# Your first train set as a kid



## Steph3dfx (Dec 4, 2012)

Well I guess i'ts the time of the year to relive those happy memories of childhood.
Let's see the first train you had or wish you had when you where a kid.

In 1973, I was seven and my parents gave me this set :



















My first set is still in a very good shape, I keep it as a souvenir even tought it's not a high point in term of Lionel's quality.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

If you are going to run the loco, you need to lube it. This loco has a nylon gear driven by a worm gear on the motor. Lack of lube will wear the nylon gear out in a hurry. To lube the gear, you need to disassemble the motor. Once again, use 5W-20/30 motor oil.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, it's certainly in fine shape, that's a keeper!


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## Handyandy (Feb 14, 2012)

My first set was a Tyco HO bicentennial set from the mid '70's. I think I still have the caboose! Had to replace the gears in the engine several times and I finally pitched it.
Later I thought I should have saved it as it might become a collectable. Seen some at a recent train show and they were selling for about the same as the regular Tyco stuff from the same vintage.
Picked up a mid '70's Lionel 8703 a couple of weeks ago. A few drops of oil and it runs like a champ.
Kinda wish "Santa" had brought me a Lionel instead of that Tyco set! LOL


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I still have my first set ... a Lionel #1590 freight set from 1958, given to me as a "hand me down" from a cousin in the 1960's. It got some heavy, somewhat rough use when I was a kid, was then packed away for years, but got a new lease on life when I dusted it off and got in running again in recent years. A little tattered, but a treasure to me in so many ways ...



















Info thread ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=3116

TJ


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

Doesn't look too tattered to me!

The first train set I played with was my dad's Lionel O27 set probably from the late 50s or early 60s. I don't know the exact set number but it is an an introductory level with a 2037 loco. Still in very nice condition. He still has it and claims he offered it to me, but I certainly don't remember this!

My grandfather had a 1950s Marx set I got to enjoy occasionally. I think it ended up with a cousin.


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## Texas Pete (Sep 28, 2011)

Was the American Flyer 5103WT:

http://www.myflyertrains.org/AF_Catalogs/1951Catalog/AF_1951_catalog_page10-11.htm

Sadly, my folks gave away my Flyer stuff when I ran off with the rock'n'roll circus. If they hadn't I might be into AF today, instead of 3-rail O.

Pete


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I never got one. 1967 I got an Aurora HO slot car set double figure 8.

Before that I suspect I was to get a Marx set but it didn't work and was returned. Then again, I never asked for a train set.

The inspiration came from my older brother's set, a Missouri Pacific AA, super O set


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

Actually, my first set was an HO Santa Fe passenger set that my Dad gave me when I was a kid. 

I wanted Lionel train stuff, but my dad figured I was too rough on my toys and he didn't want to see me ruin it:laugh:

All my really early train stuff was my Dads, and I got it when I was old enough to appreciate it

Cheers, Ian


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## dbyll (Oct 22, 2011)

*My first train set*

1955 was the year at christmas. i received a 1000 set. Its not often heard of. It came with a 2016 loco and a 6026W tender. i still have and run this set. I am trying to collect a the items that were for sale that year. I also still have the AEC 57 switcher i bought in 1962. My sister graduated that year and her first job was in Germantown MD at the new Atomic Energy Commision. Were have all the years gone?


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## lionellines (May 18, 2011)

I had a few HO sets, including a Tyco Spirit of '76 set, but my first O gauge set was a Lionel Allegheny set from 1972. It has the Sound of Steam, smoke, 2 position e-unit, all inside a 2037 style shell.


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

A Lionel set Christmas 1959. A massive steam engine and several cars. I remember the smoke pills and the transformer had a orange and black handle, the orange handle worked the whistle, the black speed.
That spring we were in the process of moving and my Dad stored alot of stuff at his plant, the plant was broken into and a lot of stuff disappeared including my train.
All I know is about a week or so later one of the guys no longer worked for him and we were told to never mention his name, ever.


