Model Railroading in Moderation

I would tend to agree with you, Arnold.  Growing up in the fifties, I cannot tell you how many times I heard stories about living through the depression.  "We were lucky to get a piece of fruit as a Christmas gift".  "I had to be embraced when the teacher called out the names of children who were getting used clothing".  Our parents were justified in their financial strategy as they raised us.  But they still tried to give us all they could, because of having lived through the depression.  That said, neither did they spoil us.  Although in my grandparents minds, we were spoiled.  

My brother and I were the last kids on the block to get a set of trains.  Fortunately for us and my parents, someone was selling some pre-war Lionels at a very good price.  So we wound up with a couple of sets, including a scale switcher, some Madison cars, tin plate passenger cars, some freight cars, two ovals of track on a 4 x 12 platform and plenty of static and some operating accessories.   

Absolutely! Arnold that's how we were raised. A family of four, we had 1 television (12"Hallicrafter), 1 radio, 1 record player, 1 telephone, 1 car, but I had the Lionel trains (in moderation) at Christmas. We were not poor by any means, both parents lived through the depression. I find myself now buying on occasion because "I can". Future model railroaders should accept the slow start method, as it should be with any hobby today. As far as I know there are no cheap hobbies.

Steve

Photos of our early moderately priced trains that got us started, might be fun to share.

This Lionel set, which I  believe cost my parents about $30 to $40 around 1953 or 1954, is headed by a baby Hudson #2065:

Although I'm not sure of all the cars in the set, I believe it included an operating milk car, remote control track section, yellow livestock car, red gondola, green operating log dump car and Tuscan red Lionel Lines illuminated caboose with round portals, as well as a small transformer and some 027 track. 

IMO, there is no starter set better for a young child than the above. $30 to $40 was a significant, but not extravagant, sum to pay in 1953 for toy trains, considering that many people were earning only $50 per week back then. Arnold

Such different times. When I received my Lionel (steam freight) set in 1955, my parents added a pair of manual switches and extra track for a siding. They also had a family friend who was a retired carpenter construct a 5x9 ft. Table for it and the thing was a work of art. Could have parked a car on it, I think.

Over the next few years, I received the gift of accessories and a few more cars - including an aluminum observation car (just the one). With my own meager funds, I purchased some Plasticville buildings and even a 225 C&O Alco diesel in 1960.  

That was about it. But all I ever expected, and so very enjoyable during those formative childhood years.

Nowadays I have so much stuff I have a hard time navigating my small train room without tripping, and finding particular cars or engines to run is almost a nightmare. So am I ahead of the game now or was I in the 1950s? I honestly don’t know.

Sometimes I believe it is a desire to make up for "lost time" that makes us keep buying. In younger days we cherished the few we had, now it seems like we can't get enough so we keep buying.

Steve

Excellent topic and answers so far Arnold!                                                                                                                                                                                       When I was 7 or 8 years old I had a small army of probably 5 or 10 army men (plastic toy soldiers). Each guy and each pose was familiar to me but I always wanted more. When I got my paper route I suddenly had some "disposable income" and I bought a lot more bags of men. Pretty soon I had a sizable army for a kid but it really didn't bring me more pleasure because they became a commodity. Each one didn't mean as much to me anymore. I have always been anxious to have more stuff and was not a patient younger person. I used to play a new Beatles album and realized I couldn't wait for it to end so I could play it again.                                                                                                                                                                         

I am still guilty of some of those traits but I am much better with age.  I try to enjoy each moment, each train if you will, and my toy and train collections have become more meaningful and pleasurable for me as I practice moderation. 

Oh yeah, and all of this is easier if you've run out of space!   

  TJ

Every non-railroader guest I've ever had has asked: "where do you store this when you take it down?"

Every railroader asks: "when are you going to move to a place with a bigger basement?"

Jon

I find that at this time in my life (67 years old), during which I do model railroading in moderation out of economic necessity, my enjoyment from it comes from the relaxation, creativity and contentment I get from it.

It's similar to what Melgar recently said on another thread.

Oftentimes after work, I go downstairs, run a couple of trains around the layout for a few minutes, see if something about the trains or layout gives me ideas to either tinker with the layout or post something on this Forum, and then I go upstairs, watch a baseball game on TV, and read what's recently been said on this Forum.

Then, I chime in when something comes to mind, especially if I have something funny to say. 

No question about it, this Forum is a major component of my model railroading in moderation experience these days, where there is connection, comraderie, creativity and learning at no cost.

