It's December , if you have your original train, show it here.....

My first train. On an old layout but I still have it.

This little guy used to race around a coffee table in the Bronx, a long time ago.

Some of his companion pieces are still around too.

I was one lucky boy when Santa left this beautiful set, including KW, under our tree December 1958, when I was only 6 months old. Still looks as sharp and runs today as it did back then.

Peter:

Great idea for a thread! Here’s mine, a Lionel #1527 “outfit” from 1955.

Curt

“Now”…

“Then”…(a junior Juniata Guy)

Mine was the Quaker Oats promotion from 1961. Plastic bodied Scout that doesn't run anymore. Unless you count one foot forward, one foot in reverse without touching the transformer!!

My first set was a Lionel HO Santa Fe AB Alco streamliner. Got it for Christmas 1970. I ran the wheels off of this until we took my HO layout down when we moved after high school.

(not my photo)

I vaguely remember that we had an HO set before, but our first O gauge set was the US Marines land, Sea, and Air Gift pack.  What a great set for little kids and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, she's lost a front fin or two, but surprisingly, almost everything else has remained intact, including all of the missiles and accessories. I even have the original orange  box as well as the paper accessory folders and targets that came with the set.  It might not rate too high because of the wear and tear, but she is priceless to me and will never be sold. I look forward to giving the engine a thorough cleaning and lube job before running her again in the near future (she's been on a hiatus for over 20 years!)-

Old #1 is still running....

...and let's not forget the add-on provided by Grandma that same year...

@Mayor Magoo posted:

This little guy used to race around a coffee table in the Bronx, a long time ago.

Some of his companion pieces are still around too.

Steve......where in the Bronx? I are up in Pelham Bay....

Peter

Here is my first train.  It was given to me for Christmas by my paternal grandfather in 1974  (talk about planting a seed!).  It was his first set that he bought to run around his Christmas tree sometime after he married my grandmother.  By 1974, he had HO around the tree, and his 773 passenger set set up in the basement (I also have that set).  It helped make a very memorable and happy Christmas memory for me.

Andy

Great sets and great memories so far.....keep 'um coming!

Peter

Christmas 70 or 71 with a Marx 1666 Penn Central smoker still have.

The first picture is actually my dad's first train from the late 40's (Lionel 2026), I'm the lucky one that received all his post war trains when I got my house and started my layout with those.  Then my wife started my expansion with this Mickey and Friends Express set she bought my two sons and I a few Christmases ago.  I have since added more postwar, MPC and modern stuff myself but those are what I consider my original trains.

@Putnam Division posted:

Steve......where in the Bronx? I are up in Pelham Bay....

Peter

Peter,

237th Street, two blocks off the El on White Plains Rd.  Went to St Frances of Rome school.  A lifetime or two ago.

My dad bought this from a friend. Who got it from Macy's for christmas in the 1950's. Called him smokin joe,the train not the guy. 1st steam train i remember. Still runs and smokes great.

Quite possibly the first train I played with, though the set was bought by my grandfather for my Uncle. He bought an identical set for a neighbor's kid who didn't have the funds to buy a train. I played with it whenever I visited my grandfather, though upon his passing it sadly "disappeared". Everyone knew I wanted it and my Uncles said I could have it, so I hope that it is buried in their basement somewhere and will turn up someday.

I recently saved the loop of track (that didn't disappear) and it now is used under my Christmas tree, so at least part of the memory lives on.

Lionel 2055 with a few cars.. 1986 or 7ish maybe

My first train (excluding a small wooden push train with plastic tracks) came for Christmas of 1962 or 1963. Last year, I had some restoration done on the engine which had some damage from a flood. The caboose in the video is actually from my brother’s set since mine is lost somewhere in the basement   This is the only engine I run with smoke using one of the last smoke pellets that came with the Super-O set.

