I was fortunate. My dad (a fireman in Hoboken) bought me a set pulled with a steamer (221), and a few freight cars just before I was born, then a 2035 set with a few more. By the time I was somewhat conscious, we had a full blown layout of an oval with a passing siding (in looking at old films, I’d say 5 x9 foot). The siding included the milk car platform, the cattle car platform, #97 coal elevator, magnetic crane, and the requisite cars. There was a #38 water tank, and block signal. On the outer loop were crossing gates, an oil derrick, flashing cross bucks, and the giant gateman. There were two houses in the one Road Town, and green painted sawdust for grass. He also made a tunnel from paper and wire and varnish, then painted. Oh, and a revolving beacon. My current layout with a few exceptions is very similar. My dad kept the layout hanging on pegs in the warm months, and set it up around Thanksgiving, and took it down around February.
The layout had to be broken up when we moved to a small apartment, but I kept the trains running on a 4x8 I set up in I and my brother’s bedroom. I kept the trains after I got married in my 20’s, but foolishly sold them for ski boots. I’ve been trying to catch up ever since!
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