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I wanted the Lionel set on the top of this page. 1948 green passenger cars pulled by the steam turbine. I first saw the set at a large department store with my parents. What I got was the 2026 steam engine and three freight cars. I loved it anyway but sure wanted those green cars. Donfavoritecatalog.04

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I don't know. It was 1958 and all I wanted for Christmas was a Lionel train set in the Sears catalog. Instead, I got a huge collection of used AF passenger and freight cars with a K4 Pacific engine. Loved it. Now I buy MTH Premier and Lionel Legacy. MTH brought me back to O gauge. My first purchase was the MTH NYC Hudson in 1997.

It has to be scale proportioned for me.

2245 Texas Special F3. Wanted them in the worst way. Pop bought the 211 Alco's instead. Money. They never ran right until years later I shimmed the motor and got it to work. They would fly in reverse but only ran slow in forward. Kind of got me into repairing trains. And yes I finally did find a pristine set of 2245's.

scale rail posted:

I wanted the Lionel set on the top of this page. 1948 green passenger cars pulled by the steam turbine. I first saw the set at a large department store with my parents. What I got was the 2026 steam engine and three freight cars. I loved it anyway but sure wanted those green cars. Donfavoritecatalog.04

You and me both, Don.  I got the 2026 set with its three cars (though the dealer threw in an extra Sunoco tank car, since it was a demonstrator set) at Christmas, 1951.

As I've posted many times, I still have the locomotive and the freight cars, but what I wanted most of all was a set of passenger cars for the 2026 to pull.  Money, however, was tight around our household in the Fifties, and I never did get them.

Until a few years ago, when I picked up three silver 027 passenger cars at a train show.  I'd probably have gotten the green ones, if I ever saw a set in good condition, but I'm happy with the silver ones.  Now my 2026 can pick up passengers at the station, just the way I wanted it to in 1952!

PS: I eventually got a 681 turbine at a train show, too.

Don, somehow I'm remembering that you said you had Gilbert Flyer as a boy?  No?

I did and was glad that Santa liked the two rail trains but I always lusted after the 2343 Santa Fe and the Texas Special F3s!  Was not familiar with Flyer's Alco PAs (had never even seen a photo of the real engine) although I want the Northern Pacific passenger set from 1956 when it came out...

I got a Lionel Amtrak Lake Shore Limited set for christmas one year and the next a boxcab Laser train set. For the third christmas I made strong hints for a Lionel Southern Crescent set but I didn't get it nor any train stuff from my parents ever again. I think they thought it was for my own good as I would prefer to run trains and build models instead of being outside with the neighborhood kids, my mom often said I was a nerd.lol

Last edited by Johnny Winkler

Sadly, the train set never arrived under the Christmas tree for me, I would have been ecstatic with any back then.

The one that always caught my eye was the Santa Fe AA set.  Every year, MY Christmas includes a train from myself, normally one of the postwar steamers or tenders missing from my collection.

I have a Thomas set, as well as a RTR Santa Fe Lionel set for my grandson, he is into the trains for now, his parents were unsure when he got his Brio train 2 years ago, so I am fueling his fire while the interest is there.

A Santa Fe F3 AB with 2500 series passenger cars.  I blame Angela Trotta Thomas's illustrations in "The Mighty Santa Fe" book I had when I was little for putting that set in my mind.  Also, my first "real" train set was an HO Santa Fe F3 freight set I got at age 3, so as soon as I switched to O-gauge I had my sights set on the same engine.  I knew I'd never get it for Christmas, but always had a little hope in the back of my mind.  My parents tried their best with other trains and O-27 size passenger cars, but I think I knew it just wasn't in their price range.  Finally in high school I saved up and got a postwar F3 AB (the one single motor version) with the baggage, Silver Cloud pullman, Silver Range vista dome, and a PRR observation off ebay.  All filthy, but turned out to be in decent shape.  Have since sold the PRR observation and got a Silver Dawn observation.  Still on the lookout for a Silver Bluff pullman to complete the set.

I still remember being very impatient awaiting for the package to arrive and the pure joy I had opening the box when it finally did.

Last edited by AXP889
eddie g posted:

Sorry PALALLIN I don't understand what this has to do with present's for Christmas.

Gee, Eddie, I thought it was pretty straight-forward:  the OP didn't specify that I had to be a child when I wanted it or that the desire had to date from 1952.  I wanted that MoPac set for Christmas last year, but I couldn't have it.  And it is not at all likely that I will ever get it.

I hope it's clearer now.

