Patriotic All American Trains

The Caisson Song in the above video was performed by the United States Army Chorus.

Nice video!

I confess - I've never associated train nostalgia with "Patriotism"

Most of this stuff is made overseas - and likely part of our trade imbalance.

I'd probably feel patriotic if some of these products started arriving with "Made In USA" on them.

That's not to suggest building overseas is un-patriotic.

"made in the USA" by an illegal worker

In my opinion, the heyday or golden age of toy trains, and in particular, Lionel, was the years after the second world war. OUR NATION  saw our Fathers, Brothers, and Uncles return from war and raise their families. The economy was strong and there was a renewed belief in the family. There was money to spend and a Father was willing to spend that money on the family! Toy trains were there to capture the imagination and strengthen the bond between father and child. Patriotism was passed along with that steam engine or that diesel engine. Just my 2 cents . . .

Namvet4 posted:

In my opinion, the heyday or golden age of toy trains, and in particular, Lionel, was the years after the second world war. OUR NATION  saw our Fathers, Brothers, and Uncles return from war and raise their families. The economy was strong and there was a renewed belief in the family. There was money to spend and a Father was willing to spend that money on the family! Toy trains were there to capture the imagination and strengthen the bond between father and child. Patriotism was passed along with that steam engine or that diesel engine. Just my 2 cents . . .

So well stated, I totally agree.

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Excellent photos of All American looking trains.  They would be great in a video with patriotic songs in the background.

Since Namvet brought up World War Two , I wanted to post this picture of my aunt and uncle married in 1940.  He served in the British Army from 1939 to 1946..demobbed in 46.  Great generation. 

Never believed one had to be a "flag waver" to be patriotic - US Army veteran 1962-1965.

My father and I ran trains all the time, always received something for the trains every Christmas and birthday, many times a complete set.  Still have the first train I received in 1956, all of what we collected until his passing in 1978.  He served in Europe and the Pacific theaters in WWII until home in 1945.  Yes, America's Greatest Generation.......

Jesse     TCA  12-68275

Tinplate Art posted:

Never believed one had to be a "flag waver" to be patriotic - US Army veteran 1962-1965.

1 agree with you.

texastrain posted:

My father and I ran trains all the time, always received something for the trains every Christmas and birthday, many times a complete set.  Still have the first train I received in 1956, all of what we collected until his passing in 1978.  He served in Europe and the Pacific theaters in WWII until home in 1945.  Yes, America's Greatest Generation.......

Jesse     TCA  12-68275

Wonderful.

Ret.Leo posted:

Since Namvet brought up World War Two , I wanted to post this picture of my aunt and uncle married in 1940.  He served in the British Army from 1939 to 1946..demobbed in 46.  Great generation. 

Lovely photo.

Tinplate Art posted:

Never believed one had to be a "flag waver" to be patriotic - US Army veteran 1962-1965.

1 agree with you.

Ret.Leo posted:

Since Namvet brought up World War Two , I wanted to post this picture of my aunt and uncle married in 1940.  He served in the British Army from 1939 to 1946..demobbed in 46.  Great generation. 

Lovely photo

The best feelings about my wonderful trains in my youth are my adult appreciation for the hard-earned money spent on my Gilbert Flyer trains! I had a total of 5 engines and 28 cars, plus a ZW and about 8 Lionel and Flyer accessories plus a lot of Plasticville! I can still smell that great AF smoke fluid! My parents were always very generous and supportive of my hobbies, whether it was chemistry sets, Erector, stereo systems or shortwave radio! Yes, I was a supreme "geek", with a photographic memory, but not like Sheldon's!  LOL!

Tinplate Art posted:

The best feelings about my wonderful trains in my youth are my adult appreciation for the hard-earned money spent on my Gilbert Flyer trains! I had a total of 5 engines and 28 cars, plus a ZW and about 8 Lionel and Flyer accessories plus a lot of Plasticville! I can still smell that great AF smoke fluid! My parents were always very generous and supportive of my hobbies, whether it was chemistry sets, Erector, stereo systems or shortwave radio! Yes, I was a supreme "geek", with a photographic memory, but not like Sheldon's!  LOL!

Terrific

What about the Ives Patriot from 1930.  This is a repaint of an original Patriot set.

Northwoods Flyer

texastrain posted:

My father and I ran trains all the time, always received something for the trains every Christmas and birthday, many times a complete set.  Still have the first train I received in 1956, all of what we collected until his passing in 1978.  He served in Europe and the Pacific theaters in WWII until home in 1945.  Yes, America's Greatest Generation.......

Jesse     TCA  12-68275

Great pictures of your dad...true hero.

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

What about the Ives Patriot from 1930.  This is a repaint of an original Patriot set.

Northwoods Flyer

Very cool, looks like a valuable collectors item

RET.LEO......  Thank you, sir.......... and to the many who serve and have served......

Jesse

I can't believe the thread has gone on this long without this oft misunderstood paint scheme!

