Perhaps this has been done before and if so, well, so be it. Over the years many of us have paid tribute to our Dads and Grandads for their love of trains but I don't think one thread has been specifically dedicated to pictures of their trains. If the spirit of your fathers and grandfathers moves you please join in.
The first picture is of my father's 1st and only train set. Lionel Freight Set #1423W headed up by a die cast 2-4-2 Locomotive #1655 and a 6654W Whistle tender. He purchased this set in 1948. Everything in this set is original and everything still works right down to the engine's headlamp. The engine is still a great and reliable runner. The whistle in the tender is still quite strong albeit a tad raspy. My Dad died in 1953 from wounds suffered during WW II.
The second and third photos are of my Grandfather's train sets. The first is Lionel Freight Set #1590 headed up by a plastic 2-4-2 Locomotive #249 and a 250T Tender. My grandmother purchased this for him in 1958. He was 63 years old and this was his first train set. My Grandad loved the matching orange stripes on the engine and tender. As a matter of fact so do I. The engine still runs like a top.
The last photo is of my Grandfather's 666 Marx die cast 2-4-2 locomotive with a plastic slope back tender and the sets associated freight cars. My Grandmother bought this for him in 1959. The engine still runs great, the headlamp works and it smokes up a storm using good old Marx Smoke fluid. My Grandfather died in 1960 of complications from diabetes. The last ten years of his life were spent as a double amputee but he never let it get him down. My Dad and Granddad are still to this day the greatest men I have ever known. When I run trains they are always with me.