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

Hmmmm. Let's see here. I can go about this a couple ways. The first sets I played with were my dads 2281w circa 1957 set (2243 "A" and "B" set) with the 3391 log dump car, 6464-150 MoPac Eagle box car, 3562-75 barrel car (orange), 6560 crane car and 6119-75 DL&W work caboose. Along with that was moms' (yes that's correct) 1501S set circa 1953 with a 2026 steamer, 6032 gondola, 6035 Sunoco tanker, and 6037 caboose. My first set as a gift was from around 1973ish Lionel Cannonball Express set with an 8300 2-4-0 steamer, flat car, gondola and caboose. Sadly after having been stored for years, the 2243 A+B disappeared along with the crane, MoPac box car and the log car. Of those I have purchased all but the engines. Everything still works. I love the lighted handle on the LW transformer kind of a neat feature.

In addition to that I had various HO scale Tyco stuff including the Silver Streak set. Sadly all I have left are a few box cars of the HO stuff. I can remember the crane from the Silver Streak set, lifted the trailers to the flat car, was manual operation and very cheaply built but as a kid I didn't care. Also included in that set were glow-in-the-dark stickers.

Carl


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## dennisb (Jan 15, 2012)

My Christmas Memories.
I was born in 1956 one week before Christmas, in fact tomorrow is my birthday. My earliest Christmas memories are waking up and coming down stairs on Christmas morning to many great gifts but the biggest present of all was the train under the train. When I went to bed the night before, the living room looked like it always did and somehow the next morning our little row house was completely changed. You see Santa had come and not only delivered our presents but also put up our tree on what we called the "platform" and under the tree was the greatest train ever, a lionel 2020 from 1946. We also had a Lionel Trolley and a Marx handcar. We had a lot of plasticville houses that my father had all lit up using C7 bulbs, street lights that lit up, roads and cars and everything you can imagine and to top it off somehow "Santa" did this in one night. My father worked shift work and sometimes he was not even home Christmas Eve some years he was at work, some years he was not there when we woke up Christmas morning he was at work, but somehow "Santa" had time to do all of this by Christmas morning. He died when I was 15 and my brother 7, by then I was helping to make my brothers morning special and after 1972 it my was mission to keep "Santa" coming for my brother. In a few years this ended and we started taking our time putting the "platform" up, then when I got married and got a house I was given everything by my Mother and I carried on the tradition until my now 25 year old daughter got too old. But I never did it all in one night, it was too much work. I do not know how my Dad did. I still have it all and still put it up.
these are my Christmas memories.

Dennis


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I had an 2026 Steam Locomotive set and a 628 Diesel set was added on the next year.
I can not recall what sets these were but they were in sets. I can't recall what cars came with the set either. I know one was the Giraffe car. ( Or else I got that separately.)

I still have these and they still run strong, the 2026 has a marker knocked off from a few trips to the floor.
I used to run my trains like Gomez Adams but without the explosions.
Maybe that is why my Dad never bought me anything more but a few cars and accessories.
He finally took the layout down and stored them in boxes as he caught me one too many times running like Casey Jones out of control. 
I did not get them back for many years. In the mean time he had traded a lot of the accessories away.:thumbsdown:


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## alman (Oct 22, 2012)

dennisb said:


> My Christmas Memories.
> I was born in 1956 one week before Christmas, in fact tomorrow is my birthday. My earliest Christmas memories are waking up and coming down stairs on Christmas morning to many great gifts but the biggest present of all was the train under the train. When I went to bed the night before, the living room looked like it always did and somehow the next morning our little row house was completely changed. You see Santa had come and not only delivered our presents but also put up our tree on what we called the "platform" and under the tree was the greatest train ever, a lionel 2026 from 1946. We also had a Lionel Trolley and a Marx handcar. We had a lot of plasticville houses that my father had all lit up using C7 bulbs, street lights that lit up, roads and cars and everything you can imagine and to top it off somehow "Santa" did this in one night. My father worked shift work and sometimes he was not even home Christmas Eve some years he was at work, some years he was not there when we woke up Christmas morning he was at work, but somehow "Santa" had time to do all of this by Christmas morning. He died when I was 15 and my brother 7, by then I was helping to make my brothers morning special and after 1972 it my was mission to keep "Santa" coming for my brother. In a few years this ended and we started taking our time putting the "platform" up, then when I got married and got a house I was given everything by my Mother and I carried on the tradition until my now 25 year old daughter got too old. But I never did it all in one night, it was too much work. I do not know how my Dad did. I still have it all and still put it up.
> these are my Christmas memories.
> 
> Dennis




Great story. Keep up the tradition ! :worshippy:


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## pookybear (Feb 3, 2011)

Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday.