Christmas 1947 "Santa" brought Dad and me our first Lionel electric train.  The set included this 2025 engine  (which I still have) and three "Irvington" passenger cars (which are long gone).  Several years ago Lionel "kind of reproduced these cars which I picked up.

Also Still have this metal double door Lionel box car that showed up that Christmas.

Christmas 1948 Santa brought this Lionel "Electronic" set with PRR S2 671.  But in late 60's traded it at Amer's for some Bower HO engine kits.

Now wish would have kept it, mind worked!  But today could not get a tube for the controller box.

Ron

Wow, we all have a lot in common!

I just made a video about seeing my first train set for the first time in 35+ years.  I believe this was my Christmas present in 1976.

Lionel MPC Era NYC Empire State Express...

Here is my 2353 from 1952 over several Christmas's Past and where they sit today.

Top Shelve after finally finding all the missing extra cars to include both version of the Baggage Car.

My first train.  1952.  My first Berk.  Tuned up by Henning's a couple years ago, still runs strong.  I was pretty rough on my trains.  Pretty sure, at the price shown, this set cost more than a week's salary when my Dad bought it.  Thanks, Dad.  Also have the KW.

Christmas morning... happy as a clam.

Jon

First train set from not that many years ago (2013 or maybe it was 2014)...  It's always been a holiday staple and this year, this little gear popped out and I decided that was my nudge to jump into the hobby.  I've since made some upgrades - nothing but pure joy and holiday memories though, a real story maker with all that's happened (trees raining glitter, needles, and ornaments on it, kids and dogs, stacks of presents crushing it).  Really looking forward to getting my basement remodeled!

Well this is a really cool post and I thought I might try to contribute at least in part.  My father was a part time photographer so I have some pictures of my original train around the Christmas tree in 1946 and I have traced the set as the Lionel # 2111WS.  Its contents, which can be seen in the picture are a.671 steam turbine and tender b. 3459 operating ore car (note bin in picture with RCS track) c. 2411 flatcar with pipes d.2460 twelve wheel crane car and e. 2420 work caboose with searchlight.  I wish I still had everything but I am afraid that the crane car and 2420 are gone (or at least I can't find them).  I do still have the 671 and tender - although it need some work and the flat car with pipes.

At Christmas 1946 I had just turned 2 so you can imagine that my interaction with an EXPENSIVE toy was limited and highly supervised by both my Dad and my Grandad.  We lived on the second floor of my Grandparents 2 family house in Bloomfield New Jersey...not that far from Irvington site of the Lionel factory.  Note the box car in the picture is unknown, I have no pictures of what car it is nor do I remember it.  Likely it was an "add on" that Dad bought to go with the set.

So here is my layout in 1946.  When we were still in the "set it up for Christmas around the Tree, take it down after New Years and pack it up for the next year" mode.

In 1953 we moved into our own house and the layout became "permanent" in the basement.  Here it is sometime in the 1950's, I expect 1954-56.  You can see the #671 still working the inner loop and a pre-war passenger outfit on the outer loop.  Dad bought that one from someone at work who was getting out of trains and it became our first passenger train.  The engine, out of site, was a 1664 and the cars were 2640/2641 in green.   Note the Milk car platform facing into the inner loop so we obviously had a Milk car (like everyone else in the world ).  A #349 rotating beacon, an # 455 oil rig, a #93 water tower and of course the # 132 station.

Well that 's my trip down "memory lane" for tonight.

Don

@Mayor Magoo posted:

Peter,

237th Street, two blocks off the El on White Plains Rd.  Went to St Frances of Rome school.  A lifetime or two ago.

Know the area well....I went to Spellman for high school and many of my HS buds lived in the area off 238th. Do you remember the seasonal train store, Honig's Parkway, under the El on White Plains Rd, just north of the intersection with Allerton Ave?

Peter

The great pictures continue!

