Philly and lived there until I was 11 years old.  We lived just a few blocks away from the Pennsy race track running from Philly up and down the northeast corridor.  I had many opportunities to witness those sleek silent running GG I motors as they would literally glide down the rails.  I even hopped a slow freight one time which was very risky and very stupid but when you are 10 or 11 you think you are invincible. 

 

Also, my Grandfather on my father's side of the family was a steam locomotive engineer for the B&O and I had an uncle who was a conductor on the B&O.  Additionally, my Grandad on my mother's side of the family would as an adolescent routinely hop Norfolk and Western freight trains on The old Shenandoah Branch line as they passed through the little country hamlet of Rileyville, Virginia on their way to Hagerstown, Maryland.  The engineers got to know him so well they would occasionally allow him to ride in the locomotive cab.  Imagine that happening in 2015.  So, a lot of personal memories as well as family genetics at work here which I think explains my love of trains.

"Growning up"? "Groaning up"? Wha...?

 

Sorry. Couldn't help it. I love typos.

 

BTW, not from Pennsylvania, or the Northeast. Or even the North. BUT - I have been

around Horseshoe Curve by rail (how else?). LCCA convention, long ago. (I remember

thinking that I was a long way from a good bowl of crab gumbo.)

 

Just don't tell my fellow New York Central fans that I was there.

 

 

Hi Dave, when some of us say we are a railroad family, that's what we really mean! My Dads Dad, was an engineer on the Pennsy. My Dad and an Uncle were engineer's on J&L's Railroad, The Mon Con, Several other uncles worked on both the Penssy and the B&O as engineers and a couple as conductors. As have many cousins! Myself, I started on the B&O in 1977, and just retired from NS last Dec. And as in many railroad families, my son-in-law is an engineer on NS. So as you may have already guessed, at Christmas time, everyone had trains set up! And when it came to birthdays, Christmas, and special occasions, Lionel were the expected gifts of choice! Brings back so many sweet memories of days gone by, Nothing like Christmas in Pittsburgh! Thanks for starting this post! Have a great day!

 

Uncle Al

Growing up in the Scranton PA area trains were all around us. Home of the DL&W and served by no less than 5 railroads plus two historic gravity railroads; all related  to coal mining, it was easy to become a railfan.  My first train was a Marx hand me down.  My parents borrowed a Lionel train keep me happy when the old Marx died. In 1957 I received the first train that was truly mine; a Lionel HO set (by Riverossi) of which I still have the cars..quite well detailed. A Fleishman steam passenger set followed. So I was an HO and later N guage guy through High School age. But I admit that I coveted all of the Lionel trains that friends and relatives ran every Christmas.

Fast forward to the 70s; my next door neighbor sold me two top notch O guage sets for my two sons to run at Christmas time. That did it. I have been hooked on O guage ever since. It was fun in the 70s and 80s trying to find used trains at shows and was a fine art in itself. But I am totally involved with the latest trains and I love the friendships that have evolved around the hobby.

Conductor Earl         

I was born in Scranton PA, lived in north Reading PA for about 8 years, graduated from Muhlenberg High. My grandfather C. D. Fritz worked for the Reading Company and retired from there too.

Seems like almost every city that was of importance during the mid 1800's had a railroad that served the city. Now there are many railroad museums throughout PA. 

I have been to Steamtown once, and have been to Strasburg several times. I like Strasburg better then I do Steamtown as there are more things to see in Strasburg.

 

My dad used to set up his O gauge Lionel trains before Christmas every year. I now have his trains, two pre war sets; one freight and one passenger. I started out with O gauge track and switches.

I have several Lionel, MTH, K-Line and Williams trains, trying to collect mainly Reading railroad anymore, just bought a Reading Crusader set of K-Line passenger cars.

 

My dad had to move for his job and so I lived in Stratford CT for about 10 years. Got to see the New Haven RR at Stratford, nice quiet passenger trains as they are electric trains, all you hear is brake noise when they stop and the hum of motors when they start.

 

Reading PA had two railroads that went through the city or nearby, the Reading RR and the Pennsy. Reading RR had four tracks going north of the city toward Tuckerton Rd. and went down to two tracks by Leesport RR crossing. Pennsy had two tracks that I remember, and a bridge at Hwy. 61 and Bellevue Rd. to a coal yard near the Arco gas station, one track at Leesport area.

Now there is two tracks that used to be Reading RR towards Tuckerton Rd. and one former Pennsy track.

 

I have been back up to the Reading PA area since high school. One time there was Blue Mountain & Reading RR, a passenger RR. Now there is Reading & Northern that operates from somewhere near Hamburg PA, might be Jim Thorpe or Port Clinton PA.

 

Lee Fritz

This is a great thread and a thank all those who have posted things they remember about growing up with trains. my parents lived in The Pittsburgh area, Castle Shannon then Whitehall. No one in our family worked for the railroads but toy trains were my most cherished Christmas presents.  I have many great memories from childhood at Christmas such as the tree on the corner of Horne's the Kaufmann's window displays, Frank's train store on route 88 near Saw Mill Run Boulevard, the Lionel train layout on the 9th floor at Kaufmann's and the Lionel layout in the lower level windows of Horne's at the corner of Route 51 and Brownsville road in Whitehall. There were two other department stores in Pittsburgh in the 50's; Gimbel's and Frank & Seder. I do not recal train displays in Gimbel's but Frank & Seder sold them. My dad bought a Gilbert HO set there for Christmas of 1956. My grandparents bought me 652G and a 654G passenger cars from Kaufmann's in 1951. The Kaufmann's price tags, $5.95, are still in the end flaps. 

