What do 1970's kids model?

"My conundrum is that I'm torn/stuck in between postwar and modern scale/realistic desires, yet I feel compelled to work with the trains I grew up with."

 

Why do you see this as a contradiction?  I run postwar and LTI scale equipment.  Not at the same time, mind you, but I don't feel that one must preclude the other.

 

When I first started back a year  ago I felt like you. 

 

I received my first set at 4 in 1970. First year of MPC.

This is my first layout as an adult, 4 x 12 all of my MPC stuff as a kid plus some 027 switches and extra track I've picked up.

 

I have a soft spot for MPC, mostly because it's what I grew up with.

Some people are very critical of it due to some quality issues, but it brings back great memories for me as I was most active from 1970-78 and the catalogs to me were like the post war to some.

 

I like the modern era, but for now I'm running what I have. Budget and time wise it works well, plus there is much to learn, modeling techniques, et al.

 

As a kid I remember going into the hobby shop and only seeing Lionel. Now there's a huge market out there.  

 

There's no term for it, but I think there are quite a few people in out generation.

 

Here's a picture of my first attempt, quite a bit more to do..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You've hit on the beauty of this hobby. Model what you like and model what you can. The most important thing is to keep modeling!!

 

I grew up with 1970s Lionel trains too.That is what I mostly run on my train layout.

Dan

I see nothing wrong with postwar or other "old" trains on a highly detailed layout. My Christmas layout is just that, and my regular layout has only semi-scale newer trains.

I advise you to think twice about having your ENTIRE layout devoted to a "natural wilderness" look. I find layout scenics geared to a time period (mine is the 1950s) creates interest and helps prevent bordom. Trees are trees, be it 1700 or 2014.

The graphics on the 92/94/9700 boxcars blow the graphics of the PW era out of the water!

I can totally relate to this topic. I was born in '69 and got my first Lionel set when I was two. I'm in the process of setting up a layout now with some of my old MPC stuff (plus some newly purchased MPC stuff from train shows, etc.). I will try to build realistic scenery for the trains to run through. For me, it's like what I remember from visiting places like the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg, PA - that is, obvious toy trains running through reasonably realistic scenes.

 

The other thing I like about the MPC trains is this: they help me to remember all the railroads that have been lost since the '70s through mergers. And the cool thing is, these models were actually made when those railroads still exsisted: Illinois Central, Burlington Northern, N&W, DT&I, etc.

 

So that's the plan. Toy trains built in the '70s representing the real railroads of the '70s running through realistic scenery. 

Postwar and Scale can peacefully operate on the same layout. Use a more realistic track like Atlas or Gargraves with Ross turnouts, create a scale scenery and building environment, and run any trains that you feel like running. We've run pre-war tinplate and post-war O gauge on our layout and it looks just fine.

It's funny...I was born in 1964 and grew up with my family's Marx Diesel switcher set from Sears every holiday season. I loved that little yellow and gray engine, and still have it. My father's boyhood train, a 1938 steamer, sat on a lonely shelf in the garage, and got little run-time because I viewed it as a heavy and scary looking machine. As I got older, I gravitated to steam locomotives and now view them as the neat and fascinating machines, and view diesels as pretty much boring drones. Look story-short, steam engines pretty much dominate my roster of motive power. As far as modeling - hi-rail blended with toy-rail.

I was born in '68 and grew up with MPC as well.  I have a fondness for it, and still have my trains from that era, but I have gravitated towards scale command-controlled trains.  I just have more fun running the new stuff with all the great digital sounds and features.  I suppose that if I was more of a collector of nostalgic trains, I'd be into the MPC era stuff.

 

Andy

I was born  in '73.  The o gauge and ho trains I was exposed to as a kid were pretty lousy.  My other siblings inherited them, which is fine by me because I don't want them.

 

I was blown away by modern scale diesels from MTH, etc and got into o gauge trains about six years ago.  I am currently interested in modeling BNSF intermodal trains through the mohave desert.

I was born in November of '71 and received my first MPC set for Christmas in '78.

 

I have many fond memories of that time frame from a model train perspective....but they have more to do with the people I spent time with (mostly my grandfather) and the hobby stores I visited (Hobby House and Jay & Jay Model Trains, both in Cleveleand)  than the MPC trains themselves.

 

While I have kept my starter set and some pieces my grandparents bought me for sentimental reasons, I really do not have any affinity or appreciation for the product that Lionel put out during that time frame.  Were it not for the push to scale that started, ever so slowly, around 1990, I would not have come back to the hobby in 2003.

 

Looking back, simply slapping a new paint job on post-war reissues just....stunk....even with "The Mighty Sound of Steam".

 

That being said, I really like where the three rail O Gauge hobby is right now.  Truthfully, I don't think it's ever been better....other than the prices.  I really enjoy todays scale steam engines from Lionel, Steam Era Classics from Atlas O, as well as command control.

 

Billy Joel once sung that "The good old days weren't always good....and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."  Run any new Legacy loco next to anything from the MPC era and I think you'll relate....even in Conventional mode.

 

This is just my opinion.  Others will, I'm sure, disagree.  But what's really neat about this hobby is that there is something for everyone.  My something is just not MPC, regardless of it's timing with my childhood.

 

Got to run.  The Dukes of Hazzard and The A Team are on TV next.

 

 

I grew up in the 70's with MPC, but also had postwar hand me downs.  All the MPC is gone except for the 1978 Milwaukee limited set.

 

Maybe some day I will get some again, but for now I am all Scale.

as a kid of the 70's I grew up w/ MPC. But it was my Dad's & Uncle's postwar trains that made the biggest impression on me. Pretty much why I model postwar now.  I have done the MPC trains in a realistic setting layout too & it was really nice.  Never had a problem w/ MPC stuff.  Ran well & looked great. The prices are hard to beat too.  You could pretty much get any part you need, as most of the MPC stuff was made using postwar style parts.