There was an earlier time in my life when model railroading was about the fun and hard work of designing and building into the wee hours of the night, and spending a lot more than I do now. Back then, it was a delightful escape: my little world where I could leave my troubles behind. Arnold

For me it was a hand-me-down (brother outgrew it) Marx set. One Christmas a pair of remote track switches and another the E8 AA and (1) passenger car (the observation car). Definitely moderation. 

We up-sized with our retirement house (from 750 sq ft 2BD Cape to 1100 sq ft 3BD Cape) so now Roomie has a sewing room and I have a train room. While I now have the space $$ is in extreme moderation but it's all good. Many Americans our age live from-hand-to-mouth so we consider ourselves extremely fortunate.

Speaking from personal experience of being obsessed with "the hobby" and having OCD -- to the tune of being in credit card debt of around $20k and a basement layout that grew every year -- I fully agree with Arnold's hypothesis. Aspects of all hobbies can be very addictive.

One thing on moderation. Have a friend that I shoot competition with Long Range from Georgia that I mentioned I had a "O" scale layout. He replied that he wanted to also build an "O" scale layout rather then HO or N. But he looked at several forums on the internet with "O" scale and pics of layouts and indicated he didn't have the space. I asked if he could find an area were he could put a 4X8 or 5X9 layout in? He said he had that amount of space. I then copied many photos from here and showed him how these small layouts still had operating, running, switching possibilities, along with great scenery. Also folds downs can be added to increase running areas to layouts.

This is what I hear a lot when I mention I'm in "O" scale. Many see the room size or club size layouts along with large radius engine requirements on curves, not realizing some great smaller layouts with possible enlargement in the future with "moderation" can be created, completed and enjoyed. Remember, many of us started out with just a set and tracks around the Christmas tree and in our minds, it was huge. Also one doesn't need a Big Boy or other large engine to run a railroad. Its, moderation.

Rescued Trains posted:

Sometimes I believe it is a desire to make up for "lost time" that makes us keep buying. In younger days we cherished the few we had, now it seems like we can't get enough so we keep buying.

Steve

Certainly true for me, at least to some extent.  Santa brought me a Lionel 2026 locomotive and a couple of freight cars in 1951.  And that was it, until 1957, when a local dealer had a going-out-of-business sale.  That year, I got a #41 switcher and two operating box cars.  I knew money was very short for my family, so I wasn't at all disappointed.

But when I finally got my own disposable income, many years later, I set out to get for myself all those wonderful locomotives and cars I'd spent so many hours drooling over in the Lionel catalogs of yesteryear.  I succeeded, and I'm looking at them on the shelves of my basement wall right now.

It wasn't till I'd finally gotten all the postwar equipment I'd wanted as a kid that I started acquiring more modern scale equipment.

My pet OCD is having everything in order, completed, clean, a place for everything and everything in its place, no exposed wiring on the layout, etc. It's not an extreme obsession, but the good thing about it is that I believe it has kept me in moderation when it comes to purchases and prevented me from overbuying, because if it doesn't fit or look good on the layout or there isn't a place or shelf for it to go, it doesn't get purchased.

In addition, as a baby boomer, while I might splurge on a high-end item every once and awhile (especially at a deeply discounted price), the frugality that was impressed upon me while growing up in the 50's and 60's has served me well.

At 76, I have a spare bedroom that is a kind of train "shrine" ("man cave"?). Each of the four walls has train art or photos. My layout/display is 86" X 90" with two SG loops and one LGB R2 loop. One SG repro state set pulled by a Lionel Classics 400E, a three-car 200 series freight pulled by an MTH 408E, and a PIKO beer wagen consist pulled by a PIKO BR 24 2-6-0  loco are the running sets. I have a four-tier display rack with my modest original LGB collection of five engines and fourteen cars. I have a nice micro fiber swivel office chair, a small desk with a state of the art digital UHF/VHF scanner, and a 9" Verizon tablet. All of my accessories are Lionel, AF or MTH metal structures from the pre-war era. I often like to sit in my room and survey my domain in solitude, with no trains running. Other times, I fire up the Z-4000 and my DC lab quality power supply and run all the trains. Peaceful contemplation of these works of art is often enough in its own right.

Whether you accept it or not, the world is changing and so is the demographic. I don't think moderation has an impact on model railroading as much as the culture, demographic, and the "hobby" alternatives.   No marketing person expects their market to stay stagnant.  But model railroaders seem curious on why everyone including young people don't share their view of the world, life, or hobbies/free time.