The last awful recession this country had under the Carter years. My parents
where hurting for cash to the point of even stamps were budgeted. Unknown
to me just being a kid I wondered what Santa was going to bring me in 1979.
Well he dropped by the best Christmas ever.










The Ives set number 462, The Black Diamond Jr. set. Made for only one
year. It had the 1120 Steam Locomotive with hand reverse and a Number
25 tender. The three cars are 143, 143 Parlor cars and 144 Observation car.
The set was made in 1928.










The Ives set number 504, The Fort Orange set. Made in 1927. It had
an Ives 3254 Modeled after the New York Central S-type with hand disk
type reverse. The cars were 131 Baggage car, 129 The Saratoga Parlor
car and the 132 Observation car.

Neither set ran when I got them as a kid, but I still spent many a day 
pushing my trains around the loop. And as a odd note my father had 
gotten these also as a hand-me-down when he was a kid. That was
during the last few years depression under Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Pookybear


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Pook,

Great nostalgic story. You have THE MOST impressive old-school stuff.

Please tell me that those locos do run now!?!?!

TJ


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

My first train was a prewar Lionel 226E freight train set. I still have it today. It was purchased for my dad and he passed it on to me a few years ago. Also seen in the pictures is my 1950 #1464W UP passenger train set.

-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

All the stuff we had as kids is long gone through the many moves, so I had to start over.


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## dennisb (Jan 15, 2012)

my mistake, its a 2020 with the smoke bulb. My Dad always told me he got it with money he got when he got out of the service after WW2.


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## pookybear (Feb 3, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> Pook,
> 
> Great nostalgic story. You have THE MOST impressive old-school stuff.
> 
> ...


You bet TJ,

I do set up the test track from time to time and just let them get a workout.
It seems the brushes, originally a mesh copper, give these big fits as they
age. So most get new carbon brushes and run like a dream afterwards. Wish
I knew that when I was a kid. 

Pookybear


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## Norman Swan (Dec 5, 2012)

*1st Train Set*

Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.S
I still have my first Train St, A lionel Scout 027 from 1950. A christmas gift from my parents at Christmas 1950. The Loco is numbered 6110. I have partially refurbished the set as it was subjected to some very hard use when I was a youngster.
This is the first time I have run it seriously in 50 years, but some serious track cleaning and mounting the track on a sheet of plywood, it is now for the 1st time running beneath our Christmas tree. Runs well except that the tender draw bar truck derails with a frustrating irregularity. I have a examined the truck and there seems to be excess lateral movement of the wheels on the axels, and the axels mounted in the side frame. There also seems to be an excess amount of play in the rivit that joins the truck to the metal frame. Is this normal, and if not how do I tighten it up


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Have you lubed the wheels and the bolster? You can also tighten up the end play of the axles by bending the sides of the trucks. Be careful because I think the sides of the trucks on the scout cars were plastic.

I had a tender that had a problem with derailing because someone had run it many miles with no lube on the wheels. The inside of the wheels and the axles were worn significantly allowing the wheels to come too close together. I replaced all the wheels and axles.


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## Norman Swan (Dec 5, 2012)

Thanks for the input. I fear that your comments about too many miles with no lube are accurate. This was over 50 years ago, but part of the refurbishment process is lubrication. I am using Hoppe Gun Oil as it is the most highly refined oil readily available and it does not go sticky.
I will no bend the axels as the side frames are plastic and they do not handle the implied loads well!!


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## N scale catastrophe (Nov 18, 2012)

My first train was a plastic wind up toy with plastic snap track, a plastic tunnel, two plastic trees and a few railroad crossing signs that I got for my third birthday. I played with it so much that I broke the gears inside (still have it though). Twenty years later received a little 4-4-0 from my husband and the rest is history.


