Memories:
Stuff I had when I was 5-12 years old plus stuff added in the last 20 years.
Located in one end of my living room.
Turn on the 'power' to the layout and I'm 9 years old again!
videos:
N&W J 4-8-4: The first few seconds are blurry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8DRiMSt-s
NYC Hudson 4-6-4:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soiT-imr2gg
Santa Fe F-3 passenger set:
The B unit was made by Lionel around the 90's with electronic whistle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b0y7uu3fn0
Best Christmas ever had or will ever have.
I was seven. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, we had Higbees, May co and Halley’s down town department stores. After Thanksgiving, each would have an entire floor full of toys. Of course the best was the train area where there was Lionel and American Flyer layouts set up. I’d stay there for hours watching them run and, of course, there were free catalogs.
Mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I pointed to the Lionel SF diesel A-A and 4 beautiful aluminum passenger cars and said ‘that’. At 90 bucks, mom said we can’t afford that. Dad worked at Midland Ross steel and, if he made that in a week, he was lucky!
$90 in 1953 is over $1,000 in 2023: imagine spending that much on a seven year old, today, for one present!
I remember getting up that Christmas morning and seeing the large rectangular box all wrapped and knew exactly what it was.
As in ‘Christmas story’, that was the best Christmas I ever had, or ever will.
And it still runs great!
Most of the items are 'post war' but several are 'contemporary made' items.