At the end of WWII, toys became more affordable, and remote control of electricity on toy trains was magical.  That postwar period is where the vast majority of this forum grew up.  That common era and hobby is why we're here.  But that next new thing has mutated several times since the late forties.  Most people have moved on.  We however still enjoy toy trains.  It's great to bring new people into the hobby.  But the moderation aspect should probably remain a personal choice.

Video games and internet blogging have no appeal to me whatsoever.   And 40-50 years ago only a very low percentage of people were interested in those activities.  But that has changed, as well as the:

Station wagon vehicle,

Party line telephones,

Beanie babies, 

Privacy,

Respect for authority,

Wristwatch-camera-caculator (all have progressively miniaturized down to a thin ultra reliable pocket device).

Even our own hobby has made change/evolved;:

Mechanical e-unit

Mechanical air whistle

TMCC-Legacy-DCS-Snowflake

Electro couplers

Smoke tablets

Tubular track

Layout building technology

Incandescent lighting.

Even our hobby is segmented into people who won't move past pre-post war up to those who only tolerate the very latest tech.  And thankfully a lot  who enjoy the entire range.

It's not right or wrong,  it just is.

Enjoy what you have,

Share/get someone involved when you can - and

Above all - be thankful you're in America and for what we have.

Great topic.  I got my first electric trains the Christmas after I turned four.  I remember vague but minor disappointment that the locomotive was a diesel switcher as in my mind I had envisioned a steam locomotive.  (I probably never said anything about this, I just kind of assumed that was how it would be.) But the number of freight cars more than made up for the type of locomotive.     The trains were Marx but I was oblivious to brand names so, although this reflected moderation in price, they still seemed like the best present ever.  I was overjoyed that I also got a pair of remote control switches.  That was a key factor for me that distinguished electric trains from the wind-up and wooden trains that I had before then.  (And with Marx there was no anti-derailing feature so you had to make sure the trailing switch was also set correctly.)   I enjoyed that set thoroughly in the few weeks before it had to be picked up and packed away until the following Christmas.  I suspect the pricing of the Marx set allowed adding the switches while still staying within budget.  

Tinplate Art posted:

At 76, I have a spare bedroom that is a kind of train "shrine" ("man cave"?). Each of the four walls has train art or photos. My layout/display is 86" X 90" with two SG loops and one LGB R2 loop. One SG repro state set pulled by a Lionel Classics 400E, a three-car 200 series freight pulled by an MTH 408E, and a PIKO beer wagen consist pulled by a PIKO BR 24 2-6-0  loco are the running sets. I have a four-tier display rack with my modest original LGB collection of five engines and fourteen cars. I have a nice micro fiber swivel office chair, a small desk with a state of the art digital UHF/VHF scanner, and a 9" Verizon tablet. All of my accessories are Lionel, AF or MTH metal structures from the pre-war era. I often like to sit in my room and survey my domain in solitude, with no trains running. Other times, I fire up the Z-4000 and my DC lab quality power supply and run all the trains. Peaceful contemplation of these works of art is often enough in its own right.

I often sit in my train room w/o the trains running and just take it all in. Glad to know I’m not the only one! My wife thinks this is crazy, btw. 

Richie C. said, "In addition, as a baby boomer, while I might splurge on a high-end item every once and awhile (especially at a deeply discounted price), the frugality that was impressed upon me while growing up in the 50's and 60's has served me well".

Boy does that hit the proverbial nail on the head. You couldn't describe my approach any better. We were taught "spend a little, save a little". Also we never got anything new just to get new. It had to be a replacement for something that no longer functioned or was not repairable. Boy have times changed, people buy new phones every year or so to have the latest, greatest. I bought myself a watch as a young adult, my Dad's first reaction was "what's the matter with your old watch?" Yes Richie C. frugality was a way of life.

Steve

Richie C. posted:

In addition, as a baby boomer, while I might splurge on a high-end item every once and awhile (especially at a deeply discounted price), the frugality that was impressed upon me while growing up in the 50's and 60's has served me well.

Amen to that.  I always save up for my hobby purchases.  None of them ever touched the household budget.  Money  may have been tight when I was kid, but it taught me plenty of good financial habits -- habits that have served me well through my career.