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## njrailer93 (Nov 28, 2011)

my first set was when i was four years old. its a lionel amtrak diesel passenger set from the late 90's. still got her and would never think of selling it


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## D1566 (Jun 8, 2012)

Triang_trains_triang_hornby_freightmaster_set by martinperry77, on Flickr

This was my first set (though the loco was green in mine) Happy days


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## Badwolf & Arizona RR (Jun 17, 2011)

MY first set was a Tyco HO set sometime in the early to mid 1970's. It was a figure-8 set with a trestle, Santa Fe Alco PA or something like it, with a freight consist. We set it up in my room that day, and it was great (although I wanted a Lionel set). I had big plans for a nice layout and spent some of my Christmas money on additional cars and some other accessories. 

Sadly, nothing ever came of the "big layout" plans that I had - I was a little young to be able to support such a hobby and had three little brothers who couldn't comprehend the idea of "hands off" and "don't touch." It was eventually packed away and I don't really know what happened to it. 

I didn't get another train (an H.O. again - The Hogwarts Set) until I was a parent; the fun was kind of gone at that point as my daughter lost interest quickly. That gear was sold and I got my first O-Scale stuff - a K-Line "Greenport Scoot" set which featured the Long Island Railroad. I still have that set. I will always gravitate to LIRR stuff since that's what I knew growing up.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Art -- those old sets are in great shape ... boxes and all!

Pook -- glad to hear those locos are running!

Cheers,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

I think I am the odd ball here. My parents gave me a Scout when I was 9 in 1950. I grew to hate it. The cars had couplers that wouldn't couple to anything but a scout car. The engine was die cast and had a 4 position E unit so that was good. I acquired another loco a few years later that was a 2-6-2, but I have no idea what number it was. I had acquired some switches and quite a lot of track over the years, but by the time I was 15 my interest changed to cars and I sold it all for $35. I don't want it back and I have no nostalgic feelings about. What I wanted when I was a kid was O-31 track, 022 switches, some good steamers like 736 (I have three), and good diesels like 2333 and 2343. Now I have all of that stuff and I am happy with it. I haven't graduated to the electronically controlled stuff yet, but I may when I get room for a layout.


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## Big Mike (Dec 2, 2011)

Gezzz,I can't remember that far back,and I had so many I don't know witch one was first,They were all steam engines though,and all post war, Dah.........of course they were ,it was 1964, but we did have lots of trains,and all Lionel...........Mike


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## Harlem Line (Dec 16, 2012)

I never really got a train set as a kid, I got started on my dad's old stuff. He had two sets, one his dad bought him when he was a little kid and then another he bought himself as a teenager. The first set is a Marx B&O freight train from about 1953. The second set is a Santa Fe 634 freight train. He also added on many cars and a ZW transformer. This is all stuff he bought between 1964 and 1967. When I got into trains in the early 1990's we started adding new cars and eventually upgraded to a new locomotive, a New Haven 8922. To me that was like going from a Chevy Cavalier to a Cadillac Fleetwood. It has tons of pulling power compared to the little NW2 and a horn! As much as my collection may grow I will always have a special place in my heart for the stuff we bought in the mid 90s. Those are my trains.


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> Art -- those old sets are in great shape ... boxes and all!
> Cheers,
> 
> TJ


My late grandfather took very good care of all the Lionel stuff. I have all original boxes from everything. My grandfather was not a wealthy man so the Lionel trains and accessories were very pricy in their day. He treated them like gold. I was the only grandchild he trusted to play with them. I continue the tradition by caring for them to the best of my abilities. I wish I had room to excercize them. I only run my HO trains.
-Art


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Good for you, Art ... very heartwarming to see you carrying on your grandfather's legacy and tradition!

TJ


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## pookybear (Feb 3, 2011)

This thread needs more pictures. 

Pookybear


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

pookybear said:


> This thread needs more pictures.
> 
> Pookybear


Pics for you Pookybear:
This was my grandfather's 1st train circa 1920 Lionel standard gauge.
































