Gary sent in these railroad memories:

I remember when my dad and my uncle bought me my first train set. I couldn’t have been more than about 5 years old. and I remember the first time it was set up on the floor at my grandparents house. A toy of wonderment and mystique it certainly was. Soon after the great unveiling it was “put away until you are older.”

I have solid memories from around 7 or 8 years old, of holiday & birthday presents always being some new rolling stock, and one one grand occasion, my grandfather bought me a Hornby Flying Scotsman, with glowing firebox and chuffing tender !!

I remember my father coming home from work , and both of us racing upstairs to “play trains” ,which he invariably won while declaring the phrase,  “I get to be engine driver” !!

Over the years dad watched my interest in trains fade away as a teenager and young adult, until I got married and had kids.

One day I decided to resurrect the trains (for my son of course) and build a layout in the spare room.

Now my son and I share the interest along with my dad who still comes over and enjoys them.

Paul sent in this memory of the British Railways:

I was born and raised in South Wales, U.K. My uncle Cecil worked for British Railways at the time, as a “Goods Guard” or train master, riding in the caboose. Sometimes he would take me to work with him in the morning, and put me in the cab of a steam engine. I would get the opportunity to shovel coal into the fire box, and keep the fire going. It was wonderful. It was the soot in the eyes that was the biggest problem, but anyone who has ridden in a steam engine knows that. At the end of the day he would pick me up, and we went home. Not always was I on the same train that Uncle Cecil was on. Usually the engine I was on did small shunt journeys around Griffithstown and Abergavenny South Wales, while Uncle Cecil took longer train journeys.

Another most favorite memory was when we took a day trip to London, and he took me to see The Flying Scotsman. This was in about 1949-1950. I can’t remember if we saw The Flying Scotsman at Paddington Station or Kings Cross Station, but I do absolutely remember marveling at this beautiful huge green steam engine. I can still see after all these years, the Flying Scotsman in my minds eye. I will never forget it.

By the way, I recently purchased an HO scale Hornby Flying Scotsman for my layout. I have so many memories of steam locomotives traveling throughout Britain, their smoke billowing from their funnels as they passed under roadway bridges, with green Welsh pastures all around. In those days, travel by train was outstanding.

Fred sent in his best railroading memory:

I was about 10 years old and belonged to a Cub Scout Troop in Chicago. Our Den Mother had arranged a train trip on the Monon Railroad that traveled at high speed thru the beautiful state of Indiana. This was a streamliner and it was hauling pretty fast. After that ride I was hooked.

When I was eleven I used to go downtown Chicago to watch in awe—when The New York Central 20th Century Limited would slowly pull under the bridge, entering the Chicago Station.

Then one fine day I was riding the subway–and I always stood up in front right next to the engineers cab. One day he opened up his cab door, and I told him that I wanted to be an engineer just like him.  He said, “This is really kind of boring—running from one end of the tracks to the other every day.”

Not discouraged because I lived 2 blocks from the Chicago North Western tracks and I used to go up to Summerdale Station to watch the big steam locomotives pull in and leave with their passenger cars. Sadly, that is a sound and experience that the kid’s of today will never experience.

On my 10th Christmas my Dad bought me my first Lionel Train set—this was in 1950—and I still run that New York Central engine with the two “A” units and a “B” unit. Who would believe—after 62 years I have my layout and my 3 year old twin grandsons love watching it run with big eyes. Trains—a great thing to get hooked on! Who knew —- what the Monon train ride started.

Jim sent in this railroading memory to share:

The main experience that fueled my interest in modeling railroads was NOT the sight of massive 300 car trains racing through a crossing, majestic as that may be. Instead it was a daily activity that to some may seem boring and insignificant.  When I was growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Road still served the midwest.  There was a small 30 mile route that essentially ran between Eau Claire and Durand, WI. Although it was not THE major railyard in the area, one of the locations where small sections of cars were shuffled around was located next to the main post office downtown.  In the summers I frequently went with my father to pick up the mail and would see this small but sturdy Milwaukee Road Switch Engine "kicking cars."  It was almost a daily activity and it should be NO surprise that there is a vague recreation of that same scene on my n scale model railroad layout.  An exact replica of that particular Milwaukee Road engine is seen shuffling a few cars back and forth on a siding.

The scant remains of the former Milwaukee Road now serve as a very pleasant biking and walking trail, but I almost always think of that dutiful little switch engine hauling short cuts of cars from one end of town to another as I walk on it.

Terry from the UK sent in his railroading memory:

One of my best memories is when I went on a trip to Newcastle England to see my Grandmother. One day my dad asked me if I wanted to go and watch the trains at the Newcastle Station. Being an avid trainspotter I gladly said yes. We got a platform ticket from the station and went in and sat on the seats inside. We had only been in the station 2 minutes and the Mallard no 4462 pulled in a massive blue train. It was amazing as I was only 14 I am now 68. This is my great memory from Terry Daventry England.