As a youth, most of my Gilbert Flyer came discounted via the Hall of Science to nearby Savoy Merchandise on 23rd St. in NYC. Savoy did the servicing of the GHOS engines and accessories, and later refurbished and sold them below retail. Always had original packaging and boxes and ran like new. A neighbor who worked at the GHOS once got my parents a premium set, the five-car, A-B-A  North Coast Limited for her 40% discount! My parents could not have afforded the full retail on that then top-of-the line set.

aussteve posted:

Above all - be thankful you're in America and for what we have.

I have to second that sentiment. I'm pretty sure we would all agree that, whether we are profligate or modest, we have America to thank for our model trains and everything else we have.

Dave Warburton posted:

I often sit in my train room w/o the trains running and just take it all in. Glad to know I’m not the only one!

Dave - you are not the only one.

MELGAR

Almost as good as meditation! 😁

Rescued Trains posted:

Richie C. said, "In addition, as a baby boomer, while I might splurge on a high-end item every once and awhile (especially at a deeply discounted price), the frugality that was impressed upon me while growing up in the 50's and 60's has served me well".

Boy does that hit the proverbial nail on the head. You couldn't describe my approach any better. We were taught "spend a little, save a little". Also we never got anything new just to get new. It had to be a replacement for something that no longer functioned or was not repairable. Boy have times changed, people buy new phones every year or so to have the latest, greatest. I bought myself a watch as a young adult, my Dad's first reaction was "what's the matter with your old watch?" Yes Richie C. frugality was a way of life.

Steve

So true - I remember I bought my first well worn and travelled used car, a 1964 V-8 Impala 2-door hardtop and wanted to outfit it with some Cragar S/S mags very badly. I worked and saved and scrimped and finally found a used set in decent condition and mounted them up. When I showed my father, his reaction was, "What was wrong with the old wheels ?"

My take on "moderation"

I enjoy the more realistic side of the hobby. That means I model a specific railroad (Grand Trunk Western) during a specific historical time period (Early 1990s). That strongly limits the type, kind, and number of items that I need to buy.  It's helped keep me focused on building my layout and not just "buying trains".

Arnold I find this thread very interesting and your assessment to be true.  My parents were very frugal from the experience of the Great Depression.  I desperately wanted a Lionel train set, but was told I would have to buy it myself.  My only source of income was my allowance, but that was going to take forever.  So, my mother felt sorry for me and they agreed to match every dollar I saved until we could afford to buy my train set.  (The precursor to the 401K matching?)  We began saving and did so for well over a year until we finally had enough money.  I picked out an O Gauge Pennsylvania Steam Turbine freight set from the 1950 Lionel catalog and we ordered it from the local Coast To Coast hardware store.  It had an operating coal dump car and an operating milk car, but only an oval of track and no switches.

Over the next couple years I was able to add a cattle car, a floodlight tower, and eventually a motor car that reversed direction when it hit anything.  We built a layout on a 3 X 6 foot plywood and made a village with Plasticville buildings.  

There is no doubt in my mind that this train was appreciated much more because of the commitment required and the sacrifice of saving for it for so long.  My mom made me promise her that I would never sell it, but give it to my grandkids if I did not want it.  I have it displayed in an antique writing desk that she had in my foyer of my home.  I think of my mom every time I look at it.

Art

All previous comments reflect my childhood in the fifties, received a Lionel O Gauge train set in 1955 for Christmas, my father also purchased  LH and RH manual switches, the magnetic gantry crane and tie ejector car. The switches were purchased with the train set, the crane and tie ejector car later purchases. I also had the Junior Engineer AC Gilbert Erector Set, worked well with the train. I occasionally received a model car or airplane kit, I never forgot seeing the Schwinn Black Phantom bicycle for the first time in a local bike shop, my dad asked the price, he made me a deal a used JC Higgins for $10.00 or nothing at the bike shop, sure enjoyed the $10.00 bike. Disposable money for unnecessary items was limited, as kids we made due and used our heads to make soap box racers from scrap wood and discarded radio flyer wagon wheel assemblies. Baseball bats were fixed with wood screws and duct tape, the baseball was taped with duct tape after the stitching failed and the Shopper's World baseball glove needed an old sock after the padding in the pocket failed, we survived the fifties and had a good time going it.    

"What was wrong with the old wheels ?"  Richie C. That made me laugh out loud.  My dad would have said that and now days I think I would also.

Dave Warburton I used to lay on the trainroom carpet floor with my son in the 90's and just listen to the rumble of the postwar trains on tubular track overhead.  He would go to sleep and get carried to bed.  

Now that my grandson lives with me, I'm resurrecting the layout back to life and expect he will want to do the same.