Box cover now in a frame:








-Art


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Jeez ... you guys p*ss me off ...

Between Pook and Art, I keep droolin' all over my computer screen.

Now I've got to go get that bottle of Windex and some paper towels once again ...



TJ


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## alman (Oct 22, 2012)

Artieiii said:


> Pics for you Pookybear:
> This was my grandfather's 1st train circa 1920 Lionel standard gauge.
> 
> 
> ...





O M G ! Alfred E Neuman worked for LIONEL TRAINS ???

:laugh:

B T W , The pictures are GREAT !!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

That's actually Joshua Lionel Cowen's son, Lawrence.


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## stevetil (Sep 6, 2011)

Christmas 1946 I was 4 years old, my Grandmother gave me a Lionel 1400
set with the grey 221 loco, two 2430 blue passenger cars and a 2431 observation.
I added on to it for 7 years, loved it to death, but when I was 11 a teacher got
me interested in HO so I gave the lionel stuff away. Over the years I got rid of
all the HO and went for N. As I got older, I went back to HO, and now back to
Lionel. I even got that same set, well not the one I had, but another 1400 set.
Now I ned to get all those trains running again!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Nothin' beats the looks of that 221 Dreyfuss Hudson streamliner ... smoooooth!

TJ


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

More pix for Pookybear and TJ ,
Here are the lionel accessories my grandfather bought for my father. I don't have any pix of the boxes but I have them as well.
-Art
































This is their permanent home behind glass in my man cave. This is an old picture now I have my HO train shelf layout above the train shelves.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Fabulous original-finish condition, Art. Great family/grandfather legacy & tradition.


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## Carl (Feb 19, 2012)

I still have my first train set.....a Lionel......really need to get it out, clean it up and see if it still runs (the set 35 to 40 years old).


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> Fabulous original-finish condition, Art. Great family/grandfather legacy & tradition.


Yes sir TJ, all in original condition. None of the pieces have been painted or touched up in any way. 
I'm sure my grandfather is proud to see how I cherish them. My Grandfather's name was Arthur as well as my dad, myself and my son is Arthur the 4th. I will pass this family tradition on to my son when he is old enough to appreciate them. I hope my son has a boy someday to continue this family tradition.
-Art


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

:thumbsup:


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## Badwolf & Arizona RR (Jun 17, 2011)

artieiii said:


> yes sir tj, all in original condition. None of the pieces have been painted or touched up in any way.
> I'm sure my grandfather is proud to see how i cherish them. My grandfather's name was arthur as well as my dad, myself and my son is arthur the 4th. I will pass this family tradition on to my son when he is old enough to appreciate them. I hope my son has a boy someday to continue this family tradition.
> -art


like!


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## Norman Swan (Dec 5, 2012)

servoguy said:


> Have you lubed the wheels and the bolster? You can also tighten up the end play of the axles by bending the sides of the trucks. Be careful because I think the sides of the trucks on the scout cars were plastic.
> 
> I had a tender that had a problem with derailing because someone had run it many miles with no lube on the wheels. The inside of the wheels and the axles were worn significantly allowing the wheels to come too close together. I replaced all the wheels and axles.


Many Thanks Servoguy!!!

I have now fully cleaned and lubed all the rolling stock and OMG what a difference, No derailing and the loco can easily pull all six cars that I have.

What I would like is to find a source for a refillable syringe to apply small drops of Oil precisely where it is needed. Can anybody help?

The icing on the cake was the look on my 16 month grandson"s face. Totally mesmerized, and not pleased when it was shut down for dinner.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

One syringe source ... lots of others, I'm sure ...

http://www.mcmaster.com/#syringes/=kt0djw

Another ...

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/158-900

TJ


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## alman (Oct 22, 2012)

Norman Swan said:


> Many Thanks Servoguy!!!
> 
> I have now fully cleaned and lubed all the rolling stock and OMG what a difference, No derailing and the loco can easily pull all six cars that I have.
> 
> ...




Try a medical supply house, or if you know a doctor,
a hypodermic syringe works great !


I was recently in the hospital for a procedure, and I just asked the nurse.


