💬 What’s Your Story?

[Hines (Bill)]

Future rail-like transportation presents fascinating challenges for model railroaders. Lately, my news feed seems convinced I need to know about developments in rail technology on the subcontinent, and right now, a Hyperloop is in the works for the Indian National Railway system.

The idea of traveling at 1000 kph is incredible—but how do you model something like that? Every time a new mode of transport emerges, I find myself wondering how it might be adapted for the hobby as new enthusiasts come along and want to model their local rail system.

That train of thought led me back to what got me into model railroading in the first place. For me, it was either genetics or a virus I caught from my dad. He dragged me to model shops, took me on train trips, occasionally brought me along to his model railway club get togethers, and we always stopped to watch passing trains. It was just part of my childhood—but it was his HO scale hobby.

Then one Christmas, I unwrapped a Delton Combination Baggage Car from an obscure railway called the Colorado & Southern, along with a piece of track. There was no engine available at the time, but a year or so later, LGB released one… and that Christmas, the infection took hold. Well, sort of…

What got you into the hobby?

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

in the mid '50ies my father took me to a “wild-West” show. that stuck.
western books, western movies, western toys. then some genius invented swoppet - figures.
so most of my pocket-money went into swoppets - for more than a decade.
when i was 17 or 18, my mother surprised me with an LGB starter pack.
(for her the difference of 1:22.5 LGB and 1:32 swoppets was insignificant)
well, the next 50 years i often thought about changing the growing LGB inventory for something in 1:32 or 1:29 , but it never happened.

maybe, that explaines, why i only care for older steam era rolling stock.
because i don’t have trains with figures, but figures with trains.

[John_Lenheiser]

For me when I was 8 years old, I got my first American Flyer train set for Christmas, that was back in 1952 and I’ve been modeling railroading ever since them. I did slack on and off the hobby at times, but it has always been there and still is today. I model in LGB today as I have done since I got into the large scale stuff back some 40 plus years ago. As I’m a model builder first and a runner second all my American style LGB is re-build to my railroad and none is today stock LGB stock stuff is as it was manufactured. All re-done, re-painted, and custom upgraded to my liking. I have posted many pics of my stuff over the years for those to see.

[capecodtodd (Todd Haskins)]

A hyperloop is like science fiction!

My story. I have always liked trains. I had HO trains as a kid and then life got in the way and the train hobby was shelved. In 2006 I got married and bought a LGB set to go round our Christmas tree. In the Spring I went outside with 125’ of track but had my eye on running down the side yard. The plan was to pick up vegetables and bring them to the house. In 2008 ground was broken, the run was completed and it has been improved on since then with a major rebuild of the lower half made several years ago.

What got me into the hobby and kept me there is that it is such a multi faceted hobby and operating outdoors adds another whole element to the model trains.

[rmccown-admin (Bob McCown (Admin))]

I had my half-brother’s American Flyer trains when I was a kid, and then got into N scale in the mid-1970s. College and life got in the way of trains until I started seeing LGB in hobby shops around 1990 or so, and I started buying track and a few cars and locos. Had a smallish dogbone layout at my house for about six years until a live change and move around 2000. Moved into this house in 2003, and that summer started laying out the garden RR I have now. Also had a smallish N scale layout in my shop for about six years but it was taking up too much valuable shop space.

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Hines

traveling at 1000 kph is incredible—but how do you model something like that?

similar, like you model underground lines. (cut a hole in the carpet every two yards or so, paint steps and darkness and put up “U” signs beside the holes)

use some 4" PVC pipe on spindly legs, model some stairs every five yards or so (with some outback buildings around), paint the pipe silver metalic with black lettering: SPEEDY KANGOO

and don’t forget the sound system! some racetrack recorded VROOOOOMs or some SSSWISHs will do.

[PeterT]

I recall playing with clockwork Hornby trains in our attic when I was 5+ yrs old. I got my first OO/HO layout on a 6x3 board when I was 7. It’s all been downhill from there.

I was building an O scale switching layout when the Bachmann Big Hauler battery sets appeared in Toys-R-Us, so I got 2 [$45 and $35 as the box was broken.] That’s when I started going uphill again!