It is also very soothing for me just to lay in there by myself and contemplate my problems and blessings.  Even with no trains running just the environment is peaceful.

It has been wonderful for me to read all of contributions to this thread, many of which are heart felt.

IMO, those of us who needed to economize, or whose parents needed to economize, when trains were purchased during our childhoods, greatly value what we did get, and have been able to acquire as adults those trains we didn't get, which we also cherish.

Art (Chugman) struck a chord with me when he said his Mom made him promise her he would never sell a particular train. When I had a friend over and my mom overheard the negotiation of a trade of trains between me and my friend, my mom not only put an immediate end to the negotiation, when she got me alone, she told me to never sell any of my Lionel trains! She gave much thought to the Lionel trains she purchased for me at Macys in NYC and gave to me as Christmas/Birthday gifts, and she knew all of those Lionels were of great quality, and she believed they would forever appreciate in value!

Approximately 60 years have gone by since then and I have fully obeyed my mother's directive. LOL. The reason for this is I love them all, my taste in trains often change, so what I am not running one day, I may love to run the next. Also, I feel that since I have honored my mother's wishes for this long, I might as well do so for the duration. Arnold

When I was about 10 years old, I went with my Dad to Telly's Hardware Store in downtown Mt. Vernon, NY. That store back around 1960 sold Lionel trains like many hardware stores did back then. 

I was very happy when my Dad  bought for me this Lionel B&O 44 ton center cab diesel, which runs very well today and I cherish:

It was moderately priced.

However, what I really wanted that day at Telly's Hardware was this more expensive Lionel New Haven EP5, which I bought at a train show when I was about 50 years old:

I never said anything to my Dad about my preference because I was thrilled to get anything. LOL.

Why did I prefer the New Haven? Because the real one often pulled the New Haven passenger trains my mother and I took from Mt. Vernon to NYC, and we all know that NH EP5 is drop dead gorgeous.

Although objectively speaking the Lionel NH EP5 is a better quality locomotive than the B&O 44 tonner, today I love them both equally. Arnold

If I had gone all in on model trains 35 years ago I would be burned out in a few years.  By getting into trains mostly in the month of December and into the winter then going into other things in their season like yard, boating, golf, tennis, vintage stereo, etc. I still enjoy trains mostly each winter.

I am sure  you have seen others (maybe some of the OGRs too) get a boat or camper and go every weekend for a summer or two and then you see the boat or camper sit in the driveway or backyard, unused for a few years.  Hopefully it gets sold before it loses it value.  That is were moderation should have come in. 

I have had a boat for 30 plus years but knew we would only use it once or twice a month during the summer months at most.  Therefore I bought a older, well used, but in fair condition really low cost in the winter.  I spend some time in some springs fixing in up and keeping it running.  When the kids got out of college, I sold the boat for 1/2 what I paid. 

Charlie

Dave Warburton posted:

I often sit in my train room w/o the trains running and just take it all in. Glad to know I’m not the only one! My wife thinks this is crazy, btw. 

"I'm a master model railroader and songwriter to boot;

Some people think I'm crazy, but I don't give a hoot."

Arnold

MELGAR posted:

aussteve posted:

Above all - be thankful you're in America and for what we have.

I have to second that sentiment. I'm pretty sure we would all agree that, whether we are profligate or modest, we have America to thank for our model trains and everything else we have.

Dave Warburton posted:

I often sit in my train room w/o the trains running and just take it all in. Glad to know I’m not the only one!

Dave - you are not the only one.

MELGAR

 

Me three

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Photos of our early moderately priced trains that got us started, might be fun to share.

This Lionel set, which I  believe cost my parents about $30 to $40 around 1953 or 1954, is headed by a baby Hudson #2065:

Although I'm not sure of all the cars in the set, I believe it included an operating milk car, remote control track section, yellow livestock car, red gondola, green operating log dump car and Tuscan red Lionel Lines illuminated caboose with round portals, as well as a small transformer and some 027 track. 

IMO, there is no starter set better for a young child than the above. $30 to $40 was a significant, but not extravagant, sum to pay in 1953 for toy trains, considering that many people were earning only $50 per week back then. Arnold

Sometimes I think we tend to forget how much Lionel trains cost in the '50s.  The average weekly salary in 1954 was about $80.00.  