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## Chiefmcfuz (Dec 30, 2008)

My first set was the Tyco GI Joe HO set. I also had my dads lionel freight set from when he was a kid. Still have it and everything still works perfectly.


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## NYC 5344 (Dec 26, 2012)

My first set was a Life-Like HO diesel freight set that came with a snap-together station. My first O Gauge set was Lionel's Pennsylvania Flyer.


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## mtoney (Oct 6, 2012)

My first electric train was a HO tyco set that I managed to burn up the motor on xmas morning when I was 6. I had been playing with my father's 1948 Lionel 1423w set at my grandparents prior to that. Needless to say, by the following March, the HO disappeared and I had my very own MPC era Lionel Midnight Flyer O27 train set with a 4x6 table in our basement. I received ownership of Dad's set when I turned 12. I still have that set, a 1655 2-4-2 with tinplate whistle tender, Sunoco double dome tank car, PRR gondola and dark red SP type caboose. I still run it with the original 1042 transformer but on O31 track now. While its basicaly a "scout" set, it comes from an era before they make those sets ubber cheapo. Engine is heavy diecast metal, 3 position E unit and double reduction spur gear drive, same mech as the 1656 switcher. Only feature it lacks is smoke. But as a child, I had allergies and asthma very bad, spent lots of time in the hospital, so smoke was a no-no anyways. I had quite the Lionel set up by the time I was 12 as I spent a lot of time being sick. Lots of indoor time playing with trains. While the cheapo Midnight Special MPC set is long gone, Dad's train continues to bring a smile to my face and transport me back in time to my childhood. I did upgrade the 1655 to roller pickups like the 1656 came with, necessary to transverse O22 turnouts, the slider pickups would snag or get ripped off, espicaly the rear one! The rollers are quieter, those sliders make lots of noise sliding along the center rail! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Mike and Michele T
Dad's set on the dining room table, dog hair and Lionel gears dont mix, so no under tree layouts in the living room!









My new pre 1950 Lionel layout under construction!


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## pookybear (Feb 3, 2011)

Thank you for the photos. Makes this thread so much better seeing these
cherished sets.

Pookybear


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Oil the sliders and they will last longer and the noise will be reduced.


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## stevetil (Sep 6, 2011)

servoguy said:


> Oil the sliders and they will last longer and the noise will be reduced.


Oh thank you! I hadn't thought of that. 
I have a 1946 steamer 221 with sliders.
I have already installed new sliders.
I was contemplating trying to retrofit rollers. 
I'll try the oil instead, much simpler..


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Artieiii said:


> More pix for Pookybear and TJ ,
> Here are the lionel accessories my grandfather bought for my father. I don't have any pix of the boxes but I have them as well.
> -Art



Scouts honer, I did not look!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Make sure the spring-plate on the back of the pickup plate has good flex in way of where the sliders (pickup shoes) mount. You want those shoes to have a good springy bounce in their mount.

TJ


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## Artieiii (Apr 25, 2011)

Norman Swan said:


> What I would like is to find a source for a refillable syringe to apply small drops of Oil precisely where it is needed. Can anybody help?


In many states syringes are an "over the counter" no prescription required. If they are over the counter in your state, you can just go to a local pharmacy and just buy some. 
-Art


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

If you obtain syringe needles, it would be highly advisable to take a small metal file and use it to file the sharp points dull, for safety reasons. They will still dispense the oil just fine and you can limit the amount applied.
My first train set was a Marx steamer set that I received for Christmas, 1947; I turned 7 three days later. It had a simple oval of track, a tank car, cattle car, gondola and caboose. I thought it was wonderful until a few years later, I saw Lionel items in store windows and was impressed by the greater realism of the 027 locomotives and cars of the early 1950's.
I still have the Marx locomotive and it still runs, though its appearance reflects some enthusiastic if unskilled operation. I'm sure that it needs some lubrication and cleaning.