[RRRR4 (Lou Luczu)]

When I was 7 or 8, I needed crutches and could not run around like the other kids. My parents bought me American Flyer trains. As I got better, they would not let me play with trains if it was nice outside. I don’t remember if Dad made me box them back up for Summer.
When I was in the Army I went into HO. When I got out, I had to sell the American Flyer, I needed the money.
When I got married AGAIN, I got a cheap Bachmann set at Sam’s Club. That started my journey into G Scale where I met a whole new group of friends.

[JRad (Jon Radder)]

@Hines

For me, it was either genetics or a virus I caught from my dad

While not quite as aggressive, my dad got me started too. When I was 10, or so in the 60’s, “Santa Claus” set up an amazing O27 Lionel passenger set under the tree. I spent countless hours in the dark watching a NYC Hudson pull sleek “aluminum” passenger cars lit up with silhouettes of passengers painted inside the windows. Eventually, I built a crude layout in our attic. By the time I was a teenager, interests had shifted and I sold what would probably be worth a fortune today for gas money.

Fast forward 10+ years and I’m married with a toddler. HO scale fit our lifestyle (and our living room) better. Again, the layouts were crude and built on a sheet of plywood. This enjoyment continued through the 80’s and survived a move from WNY to CT. The layout expanded but remained crude.

In the as 90’s we welcomed a second son. My hobby focus shifted to Amateur Radio (I’m W1KBW). All the HO stuff went on eBay to fund ham gear. Most sold for twice what I paid! My youngest got into N scale for a while, but we never really built much of a layout.

In the late 90’s I discovered Large Scale while visiting a hobby shop in WNY with my dad, So yes, he is responsible for the resurgence of my disease! All I purchased at the time was magazines, but the drooling began.

Y2K came and went. By that Christmas I owned a brand new USA Trains GP9, a box car and a caboose. We built a raised circular track for under the Christmas tree complete with cardboard tunnels and fiberfill snow.

The following spring I began experiments outside and found MyLargescale and the Aristo forum. The bad influences of the internet fed my disease and the railroad expanded indoors after a visit to the big Springfield all scales show. Then I discovered the East Coast Large Scale Train Show, and for years spent every cent I brought to the show and more on trains!

When we were working on our indoor layout, my youngest notice that the train board was the same height as a window leading outdoors. It wasn’t long after that when track ventured outside. Many years of building, both indoors and outdoors, got it to where it is today.

First “large scale” layout…

The first outdoor track…

Early indoor tracks…

The first “escape” to the outdoors…

Outdoor taking shape…

Thanks Bill for resurrecting all these memories! I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing lately as we go through 35 years of stuff preparing for a move!

[Dave_Meashey (David Meashey)]

My earliest train memories date from when I was about 4 or 5 years old. We would have a Lionel Torpedo freight set lurching around under the Christmas tree, throwing sparks and running too fast (typical Lionel pre-war). I was living with my Larish grandparents at the time with my mother, who worked at Hershey Chocolate.

Sometime later my Uncle Bill Larish bought himself an American Flyer 4-4-2 freight set. That ruined me. I lusted for smoke, choo-choo, and two rail track. I stayed with the Flyers until we moved to Roanoke, VA in 1977. There was no room for S gauge in the house we bought.

After I sold the S gauge, I had British OO and North American HO in a 9x12 room for about 20 years. Then I started to accumulate large scale, mostly LGB at first but many of the manufacturers as time went on.

Had a garden layout for a while, but it was under white pines. Eventually the pine needles inhibited good running, and the track was taken up. Currently enjoy running live steamers on other peoples’ layouts.

Regards, David Meashey

[David_Marconi_FOGCH (David Marconi CHHNNG)]

I grew up in my parents Hobby Shop
bad photo but the store is the one with a man sitting on the entry step while watching the parade

[Hines (Bill)]

Wow Hollywood! You had absolutely no chance of not having a hobby. I think we are all happy your chosen hobby was trains and not macrame.

[freddy (Fred Mills)]

Introduced to Lionel trains as a 4 year old in 1945…by my dear Father. Have enjoyed just about every scale, but fell into "Large Scale in 1973…a long and pleasant tale…better shared in person with Friends…always learning, with the hobby continuously growing for me with the knowledge and experiences shared with Friends.
Fred Mills

[Pete_Lassen]

Somewhere I have a picture of my dad looking like a little kid as my mom looks on at Christmas 1951 opening a new Santa Fe Lionel F3 train set. fast forward to me as a 6 yr old with the train set running under and around my bed, had to take it down every evening . 1980, my dad proclaims the firstborn grandson gets the train set, I proceed to have 2 girls and my older brother has 2 boys. Offered to buy it off the nephew about 10 years ago, but he wants to think about it, meantime I find Outdoor G scale/size/gauge trains and am hooked.
The Lionel set is now part of my older brothers shelf around the room setup. So it all worked out.