As an American Flyer collector I am in the minority but all trains are good. 

AMFlyer,

     Great post, and lots of us have American Flyer rolling stock that has been modified to run on our O Gauge layouts.  I picked up this American Flyer Mini-Crane that I run with both my Tin Plate and my Wellsville, Addison & Galeton Shay driven Logging Train.

This little Crane has become one of my favorite pieces of rolling stock, American Flyer

made some pretty cool Tin Plate!

PCRR/Dave

 

My Custom American Flyer Mini Crane Car on the WAG Logging Train.

Lived acrossed the bridge from p.a. All my life and always had the train life. Here a recent shot in p.a. Across the bridge.

 

Great looking car Dave.

Mom & Dad were raised in Beaver Falls in the '40s and '50s. I spent a lot of time there visiting Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. Pennsylvania has always had a special meaning for me.

Steamer,

   David because Pittsburgh is located so near the Ohio & West Va borders we have a lot of people from both states that are more or less considered part of our local train families, most all my friends from Ohio, & WVa have O gauge train layouts up at Christmas time, many of these people have parents or Grandparents still living in the Pittsburgh, Pa area.  Walking into their home, especially at Christmas time is just like being in one of our homes, the people and how they live are all pretty much the same.

PCRR/Dave

 

Lots of them own and operate the same Tin Plate Trains that I do, some were even purchased in the same stores her in Pittsburgh & the surrounding areas.

Nice photo. We have a white ceramic tree from the 50's like the green one in your photo. It looks like a Royal Santa visible in the upper left. Thanks for posting. 

Dave,

  Grew up in New York but spent my summers from the 1960's into the 1970's in Western Pennsylvania. My aunt lived in Wilmerding (home of WABCO) and my grandparents lived in Port Vue. Grandpa worked for US Steel. Watching freight trains pass through Wilmerding was always fun along with standing next to GG1's on our trip and passing Horseshoe Curve. I'm 100% sure those summers shaped my love for the Pennsy.

  Nice car. Was that mass produced and is it still available?

Tom

I grew up in Valencia along the B&O Pittsburgh & Western mainline in the '60s.  My maternal grandfather had been a fireman on that line before he enlisted in WWI.  He was disabled in the trenches in France, but after many years recuperating, they relocated to the top of Bakerstown Hill.  My paternal great-grandfather wirked the pumping station at Downieville on the west side of the hill.  These locations stradle the Butler-Allegheny county line.

 

We lived about a half mile from the tracks, and I always loved watching the parade of B&O trains going up and down the hill, whether from the car, my bicycle, or on foot.  I remember hearing the trains blow the whistle from the house, much as I hear Bessemer and Buffalo & Pittsburgh trains from my home now.

 

We never had a train at home until I bought my own when I was 12, but I had an uncle who had an HO plywood central in his basement.  I have always been interested in trains and model trains of various scales and gauges.

 

And so here I am living near my wife's hometown of Butler building a temporary O gauge layout until our last grown daughter moves out and I can acquire her room for a permanent layout.

Tom,

   You know of course that the Pitcarin/Wilmerding train yard is right down the road from my Churchill home.  I really should take more pictures of the trains as they are moved around in the giant yard, that now runs from Wilmerding clear thru to Braddock.

WABCO is still in business working 3 shifts a day, George Westinghouse's original invention of the air brakes, is still going strong even today. 

 

 

Mark,

   Butler is a great place to live, have fun with your trains.

PCRR/Dave 

 

Or is it this NOMA Santa?

 

I have seen other versions that had Santa holding something different. Can't remember what.

Mine, long gone, had that flat tree.

 

Dave

Dave,

   Good to know WABCO is still doing well. I haven't been back since around 1975 (no more relatives left there). I took a Google Maps tour though and could still recognize some things!

 

 Tom

Dtrainmaster,

 

How tall is the Santa.  I think my family has a matching snowman.

Conductor Earl

I think it was a brown tobacco pipe

Wish someone did something similar for the Philadelphia area.

 

Those are nice looking cars.

 

-Greg

nope

That is an original Crown bubble light Santa is holding, very nice with the original packaging. Both the Santa's and the snowmen were made in several variations. One is internal illumination with a tree in the holder, another is holding the bubble light as shown in this photo. 

Greg,

   A Christmas car with a snow scene of Independence Hall on it would go over big time with the Phily guys, something like this definitely needs to be produced for the Phily area, no doubt it would sell like mad!

 

Earl, Dave & Adriatic,

   The Santa's on each end of the train layout are approx 8" in height, one holds the Christmas Tree the other and Angle, I have a 3rd in my Log Cabin in Potter/Tioga that holds a Green colored light bulb to simulate a Christmas tree, all are from the 50's era and still function like new,  I also have a bigger 18" one, made by the same company.

Actually there are 3 different small types of these 50's era Santa's, my brother has the one that does not hold anything and only lights.   They are part of our child hood Christmas decorations, handed down to me by my parents.  They have become part of my Christmas Train layout, except for the bigger one which has it's own place on the gun case in the game room.

PCRR/Dave

 

You can also see the outside 4' one on the porch thru the window behind the platform.

Dave,

   There was a PRR tower sign on eBay that ending last night for WG Tower at Wilmerding. Unfortunately, I did not win it! 

   What is Wilmerding like nowadays?

 

Tom