In all honesty though, railroading in this country is a form of patriotism be it freight or passenger.  More so than any other nation, we were formed as a union through the railroad.  Westward expansion wouldn't have happened without the railroad, the railroad factored heavily into the Civil War and the ultimate outcome was standardization of gauge (for the most part) that allowed for commerce to easily occur between states.  While not as much in the foreground, railroads to this day form the backbone of how our nation stays whole.  My opinion of course. 

We live in Bristol, Rhode Island home of the oldest continuously celebrated 4th of July in the US.  The celebrations started in 1785 -- Just 9 years after Independence -- and this year will be the 233rd edition.  The Bristol parade takes about 3 hours to pass and approximately 100,000 people are in attendance.  A USN warship moors in the harbor for the week, there are flyovers, etc.  Our house is on the parade route and we routinely have 50-75 people over to watch it on our porch and on bleachers that we construct.  

Because I'm in the process of building a postwar/MPC layout, it occurred to me some time ago that a fun display on July 4th would be to run all red/white/blue trains.  Since the layout will be able to run 12 trains at once, plus a subway, plus 2 bump-and-go motorized units, it seemed like a good collecting challenge to fill all this out, particularly since almost everything I run/own is conventional.  

There were a number of good candidate trains released around the U.S. Bicentennial and I either own or am currently hunting down many of these.  I was stuck for one last train, however, until it hit me: My daughter and son-in-law both serve in the Marines.  What would be more appropriate than an all-Marine train headed up by a 45 USMC Missile Launcher and tailed by a 6824 caboose?

Here's what I'll be running, during that far-off year when the layout is finished:

• Lionel MPC Spirit of '76 Set (have it)
  
  
• Lionel MPC 8568 Preamble Express AA + Williams Bicentennial Aluminum Passenger Set (have it)
  
  
• Recently Released Lionel Freedom Train (have it)
  
  
• Lionel Postwar 45 missile car heading up:
  • 6-6526 Searchlight Car
  • 39386 tank car
  • 29996 boxcar
  • 19896 sound car
  • 39393 Flatcar
  • 52440 Trailer on Flat Car LRRC
  • 37073 Cannon Car
  • Postwar 3820 submarine
  • Postwar 6824 caboose(have all but the caboose)
    
    
• TCA Spirit of 76 Passenger(looking)
  
  
• Lionel Liberty Express from 1976(looking)
  
  
• Lionel 8665 "Jeremiah O'Brien" BAR GP9 + matching Caboose(looking)
  • Lionel 4th of July Parade Car 26786 (have it)
  • Lionel 4th of July Parade Car 81568 (have it)
  • Lionel BAR Lobster Aquarium car 81035 (have it)
  • Lionel 4th of July Boxcar with LEDs 36769(have it)
    
    
• N&W GP9  + Caboose From the 6-1584 Lionel Spirit of America Set (looking) with replacement freights:
  • Lionel 26777 flag boxcar with lights(have it)
  • Lionel 6-36758 Lighted Eagle Boxcar(have it)
  • Lionel Die-cast N&W hopper 27422(have it) 
  • Lionel N&W hopper 17169 (looking) 
  • Lionel 6-52309 LOTS 2003 Patriotic Unibody Tank Car(have it) 
  • Lionel LOTS 6-83862 Philly "Cradle of Liberty" Boxcar(have it)
  • Lionel 52508 Celebrate America Mint Car(have it) 
  • Lionel #52331 Artrain USA's "America's Railways" Trailer on Flatcar(looking) 
  • MTH 30-73388 tank car(have it) 
    
    
• Williams 41812 GG-1 and K-Line Defense Special and Minute Man passengers(looking for all)
  
  
• MTH CTA Bicentennial MTH set + 2-car add-ons(looking)
  
  
• MTH War Bonds Trolley 30-2582 (have it)
  
  
• I have one other bump-and-go motorized unit track.  Until some manufacturer comes up with a nice alternative, as MTH did with the r/w/b trolley, I will run a 52 Fire Car because it's red.
  
  

With a few exceptions, none of the items above are particularly difficult to find.  Where it says that I'm "looking", it only means that I'm looking to score it at a dirt-cheap, rock-bottom price.  I have been watching this search on eBay for about five years and, every now and again, one of the items above is offered at $1.00 or another low starting price and, if everyone else is asleep that week, you can get it at a very low cost.  As just one example, *I* was asleep one week and missed out on a 1976 TCA 3-car Passenger Set for $35.

I've passed on a few of the K-Line heavyweights but they come up now and again. The hardest ones on the list above are the Williams GG-1 and the MTH subway set and add-ons.  Those items are very thinly traded and/or the few sellers who've offered them wanted more than I wanted to spend.

It has been fun looking and trying to fill out all these consists.

"Some day."

Steven J. Serenska

I'm sure many of you have heard tales about Glen Uhl who owned Glen's Train Shop in Akron.  He was an irritable old cus but also a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer.  

I was returning home in my Air Force full dress blues when I figured I had time to stop at Glen's on the way back.  He must have liked the idea that I showed up in uniform because from that day forward he always greeted me with a smile and was more than cordial, even if I wasn't in a Navy outfit.

