Dose anyone here have a train hobby?

Hot Stuff x · 03-14-2010, 07:00 PM

I used to be into model railroading as a teenager. I started with O27 scale (Lionel), but it was to expensive and took up too much space. Looks great around the Christmas tree, though.

Then I went to HO scale, but then I joined the Army-- it's hard to maintain a train layout when you're moving all the time, so I gave it up.

If I ever get back into it I may go N scale just because it has a smaller footprint.

WyoBob · 03-14-2010, 09:28 PM

My dad and I built quite a setup over several years after I joined Cub Scouts when I lived in Kansas City. He loved trains and he and my granddad had a free pass from the U.P. anywhere in the country because they shipped so many cattle by rail, mainly to the K.C. stockyards. They also took many Shrine trips in those days by rail.

We had an "O" gauge setup with two transformers and two rows of switches. We had a Streamliner (?) locomotive and steam loco you dropped a pill into the smokestack to make smoke. We made plaster "lakes", had tunnels, grass, trees, a depot, town, cows grazing the hillsides, etc. It was all mounted on four 4x8 sheets of plywood.

We had a logging setup where you could dump and convey logs, a coal setup, a milk car where the doors on the milk car opened and a little guy pushed milk cans onto a platform, a "barrel" car that conveyed and dumped barrels and my favorite--- a cattle car with little rubber bovines inside. You pulled up to the stockyards, hit a switch, the doors came open on the stock car and the little beeves vibrated out of the car onto the platform. You could corral them and then open a gate and load 'em back up. What a hoot.

I'm glad I came across this thread as it took me back many years (1950's) to a great time in my life.

When I finally had a house big enough to set up the train set, I went over to my mom's to retrieve it. Mom said my brother had picked it up several years earlier. He never had a danged thing to do with it, ever. He sold it. Probably for booze and drugs. I still get burned when I think about it. I've got twin grandson's, now. I'd love to have that train set in my downstairs to amaze them (though they might be a bit young at 13 months).

WyoBob

FriendlyMan · 03-15-2010, 06:02 AM

WhyBob that's what my dream is to build some thing nice.
I'm sorry to hear what happend to your set up but you should know that this is one of the things that did not die yet in this coubtry. I did go in to one hobby shop in manhatan and the later at the register tells me that no one is in to hobbies these days only computer games.
But from my little research I found many many people still interested in trains and the same companies are still makeing trains for hundred years. I found one very big train shop a few minutes from my house www.trainworld.com they have so many trains in all scales that you can go crazy. I took my son and we both felt we want to go with lionel/o scale the others where nice and cute I like them all but if I need to stick to one for now we like the live look in the O Scale.

I just want to tell you one thing, if you have the time and the $$$ of course its not to late to start some thing with your grand kids. There are so many places you can find trains people to talk to about trains, than when you were a kid there was no interenet. :

I was on craigslist I saw a guy selling trading and repairing post war models. You might even find the exact style trains you had back then.

I was thinking of starting with some NYC trains from my era that are being pulled off the lines and maybe from before, then I might get and old fasion one or two that might be cheaper. Unless its something special. And the most interesting thing of all you find mostly adults who are in to these trains.

03-14-2010, 07:00 PM	#1
Hot Stuff x FNG Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Les Location: Seoul, Korea Posts: 89 Trading: (4)	Re: Dose anyone here have a train hobby? I used to be into model railroading as a teenager. I started with O27 scale (Lionel), but it was to expensive and took up too much space. Looks great around the Christmas tree, though. Then I went to HO scale, but then I joined the Army-- it's hard to maintain a train layout when you're moving all the time, so I gave it up. If I ever get back into it I may go N scale just because it has a smaller footprint.

03-14-2010, 09:28 PM	#2
WyoBob Still Watching My Back Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Bob Location: Buffalo, WY Posts: 155 Trading: (1)	Re: Dose anyone here have a train hobby? My dad and I built quite a setup over several years after I joined Cub Scouts when I lived in Kansas City. He loved trains and he and my granddad had a free pass from the U.P. anywhere in the country because they shipped so many cattle by rail, mainly to the K.C. stockyards. They also took many Shrine trips in those days by rail. We had an "O" gauge setup with two transformers and two rows of switches. We had a Streamliner (?) locomotive and steam loco you dropped a pill into the smokestack to make smoke. We made plaster "lakes", had tunnels, grass, trees, a depot, town, cows grazing the hillsides, etc. It was all mounted on four 4x8 sheets of plywood. We had a logging setup where you could dump and convey logs, a coal setup, a milk car where the doors on the milk car opened and a little guy pushed milk cans onto a platform, a "barrel" car that conveyed and dumped barrels and my favorite--- a cattle car with little rubber bovines inside. You pulled up to the stockyards, hit a switch, the doors came open on the stock car and the little beeves vibrated out of the car onto the platform. You could corral them and then open a gate and load 'em back up. What a hoot. I'm glad I came across this thread as it took me back many years (1950's) to a great time in my life. When I finally had a house big enough to set up the train set, I went over to my mom's to retrieve it. Mom said my brother had picked it up several years earlier. He never had a danged thing to do with it, ever. He sold it. Probably for booze and drugs. I still get burned when I think about it. I've got twin grandson's, now. I'd love to have that train set in my downstairs to amaze them (though they might be a bit young at 13 months). WyoBob

03-15-2010, 06:02 AM	#3
FriendlyMan Still Watching My Back Join Date: Jul 2009 First Name: JACK Location: NYC Posts: 212 Trading: (7)	Re: Dose anyone here have a train hobby? WhyBob that's what my dream is to build some thing nice. I'm sorry to hear what happend to your set up but you should know that this is one of the things that did not die yet in this coubtry. I did go in to one hobby shop in manhatan and the later at the register tells me that no one is in to hobbies these days only computer games. But from my little research I found many many people still interested in trains and the same companies are still makeing trains for hundred years. I found one very big train shop a few minutes from my house www.trainworld.com they have so many trains in all scales that you can go crazy. I took my son and we both felt we want to go with lionel/o scale the others where nice and cute I like them all but if I need to stick to one for now we like the live look in the O Scale. I just want to tell you one thing, if you have the time and the $$$ of course its not to late to start some thing with your grand kids. There are so many places you can find trains people to talk to about trains, than when you were a kid there was no interenet. : I was on craigslist I saw a guy selling trading and repairing post war models. You might even find the exact style trains you had back then. I was thinking of starting with some NYC trains from my era that are being pulled off the lines and maybe from before, then I might get and old fasion one or two that might be cheaper. Unless its something special. And the most interesting thing of all you find mostly adults who are in to these trains.