Blog reader John sent in this railroading memory to share:

Back in 1949 we had a holiday in Southern Ireland at a guest House in Kilkee County Claire. Having arrived in Dublin we then had three train journeys across country. Firstly we traveled by conventional steam to Limerick, then we transferred to another steamer for Ennis. At Ennis we boarded an unforgettable and wonderful steam train.  It had open carriages, i.e. no windows, but there was a roof. There were few stations on route to Kilkee, (if any) but if the driver spotted someone waving from across the fields and clearly dashing towards the train, he would stop so that the person could board the train. How they paid their fare I have no idea. This happened several times as the train chuffed on through wonderful countryside on a track which was narrower than standard, but wider than typical narrow gauge.

Eventually arriving in Kilkee, the regulars and those of us visitors who were quick off the mark ran forward to operate the manual turn-table. Others helped to unhitch the loco. Then having turned it around, all hands helped with the manual points and the recoupling of the loco at the other end ready for its return to Ennis.  We had a wonderful holiday in that beautiful remote part of Ireland, but I remember as a boy being almost impatient for the holiday to be over so that we could travel back on that fascinating do-it-yourself train.

George sent in his railroad memory:

Nineteen sixty two I took my first train trip.  Over night from Buffalo to Louisville.  (basic training at Ft. Knox)

That was when I learned that when you lift the sink in a sleeping compartment,to dump the water, your razor, tooth brush and the water all end up on the tracks…..A mistake you only make once.

If you have a railroading memory you would like published on the blog go to: http://www.model-railroad-resources.com/memories.html

Chip sent in this railroading memory to share with others:

A memory from my childhood. It was the summer of 69, I was Nine and my parents and I were visiting my Sister’s Family in Roseville Ohio. One afternoon I wandered down the hill her house was on, to the tracks and crossing below. A Train was coming and moving slow so, I placed a penny on the tracks and stood by to watch the Train flatten my penny. Workers on the Train saw me and immediately knew what I was doing. At first it was my delight that the Train stopped right in front of me and inches from my penny. A man from the Train disembarked and approached me. He then began to warn me that the Train could spit that penny out like a bullet and I was too close. He then walked me away from the engine (numbered 6013) and gave the signal for the engine to move. The Engineer crept the Engine forward and flattened my penny. The man peeled it off the engines wheel and then presented me with my specially prepared flattened penny.

This story gets better cause much to my surprise; the man asked if I’d like a ride on that Train! Of course I said yes and enjoyed a free Train ride to Zanesville Ohio and back! The worst part of the whole trip was, we rode the Caboose of a Coal Train. When I got back to my Sister’s, I was covered in the blackest dust imagined. I didn’t care – I had the most memorable vacation ever! I’m in my Fifties now and still have that Coal Train Penny, (somewhere!)

If you have a railroading memory you would like published on the blog go to: http://www.model-railroad-resources.com/memories.html

Bob sent in this memory:

“Probably about 1947 my mother wanted to visit a friend in a neighboring town, and it was decided that my brothers and I would ride the train with my mother, spend the day with her friend, and my father would follow in the car after he got off work. We arrived at the station, and since my brothers were a couple of years younger than I my mother took them on board while my father and I walked the length of the train looking and watching. My father sold life insurance and knew practically everyone in town, and he and the engineer were friends. My father lifted me up to the engineer who lifted me and pulled me in thru the window (maybe it was the door) of the ACL F7. I got a tour of the power plant, got to sit in his seat, pull the cord for a short toot on the whistle and push the throttle forward and rev the motor, not too much. But the clock was moving, I was lifted out thru the window/door to my father’s arms, and off we went to join my brothers and mother who was fit to tied because she heard the whistle blow and motors rev and knew that the train was going to leave the station and me behind. And what would my father do with me all day long?”

If you have a railroading memory you would like published on the blog go to: http://www.model-railroad-resources.com/memories.html

Bob sent in these train memories to share:

“During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school I was selected to attend a camp in NC by a national organization which shall remain nameless. I traveled by train from Tampa to NC with a layover in Jacksonville to pick up the Pullmans and to meet up with other campers from other parts of Florida. The berths were prepared and off to to bed we went. We pulled into Savanah and I asked the girl below me if she knew where we were, what was going on, and she invited me to join her so I could see for myself. I know she had no idea what she had done. After some minutes we pulled out of the station and one thing led to another. There is much to be said about the romance of the rails, even though it can’t be said here. But I’m 72 years old and haven’t forgotten it yet.”

384 model railroaders responded to our last poll which asked:

Do You Repair Your Own Model Train Stuff?