Lou N

GG1 4877 posted:

I can't believe the thread has gone on this long without this oft misunderstood paint scheme!

In all honesty though, railroading in this country is a form of patriotism be it freight or passenger.  More so than any other nation, we were formed as a union through the railroad.  Westward expansion wouldn't have happened without the railroad, the railroad factored heavily into the Civil War and the ultimate outcome was standardization of gauge (for the most part) that allowed for commerce to easily occur between states.  While not as much in the foreground, railroads to this day form the backbone of how our nation stays whole.  My opinion of course. 

What you say, Jonathan, makes perfect sense.

UP says the are, "Building America."

America

Neil Diamond, Pennsy GG1 and D&H R-11.

Lou N posted:

I'm sure many of you have heard tales about Glen Uhl who owned Glen's Train Shop in Akron.  He was an irritable old cus but also a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer.  

I was returning home in my Air Force full dress blues when I figured I had time to stop at Glen's on the way back.  He must have liked the idea that I showed up in uniform because from that day forward he always greeted me with a smile and was more than cordial, even if I wasn't in a Navy outfit.

Lou N

Thanks Arnold for posting up your videos. I just love the WWII era music.

Although there will always be that inter service rivalry between the services...One will always see the respect given from one military member to another, whether in uniform or not.  As a retired Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, it warms my heart to see this current generation of military member following that "code" (as one might say) of respect. I have friends (former military) that their sons have just left for the Marine Corps. I have told them to tell their sons, "That I couldn't be more proud of them",  that they have decided to join the service. One is currently on his way to the "Sand Box" as I type this.

To all of those Vets out there in O Gauge Railroading land, Here's to you!

V/r

Jayhawk500 posted:

Lou N posted:

I'm sure many of you have heard tales about Glen Uhl who owned Glen's Train Shop in Akron.  He was an irritable old cus but also a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer.  

I was returning home in my Air Force full dress blues when I figured I had time to stop at Glen's on the way back.  He must have liked the idea that I showed up in uniform because from that day forward he always greeted me with a smile and was more than cordial, even if I wasn't in a Navy outfit.

Lou N

Thanks Arnold for posting up your videos. I just love the WWII era music.

Although there will always be that inter service rivalry between the services...One will always see the respect given from one military member to another, whether in uniform or not.  As a retired Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, it warms my heart to see this current generation of military member following that "code" (as one might say) of respect. I have friends (former military) that their sons have just left for the Marine Corps. I have told them to tell their sons, "That I couldn't be proud of them",  that they have decided to join the service. One is currently on his way to the "Sand Box" as I type this.

To all of those Vets out there in O Gauge Railroading land, Here's to you!

 

V/r

I also could not be more proud of our Vets!

My favorite patriotic railroad equipment will always be the 1975-76 Freedom Train (saw it as a little kid), but I'd for sure buy any model made of this in O with this patriotic paint job. I's the North American Rayon # 1, a Porter 0-6-0 fireless which ran into the end of the 1980s (in it's original role for its original owner):

She still exists, stuffed and mounted on display not far from the site of the plant in Elizabethton, TN, but in her original all-green paint job...

Jayhawk500 posted:

Lou N posted:

I'm sure many of you have heard tales about Glen Uhl who owned Glen's Train Shop in Akron.  He was an irritable old cus but also a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer.  

I was returning home in my Air Force full dress blues when I figured I had time to stop at Glen's on the way back.  He must have liked the idea that I showed up in uniform because from that day forward he always greeted me with a smile and was more than cordial, even if I wasn't in a Navy outfit.

Lou N

Thanks Arnold for posting up your videos. I just love the WWII era music.

Although there will always be that inter service rivalry between the services...One will always see the respect given from one military member to another, whether in uniform or not.  As a retired Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, it warms my heart to see this current generation of military member following that "code" (as one might say) of respect. I have friends (former military) that their sons have just left for the Marine Corps. I have told them to tell their sons, "That I couldn't be proud of them",  that they have decided to join the service. One is currently on his way to the "Sand Box" as I type this.

To all of those Vets out there in O Gauge Railroading land, Here's to you!

 

V/r

nicely said Sir.

I just got this email from TrainWorld showing the Lionel UP boxcar Support our Troops.  It’s says US made.   What USAF bomber is that?  B17 or B29?  

Ret.Leo posted:

I just got this email from TrainWorld showing the Lionel UP boxcar Support our Troops.  It’s says US made.   What USAF bomber is that?  B17 or B29?  

B-17. The UP sponsored the aircraft and it was named "Spirit of the Union Pacific" very common war bond practice. I think it was lost on its 5th mission.

TimDude posted:

Ret.Leo posted:

I just got this email from TrainWorld showing the Lionel UP boxcar Support our Troops.  It’s says US made.   What USAF bomber is that?  B17 or B29?  

B-17. The UP sponsored the aircraft and it was named "Spirit of the Union Pacific" very common war bond practice. I think it was lost on its 5th mission.

Thanks.