Some pics of realistic setting MPC - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was born in 1971, inherited my Dad's post-war Marx set and expanded with late 1970s early 1980s  Lionel "Fundimensions" trains.  I agree that your choice in O scale was very limited at the time.  When I was able to find O scale trains in train stores, it was almost all Lionel. I took a hiatus from my model trains from 1989 until 2006.  I was amazed at how far O scale had come, particularly the use of electronics in train sound, etc. With the internet, I was able to learn more about the variety of O scale manufacturers.  I have since sold off most of my original Fundimensions era model trains and upgraded to modern O stuff. 

I was born in 1968.  Recieved my MPC Cannonball set in 1973.  Purchased extra track and cars at the local Hobby shop, Kmart and Caldors.   Had a 4x8 layout on grass mat until I switched to HO in the 80's.  Then N scale in the 90's.  I never got those layouts past the track work stage.  Missed the fun of my MPC trains during this time.  So in the 2000's, when my Son was a toddler the N scale was traded in for Fastrack.  I started off with this small dogbone O-36 on green carpet.

 

 

Then we rebuilt the layout after a 2nd level renovation.  Still Fastrack, now O-60, O-72 on grey carpet. Still without scenery.  But now have switched command control modern scale equipment.

  

 

The MPC set still gets run.  Super fun around the plastic holiday tree.

 

Resurrecting an old MPC thread (with some really great pictures) that highlights the enthusiasm that many here have for MPC-era trains.

 

https://ogrforum.com/topic/mpc-fan-thread

I grew up with PW, of course (I was born in 1948), so I looked down on MPC because

of that; then I got back into the hobby as a Hi-railer, preferring realistic (in a 3RO

sort of way) scale models, so I once again looked down on MPC from that direction.

 

But now, I see MPC stuff and realize that without that thin thread of income,

Lionel could well have simply gone away, and my 1/4" scale USRA 2-6-6-2 (among

many others) might never have existed.

 

So, MPC? Yeah, can be cool. Definitely funky, in a good sort of way.

I was born in 1971. First MPC set in 1975.

I've got two layouts. One postwar-style with postwar items on it, and a "scenery" layout with modern scale items on it.

 

I'm the guy that collects MPC Lionel. Should probably let that sink in for a minute...

 

 

I display my MPC like some do postwar. When I finally got a real job, wife, house, and the bills were payed, I started buying the MPC items I wanted as a kid. I've got almost all of them now except for a few pieces. Ya, I want the boxes as well. The stuff is so inexpensive now that they're nice to collect on a budget, and they bring back a lot of good memories. When I want nostalgia, I go to the MPC section on e-bay and browse.

I also have been collecting MPC. I started with some specific types like the 5200 weathered reefers and the Toys R Us doubledoor boxcars exclusive to thier sets. I like them and on a budget there are definitly deals to be had. The fact that so many collectors got two of each one to run and one to keep worked out great for the later collectors because so many now unfashionable trains were squirreled away thing they would turn to gold but never did works out great for the MPC guys. I've got plenty to run behind my PC and Chessie engines.

I was born in 1970 and was given HO trains to play with.   Had a lot of fun with them while growing up.   Occasionally, I would get out a rusty box of Lionel track and lay it through the hallway and run a cheap Lionel set around.  

once I started working at 16, I really didn't do anything with toy trains until after college, finding a career, getting married and buying a house.  After all that, I was exposed to the newer O guage trains and was blown away.  I pretty much am only interested in scale trains and like the realistic qualities of the models.  

my dad had, and still has, a huge HO scale layout and everything looks realis tic, both the scenery and the trains.  I suppose that may be where my preferences are derived from, but I very much prefer the larger size of O vs HO.   

I also grew up with MPC.  I still love the Mighty Sound of Steam (the ORIGINAL version, not the post-1980 electronic BBQ!)  I like the variety, colorful decoration, parts availability, and how the O27 size goes so well with Plasticville.  BUT--and it's a big one--I like Steam, and MPC steam locos just aren't good runners.  They seem to have two speed settings: too fast, and stall .  So seventeen years ago the quest for better performance drove me into scale-sized, hi-rail trains.  I love real trains too, so this seemed like the way to go.  But since then I've learned that here in the Land of No Basements it's very hard to build an intricate layout with wide-radius curves .  Besides, my interest in scenery doesn't go far beyond Plasticville buildings on a grass mat!

 

Now I've collected some smaller hi-rail locos, and I know all about Lionmaster, RailKing, etc.  But the nostalgia just isn't there.  Lionel has redesigned their four-wheel steam loco chassis FIVE TIMES since 1947, and they still speed up, slow down, run too fast, or stall.  How hard can it be???  One of these days I'm going to develop a replacement chassis that will bolt into an MPC-era Scout or 4-4-2 and make it run like the best scale models.  No electronic gimmicks, just top-notch engineering.  So who wants to back me on Kickstarter?  

 

The 1970s Milwaukee Road passenger set running by the train station from Lionel from the same era on my train layout.

Dan

By 1972 I had a good amount of trains which I packed up because of being a teenager and feeling out of step with my peers. Even then I felt an attraction to the 1930's thru mid 1960's. All the railroad glory stuff was still around in the 60's but it was in poor shape and being dismantled, scrapped, and abandoned. I think this is how it was with everything in the 1960's. Living in NYC at the time you could feel the change happening. When I started looking at real trains again in the 80's it was all so boring and lacking in color and character I made a decision to focus on the 1930's thru 1960's.