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## wiley2012 (Dec 8, 2012)

My first train set when I was young was the "Toys R' Us Express," the Power-Loc version from Life-Like:








It had a copyright date of 1992, but I think back then it only had conventional track. Power-Loc didn't come out until maybe 1995 or 1996. I started with that set, and expanded with a Power-Loc Track Expander set, changing the mere "38 circle to a 56-by-38" oval with a siding track!
Then I moved up to Diesel with the "SuperTrain" set, also from Life-Like:








This was still fine as a regular old train set. But the train set that really helped start my model railroad layout was my Christmas present in 2000: the Life-Like Railroad Empire train set!








I set it up on a piece of plywood with some other accessories and some spare extra track, and it was good to go! Unfortunately, the included power pack wouldn't work, but I hooped up the receiver power pack from the SuperTrain set to the terminal rerailer, and that got the Railroad Empire started! (pun intended)


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## Ohio027 (Dec 29, 2012)

First train set was an American Flyer with the four-piece snap-together plastic scenery base. That would be in the late 1960s. The set had a steam loco, tender, gondola, working crane, and a tender, plus a transformer and even snap-together plastic buildings. I played with that for hours--really loved the crane car. 

Then graduated to HO around 11 or 12 years of age. Had a pretty nice 4 x 8 layout, plus a Tyco slot car set with a crossover that connected to the train track. A lot of terrible accidents happened at the crossover...

Dad eventually got rid of the American Flyer set, and I sold all the HO stuff when I was a teenager. 

Now I have a mix of Lionel (a postwar Hudson, a '48 Scout, an MTH Hiawatha tinplate traditions freight set, a modern NYC Flyer set, some Marx, and various accessories) that I am finally getting around to setting up a layout for. I think I found a novel solution to running different layouts in a small space--as I get it together I will post pix.


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## clovis (Jan 5, 2014)

I hope it is okay to bump a year old thread:

My first train set was an ultra cheap Tyco set that I got in 1973.

I awoke on Christmas morning to see if Santa had been there, and indeed he had. There was a train set _actually running_ on a simple circle track under the tree.

I was so excited that I literally couldn't catch my breath. 

I simply couldn't believe, nor fathom, that there was a train set, just like my dad's, left by Santa, just for me. Because I couldn't catch my breath, I couldn't utter any words either. 

I think my parents were confused at the time...here I stood, utterly speechless, and getting light headed because I couldn't catch my breath, as I watched it circle the tree time and time again. 

I was also confused too, and was certain that Santa had made a mistake and left that train set at the wrong house, for the wrong boy.

My parents insisted that Santa had indeed brought the train set for me, I started to hyperventilate again, and was mystified and awed that Christmas miracles really did happen. 

Who on earth, other than Santa Claus, would have known how much I had wanted a train set, and the track to run it on, and then bring one and leave it for me? Even at that age, I knew that getting a train set from my parents was out of the question, due to the cost. 

If I had ever questioned Santa before, I was a rock-solid believer after that Christmas morning!!!


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Great story, perfectly fine on the thread.


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## California RailFan508 (Jul 2, 2013)

My 1st HO train set (Christmas present when I was 7)









My 1st Two O-Scale Sets (Lionel Santa Fe Freight 4-6-4 set from 2001 and K-Line Wabash FA-1 "Follow the Flag" set)


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Just realized I don't have a dog in this race. So this is my first train set, well it was the family Christmas train set. Bought and abused by my older brothers before I was born. It was run on a 4 by 8 peice of plywood for the winter season in my basement. Yes( some members will appreciate this) the plywood was painted green. It was decorated with cotten(snow) and adorned with lead figurines. Figure skaters, etc. My father purchased it at the Lionel hillside facility new. It needs a lot of work as my brothers gomez adamed the train. I wonder if it would be cheaper to buy a new one?!?


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## rdmtgm (Nov 25, 2011)

My first set in the was in the 70's, The Lionel Nickle Plate Road set with the monster 8300 engine. Probably one of the lowest end sets available. It was a Christmas gift for me and my younger brother. It got lots of hard use, but digging the remains of it out of Dads basement a few years ago is what got me started again. I replaced the broken pieces and the entire loco and passed the set on to my oldest son the year he got married ,but I still have the motor and what remains of the shell of the original engine.I will keep it around to remind me of where I started, and that setting up a long winding track, open on both ends, on top of a table, over a cement floor, is not the greatest idea
Randy


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## morland (Sep 25, 2012)

Christmas 1982, I was eleven. I got a Tyco Virginian train set...it's still running today.