The one set I desired the most was Lionel Set# 2525WS, shown in the 1958 Catatlog.  This set had the Norfolk & Western Class J Northern on the point and came with a host of operating cars along with both the Culvert Loader and Unloading Station.  The cost in 1958 was $100.00 and I had about as much chance of getting that set at Christmas as being anointed to sainthood.  We couldn't even afford the culvert loader much less the entire set.  Still I drooled all over that 1958 catalog and in my dreams played with that set over and over again.  Nevertheless, I was quite content to play with my Grandad's Lionel Set# 1590 headed up by a little 2-4-2 "Columbia" style engine  along with 4 freight cars to include the Range Patrol car with a truck.  That little engine and tender sported a bright orange stripe similar to the N&W's Northern so many times when watching it run I made believe it was the big Northern.  I still have that little set and it runs perfectly.  I also still have that 1958 Catalog, or whats left of it.  Never got the big set but a couple of years ago I stumbled on the post-war N&W bullet nosed Northern in almost like new condition and bought it for a steal.  Its my favorite engine.

Sam, yes but I really can't remember much of it. I was way to young for trains when my Dad bought it for me for Christmas. My Mom said my Dad and his friend ran it so much the transformer burned up. The only thing I remembered about it was there were a few cars (white boxcar) around the house. This is me and my best friend, Tippy about a year after I got the AF. In 1948 I was four and really loved the Lionel set Santa brought me. Dontippy and me045 2

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Like C.Sam, I was drawn to the American Flyer ALCo North Coast Limited when it came out in the 50's. I spend many an hour looking at it in a catalog. Never got that, although I'd like to some day just for the memory. I did get the K-Line F-3 NCL set a number of years ago, though, to satisfy the need (!), and it's great. 

I also have a memory of seeing the Lionel Canadian Pacific F-3 set and passenger cars at a department store back in the 50's. I thought that was quite something, but never got it. These were way out of reach for my father. When I saw the Lionel Illinois Central F-3/aluminum cars passenger set on a shelf in a hobby shop in Chicago during the holidays about 1987, though, I couldn't stop looking at it. It was gorgeous, and a couple years later I bought it. I was hooked.

I grew up in the '70s and remember Johnny Cash advertising the "trains and trucking"  and "Black River Freight" trains by Lionel.  I wanted either of these but sadly ended up with neither.  We lived in the rust belt and all the steel mills were closing or downsizing about that time and Pop just lost his job.  I did end up with a nice Marx outfit that year though but burglars broke into the house and stole almost everything, including the toy trains, later that summer.  Come to think of it, I did not like the '70s much but this is a great topic, thanks for the trip down memory lane.  You can't beat Johnny Cash and Lionel!!

Mine was right after the war. Lionel was back in the train business and advertising in mags like Life and The Saturday Evening Post. I spot the item I dearly wanted, a Pennsy 0-4-0 Bell Ringer1665 for $25. Not cheap for the time, but I thought reasonable. So I left plenty of clues, but, upon opening presents on Christmas, my switcher turned out to be a 2810 operating crane.

Needless to say, my first purchase when getting back into trains in later years, was a 1656 with 6403B tender. I've had a fondness for switching workhorses ever since

Forest posted:

2245 Texas Special F3. Wanted them in the worst way. Pop bought the 211 Alco's instead. Money. They never ran right until years later I shimmed the motor and got it to work. They would fly in reverse but only ran slow in forward. Kind of got me into repairing trains. And yes I finally did find a pristine set of 2245's.

I agree.  The F3 TS were not exactly the same livery as on the MKT and SL-SF E7's.  But that red says something.  Got the 6 car 15" Williams AL TS set to run wth them.  Plus, I run the cars with the UP Heritage MKT engine.  

Johnny Winkler posted:

I got a Lionel Amtrak Lake Shore Limited set for christmas one year and the next a boxcab Laser train set. For the third christmas I made strong hints for a Lionel Southern Crescent set but I didn't get it nor any train stuff from my parents ever again. I think they thought it was for my own good as I would prefer to run trains and build models instead of being outside with the neighborhood kids, my mom often said I was a nerd.lol

My Mom felt the same way.  If I was running trains, I could not get into trouble.  Unless I used the smoke fluid only Pepe LePew woud love:  MARX!

Dominic Mazoch posted:
Johnny Winkler posted:

I got a Lionel Amtrak Lake Shore Limited set for christmas one year and the next a boxcab Laser train set. For the third christmas I made strong hints for a Lionel Southern Crescent set but I didn't get it nor any train stuff from my parents ever again. I think they thought it was for my own good as I would prefer to run trains and build models instead of being outside with the neighborhood kids, my mom often said I was a nerd.lol

My Mom felt the same way.  If I was running trains, I could not get into trouble.  Unless I used the smoke fluid only Pepe LePew woud love:  MARX!

Right for me as well, never got a Lionel, but I did get a Marx set one Christmas.   Glad to have it.  I added a flashlight bulb for a headlight.

Finally got my Lionel's when my son was old enough to play trains with me.  Unfortunately, video games were a greater draw  for him.   Me, I stuck with the trains.

Last edited by Ken-Oscale

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