Peter

Here is mine: Given to my brother and me on Christmas morning, 1962. Somewhere (I hope) I have a few pictures Dad took that Christmas day of the train on the layout. He built the table with 1x4 framing and homosote during the evenings between Thanksgiving and Christmas. All the kids in the family were forbidden to go down to the basement until Christmas afternoon. This picture was taken in 2012, the last year I had it under the tree. I've since gone to even older stuff, and run a vintage tinplate train with Ives cars and a Carlise and Finch engine. That one is as old as my house.

Chris

LVHR

@Don McErlean posted:

So here is my layout in 1946.  When we were still in the "set it up for Christmas around the Tree, take it down after New Years and pack it up for the next year" mode.

Well that 's my trip down "memory lane" for tonight.

Don

Beautiful reminiscences , Don, and some great trains... Of course, being weird, the two things that jump out for me in your 1946 set up are the amazing baseboard on the wall, and the tinsel on the tree!!! The tinsel I remember from the late 50’s and early 60’s was some sort of lead. When we took the tree down, we had to take the tinsel off before we threw out the tree and my brother and I would pack it into tight balls and throw them at each other

It's Christmas 1958.  My mother always contended that her father and my father bought the Allstate Sears (Marx) train set for themselves.  I was 4 at the time.

My parents paid a pretty penny for this train set in 1958.  $24.45 was a lot of money then.

Here's that same train set on Panhandle 1 in 2010 or so.

Finally, here's old Marx #666 doing Christmas tree duty under Samantha's careful watch.

That engine still works and (God willing) will be passed on to future generations.

George

I believe I have posted these before, but it is always a joy to revive the memories.

1966:  I am lying on the carpet as Grandpa helps me play with a Tonka auto carrier truck (reminiscent of the real ones he designed for Shell transportation) right next to the Marx #15765 set I got the previous year (no good pics from '65).

2018:  Here is the same set a few years ago on our permanent layout in the back room.  In less that two weeks, it will make its 2021 annual Christmas run in honor of the Holy Day and also of the man who gave the train to me:  Franklin Joseph Kern.  He worked for different divisions of Shell for most of his life including being assigned to the team that supported Jimmie Doolittle's aerobatics team in testing Shell lubricants.

In Grandpa's honor, I collect Shell trains, including this spiffy Service Station Special rounding the same curve during the non-Christmas part of the year.  Check out the chrome add-on tank car!

I also still have all the other trains he gave me, my first Lionel (1971 8020 Alco set), a Remco SpeedRail monorail, and the Tyco Chattanooga Choo-Choo (1976).

Thanks for a great hobby, Grandpa!

My first set on the top shelf, and my dad's first set on the bottom shelf.

There are so many beautiful memories here. Just wonderful!

Well in 1956 Santa gave me the Lionel 1615 locomotive work train for Christmas. And I still have and it still runs. Here it is on my 4x4 foot layout for Christmas.  

Green ball Express freight set:

My first train set, kind of. A MTH PS2 Santa Fe Passenger Set. Had to get a replacement engine for it.

In 1956, at age 3, I got the 2265WS Berkshire Freight Set. Still have it in it's original boxes. May take it out, lube it up and give it a run this weekend. That's my Dad's Red Comet Set on the inside loop.

In 1959, at age 6, I asked for and got the 2528WS "5 Star General Set."  This one is run every year at Christmas!

And here are the sets today.

@Apple & Orange Line posted:

Wow, we all have a lot in common!

I just made a video about seeing my first train set for the first time in 35+ years.  I believe this was my Christmas present in 1976.

Lionel MPC Era NYC Empire State Express...

That set was my 1st modern set.  We got it for Christmas in '75 or '76.  I also got a PC auto carrier and a PRR covered hopper to go with it.  It added a lot of play value over the pre-war set, and the two sets still looked great running together.

Andy

Really enjoying this thread. Thanks for everyone's contributions.

@Rich Wiemann That set is fantastic looking. I think it perfectly captures the ideal of a colorful Lionel PW set. Good balance of rolling stock, including some operating cars for play value. A real winner.