Results were as follows:

– In addition to doing ALL minor repairs including dismantling and cleaning motors etc. I ALSO install and replace decoders, program decoder functions (29%)

– As well as ALL minor repairs I dismantle and clean motors, replace motors, and clean gears (22%)

– I do minor repairs, AS WELL AS some repairs such as removing train body, replacing bulbs, resoldering loose wires (22%)

– I do some minor repairs eg. tightening screws, clean wheels, touch up paint, traction tires, replace couplers, sliders or pantos (15%)

– I don’t do my own repairs (8%)

– I also do repairs for others (4%)

Our recent poll asked model railroaders: What type of railroad do you prefer to model, a prototypical railroad that exists (has existed), or a fictional railroad that you (or someone else) has created?

Hundreds responded and the results were as follows:

– Fictional (71%)
– Prototypical (29%)

John has kindly sent in this follow-up to his earlier article:

We who engage in The World’s Greatest Hobby have a distinct advantage over those who don’t indulge in running model trains – we CAN have our cake and eat it too! Those of us who model trains do not have to go by a specific means of making our railroad. We can follow a prototype, develop our own railroad, have a large or small or in-between layout, or cross eras, as long as it is enjoyable to build and run.

To give an example, my main interest is in the initial locomotive roster of Conrail (Consolidated Rail), which in the spring of 1976 took over Penn Central (New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, New Haven), Erie Lackawanna (Delaware Lackawanna & Western, Erie Railroad), the Reading, Lehigh Valley, Central of New Jersey, and several other smaller railroads. Needless to say, Conrail had a lot of equipment to sort through, and some of the locomotives either ran for a few years and then were sold off or scrapped. For example, Conrail inherited a bunch of EMD F7 A-units, but only one was repainted in Conrail blue. The others kept their own road colors (weathered as they were) with a Conrail stencil over them. The successful GG-1 electric was another locomotive to bite the dust, as Conrail de-electrified after a few years. Conrail was eventually merged into CSX and Norfolk Southern in 1999, and some ex-Conrail locos are still running today.

It takes a lot of referencing to choose which locomotives to use on a layout from the initial Conrail roster, and to do this, two free websites online are very helpful, to say the least. One is the Conrail Cyclopedia, a tremendous work where a lot of information is available. The other is The Diesel Shop, which gives the rosters of many railroads, including “Fallen Flags” where one can cross-reference a particular locomotive to see where from where it originated. This site also has the production numbers of various locomotive builders.

As can be seen, a lot of study is necessary to develop an accurate locomotive roster for early Conrail, but it is time well-spent if this is where your interest lies. To give another example, it would be “wrong” for initial Conrail to have an Erie locomotive on the roster, because the Erie and the DLW combined in 1960 to form Erie Lackawanna. By the time of Conrail 16 years later, the Erie locomotive would have been given an EL paint job.

I once saw a layout where a train ran through numerous animal parks, separated by dividers, and went from dinosaurs to wild animals of today. Very unrealistic for sure, but very effective for the owner. So is it “wrong” to run an Erie locomotive on a set-up where the names and types of locomotives are not of any consequence? No way! How a layout is made is of importance for your enjoyment, and any way you want it is right way, as long as the trains keep running. That’s the beauty of this hobby!

Hamhari has a question for readers:

“Hello model railroaders. I have a question about a plan I have in mind. It is an N scale plan but I want to build it in HO. I was told that I would have to double the diameters of the curves (12 in N to 24 in HO). When I went to another website I can never get a straight answer from people there. They told me that I would have to double the size of the benchwork from 4×8 to 8×16. Is that true? It looks like the others would have told me that in the first place. Thanks!!”

Comment below.

Richard is seeking advice from others in the hobby regarding online purchasing of model railroad supplies:

“When I got the itch again (my last Model Railroad some 50 years ago), I wanted to go for N Scale and still do. However, here in Cape Town South Africa, there are only two Model Railroad suppliers and neither have much N Scale items. To be exact, the one has none, while the other (a much larger supplier/retailer) has only one Start Up Kit, one Locomotive and a set of passengers. N Scale is not very popular in South Africa,  HO being the most popular.

I am a bit wary about Online Purchasing, being bitten a few times before. Can you suggest a good and safe N Scale supplier who has a good range of locomotives, cars, accessories, etc? Also some info on shipping costs. The web sites I have visited so far seem to cater for the USA with no mention of shipping costs to, in this case, South Africa.”

Add your suggestions (comments) below.

654 model railroaders voted in our last poll which asked: How much time per week do you spend working on, or operating, your model train layout?

Results were as follows:

• Up to 5 hours (38%)
• 5 to 15 hours (26%)
• 15 to 30 hours (6%)
• 30 + hours (2%)
• I don’t have a layout yet (28%)

Daniel sent in this article for publication:

I’m a member of a private club called ” Chemin de fer Vermont & Essex “.

The Vermont & Essex railroad club became a reality in 1998 when six passionate modelers formed a private club depicting various train routes from Montreal to Boston across the Vermont landscape. The photo you see above is the actual model of the St-Albans’ station on our layout, with it’s train shed measuring a mammoth 404 scale feet!