[Sawburner (Mark Lockburner)]

Back when I was in grade school I went to work with my Dad as a plumbers helper, he had his own business. Come Saturday we went to the hobby shop and I was paid in trains or planes ( rubber band powered planes ). It was Lionel O gage post war trains, still have them and I have added to my collection, never had a permanent layout mostly just ran them around the tree at Christmas. Until I took my wife to the train show in Syracuse NY and she saw the big G gage train layouts they had set up, as we were leaving she told me “We need to do that” my response was “Do what?” her “Set up trains in the garden”. And here we are with trains in our flower garden.

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Sawburner

she told me “We need to do that”

lucky man!
you chose the right woman.

[Eric_Mueller]

Christmas, 1976, Oma sent a battery powered LGB starter set to Wisconsin. The set joined HO scale plastic-ville buildings, probably form K-mart, on a plywood table. A box with a grass mat served as a tunnel. The whole was played with until the little loco chugged its last about 1979…

In 1981, we were living in Duesseldorf. Dad was fixated on LGB; I don’t know why. My brother and I each got the 100 Anniversary of Lehman set, which were, for reasons unknown, deeply discounted. They went to the basement to serve our PLAYMOBIL Wild West world, and that world was expanded and recreated in multiple basements until, at long last, we went off to the Navy and our Wild West, trains and all, began a long hibernation.

That slumber ended in 2011. My parents and brother graciously sent the whole collection to me in time for Christmas. The memories flooded back, and each year the trains stayed up a little longer. Three years later, with the guidance “It cannot be just your hobby!” we broke ground on the Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad. The Triple O - sometimes Wild West, sometimes Hawaiian, sometimes Alpine, sometimes whatever, always fun - serves on, and Oma’s old gift, renamed Komaka Iki / Little Thomas lives again!

Eric

[Rick_Marty]

I think my love of logging railroads goes back to my early childhood.

When I was 4-5 years old we lived in a shack just outside the Mill yard about 50 feet from the tracks.
Of course the trains went by real slow those huge steamin screamin monsters and I was out watching them as close as I dared get. Of course Mom was scared to death that I was going to get run over and tried to keep control of me, but with several trains a day I think she finally just gave up trying to control me and just hoped for the best.

A few years later we lived in another place where the same logging trains ran across a small trestle behind the house and of course I was watching every chance I got. For a while in High School we lived out in the country where a lumber train pulled by center cab diesels would go by a couple times a day at about 10 miles an hour. We would hop one of the cars and catch a ride to town once in a while. If we were carful and quiet we wouldn’t get caught.

At about 10 years old I got a train set for Christmas, diesel powered passenger train, probably Flyer or more likely some cheap knock off. As I recall I had very little interest in playing with it.

High school, military, marriage, kids, and life stalled any interest I had in trains or train hobbies. Then one day in the late 70’s I passed a hobby store that had a small diorama in the window and looking at it I thought I could do that.

So it started, Ho dioramas to the HO Railroad that Grows, by Westcott. Then later discovered ON3 and logging railroads, one whole bedroom full of logging railroad.
The ON3 was torn down and packed away in 1994 a new house was built and various outbuildings as well. I think it was about 1996 I started to have time to think about the train hobby again. One day I was in the grocery store passing the magazine rack when a copy of Garden Railroader mag caught my eye. On the back cover was an ad for the new 2 truck Shay engine, Fish on, I have never looked back. All the ON3 brass and other stuff was sold off to support my new habit.
Wow that got long winded, but thanks Bill for bringing up the memories.

[smcgill (Sean McGillicuddy)]

My friend in my neighborhood had a Lionel setup in the corner of their playroom, we did get some ho ( still have the steamer )
I spent later years playing outside with in sight of our local line B&M
When I was first married we went to this place “yankey candle “ and they had large scale trains running up along the ceilings and we both thought that would be cool in our basement
We went to this place called Charles Ro and this lady Sue got us to get a Lionel starter set , then we set up the track bed then learned about track
Later at work I had some health problems and the people at work got me a gift card for Charles Ro , now we went to look and the wife & Sue talked me into a USA starter set. I started my way down hill from there