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## RedManBlueState (Jan 9, 2013)

My first "train set" wasn't really a set. For Christmas when I was 7, my Dad cobbled together a figure 8 of O27 with a #41 Army switcher, a gondola car, a flatcar, a Sunoco tank, and a caboose. It was probably better quality than any new set he could have purchased in the 70's.

Later, in 1980, I got an HO Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo set.


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## briangcc (Oct 11, 2012)

First train set was Lionel cast metal steamer, 2 cars - coal car and cattle car, and work caboose circa 1970's. Came with transformer and circle of track.

Caboose got repainted into Contrail colors along with a GP7/9 by my dad for Christmas that year. Paint was still drying when he wrapped it Christmas eve!

Still have the set including the box. The steamer gave up the ghost this year, the cattle car met a screw driver when I was younger (I may try repairing & repainting it when I get a few moments to look over the damage I did), and the power supply died this past weekend.

Funny story, and I'm surprised I'm here to type this...

A couple years after getting the GP7/9 I put up a circle of track on the kitchen table. I propped the wheels up in the air so the wheels would turn but it wouldn't move as the traction tires weren't making contact with the track. Letting it run for a bit, I found the power supply getting hot. So being the smart kid that I was, I poured water directly onto the transformer - several times. Never got shocked and never blew a breaker in the house.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Cool story! :appl:
My first train was a SOUTH SHORE LINE, which ran between South Bend, IN and Chicago (still does) with electric wires overhead.
I've no idea when or where that train went, but I recall the cars were made of tin and were dented and scratched. I also recall the transformer was a black box about 4"X6" and got pretty warm if I ran the train for too long.
Sure wish I could find another one. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Bob


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## longbow57ca (Oct 26, 2015)

Hello, My first train set was Marx Set the engine was a #666 and rolling stock, track and transformer #1209, I got for Christmas when I was 5 years old from my parents. That engine #666 was a real smoker and smelled the house up with smoke. I still have that set and it still works too 50 years later. Marx trains were made to last a life time and has lasted that long to me that is a great train I just love that set. Thanks longbow57ca.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Unlike most guys, I bought my first train set myself when I was 13 in 1969. It was a Tyco HO set featuring a Penn Central F7. When I was 5, an uncle who had an American Flyer layout moved away. A few years later I saw a Lionel layout that filled a basement. He had all the accessories too. I then started getting Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. I was enamored by John Allen's layout, and that is probably why I bought HO, besides, I only needed $20 for the set, minus the transformer. The man at the store sold me a Lionel DC power pack to power it, which I still have. I built a 4x8 layout in our basement and ran it until I finished college and moved away. I tore up the layout, and put the train set in a box for storage. A few years later I got it out, and discovered it had heat damage, so I threw it away. I did find one of the olive green Western Maryland flat cars that came with the set, minus load and brake wheel, at a thrift store a couple years ago. I have had trains since I was 13, but only got O gauge trains 4 years ago. I love O gauge now.


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## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

*Lionel New Englander*

Mine was the Lionel New Englader set from 1980 or so. Still have it...


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## longbow57ca (Oct 26, 2015)

Hello, My first 2 train sets were when I was 5 years old was a Marx train set was #666 and 4 cars, transformer, and track, second set was a American Flyer Frontiersman set , Franklin engine, 2 cars, transformer and track. I still have these 2 sets today and they are still working, my 2 favorite sets. These 2 sets have lasted over 50 years great sets I just love them. I love to watch them smoke around my layout. Thanks longbow57ca.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2015)

Thanks for starting this thread.

It is very timely as many of us got our first train set as a Christmas present. That is how I got started some 69 years ago. My set was the Lionel Berkshire with freight cars. Yes, I know, they were freight cars, not what I do today. The next Christmas however that all changed with the Sante Fe F units and matching PASSENGER CARS.

Sometimes it take a little time to get it right.


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