When I was about 17, I saw a stereo at Sears that I really wanted.  After I saved up the money to purchase it, I went to my parents with the cash in hand and asked them to place the order for me.  My father told me to slow down and think things through.  He suggested that I look at the envelop of cash and think if there was anything that I wanted instead of the stereo.  The next day he sat me down and questioned me about the stereo.  He wanted to know what size it was and what kind of quality it was.  I told him that it wasn't the largest system, but it also wasn't the smallest.  The quality seemed to be pretty good, also.  He explained that I didn't always need the biggest and best of everything, but if I was going to buy something, make sure it was a high quality product,  A couple of days later I went to my parents and told them that I decided to go ahead and get the stereo.  I had that stereo for over 25 years before it finally croaked!

I have applied the logic that my father used on almost every purchase I have made since then.  When the new catalogs come out, I want almost everything in them at first glance.  After looking through them several times, I realize that I don't NEED anything in the catalog.  If there is something that I really want, then I think it through for a few days, or even a few weeks,  If I decide I still want it I will ask for my wife's blessing and place the order.  This practice has helped me with moderation in all aspects of my life, not just my trains.

Tom

Although there is much wisdom to model railroading in moderation, that is not to say that I don't love to see massive, gorgeous and expensive layouts with the best trains money can buy.

For those who have the good fortune to have such layouts and trains, it's wonderful for you to share them by having them featured in model train magazines, seen in photos and videos, and having gatherings of people over to admire them. Spread the joy.

Arnold

One more thing to keep in mind: model railroading in moderation is relative. You may think what you have is an example of moderation, but someone else might think what you have is extraordinary. 

This is true of me. I regard my layout to be moderate in my half basement; others who have seen it think it is enormous. Truth is it is both, depending one one's experience.

Aa was mentioned in one of the above replies, size alone does not determine whether a layout is extraordinary.  For instance, it can be moderate in size with extraordinary trains, structures and scenery on it. Arnold

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Photos of our early moderately priced trains that got us started, might be fun to share.

This Lionel set, which I  believe cost my parents about $30 to $40 around 1953 or 1954, is headed by a baby Hudson #2065:

Although I'm not sure of all the cars in the set, I believe it included an operating milk car, remote control track section, yellow livestock car, red gondola, green operating log dump car and Tuscan red Lionel Lines illuminated caboose with round portals, as well as a small transformer and some 027 track. 

IMO, there is no starter set better for a young child than the above. $30 to $40 was a significant, but not extravagant, sum to pay in 1953 for toy trains, considering that many people were earning only $50 per week back then. Arnold

Arnold,

i have the same 2065. Not to hijack the thread, but what would have been in the set? Mine is NYC. I would like to make a complete set but I currently only have the locomotive.

NS6770Fan posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Photos of our early moderately priced trains that got us started, might be fun to share.

This Lionel set, which I  believe cost my parents about $30 to $40 around 1953 or 1954, is headed by a baby Hudson #2065:

Although I'm not sure of all the cars in the set, I believe it included an operating milk car, remote control track section, yellow livestock car, red gondola, green operating log dump car and Tuscan red Lionel Lines illuminated caboose with round portals, as well as a small transformer and some 027 track. 

IMO, there is no starter set better for a young child than the above. $30 to $40 was a significant, but not extravagant, sum to pay in 1953 for toy trains, considering that many people were earning only $50 per week back then. Arnold

Arnold,

i have the same 2065. Not to hijack the thread, but what would have been in the set? Mine is NYC. I would like to make a complete set but I currently only have the locomotive.

I believe that Lionel set was in the 1953 catalogue. In addition to the 2065 baby Hudson and coffin style tender, I believe it included a yellow non-operating yellow livestock car, an operating milk car with platform, an operating olive green log dump car and bin to dump logs in, a red NYC gondola, and a Tuscan red Lionel Lines illuminated caboose with round portals. There was also some track, and a small transformer in the set, and there may have been a remote control track section for the operating cars.

Its a great set for a child because of its play value, durabiity, reliability, and it's relatively economical in good operating order, if less than mint condition, and no boxes. All of the components of the set are readily available at train shows. Arnold

As a baby boomer I can relate to everything that's already been said, and I have 3 takeaways from this thread.

1. I think 'impulse buying' coupled with the advent of credit cards is one of the main things that sets today's younger generation apart from most of us

2. The trains from yesteryear were built to last (and be repaired when needed) and didn't have the 'built-in obsolescence' that appears to plague many toys today

3. Further to AUSSTEVE'S comment about 'laying on the carpet with his son and listening to the trains' - While I can relate to that, at this point in my life I think I would be the one to fall asleep (and I don't think my wife's up to carrying me off to bed - lol)

Arnold, a very enjoyable thread!