Do you remember that first train set?

[chrisreb]

Thanks to Andrews post about the Triang trainset I have managed to find out exactly what the set was that we had. It was the previous years set to Andrews Princess Victoria made in 1959. The set did indeed have a black Princess Elizabeth and was produced in 1958
Wonder if I can find one today anywhere

That's exactly the set I started with in the late '50's!

[transadelaide]

Mine was a family treasure passed on by my uncle, a MDF board with a double-track oval layout in HO with crossovers and a couple of sidings. Rolling stock is choice of either a Lima set of Overland coaches in the old maroon livery with a Commonwealth Railways GM Class loco, or the Flying Scotsman with three coaches. He and grandpa had a much larger multi-level layout that never made it to completion and far more models than I know about.

[pmyers]

These posts are making me feel old....

First ever trainset was a black Hornby 'O' gauge 0-4-0 tinplate tender engine and two tinplate coaches. First set I actually recall playing with (circa 1964) was an OO Triang-Hornby transcontinental set featuring an F7 and observation car:

http://www.hornbyguide.com/item_year_de ... earid=4106

Paul

[justgeoff]

My first train set came when I was about seven, I had no inkling I was going to get one and couldn't understand why I was being shown to the sitting room on Christmas morning instead of the dining room where we usually opened presents. To my surprise, there, all over the floor, was an O gauge layout of trackwork with sidings and all and a green 4-4-0 loco and tender, which I later found out was a Basset-Lowke model, with some four wheel coaches and an assortment of wagons. The loco was clockwork and had two 'levers' in the cab, one was a brake and the other was for forward or reverse. The problem was that once wound up it would go off at a great rate of knots and invariably tip over on the first bend. Even if it didn't, you were lucky to get more than two circuits of the track before it ran down and stopped. After a while I found I got more enjoyment by literally pushing the train around, which probably didn't do the clockwork mechanism that much good. When I was ten (1953), the whole lot was sold by my mother for a fiver! I wonder what that loco is worth today! But that was to make way for my first 00 gauge 3-rail train set, which was not exactly a set as I had set my sights on the Hornby-Dublo 2-6-4T and the only passenger set available had suburban coaches with tinplate coaches that had 'painted on' windows. So I persuaded the powers that be to buy two 'crimson and cream' coaches that had 'see through windows'. Being too old to believe in Father Christmas by this time I was helping on Christmas Eve and, as electrical items were not sold with moulded plugs on them as they are today, I assured my dear Dad that I was competent enough to wire up a three pin plug so that everything would be ready for the next day. Having done that , it was of course too tempting not to prove that everything was OK so on went the switch, and off went the lights! Not the most popular member of the family as you can imagine. Eventually the train set grew adding the 0-6-2T, the A4 Silver King, and then my favourite, Bristol Castle, before it was all traded in for 2 rail. Happy days!

[166Driver]

I got my first electric train set when I was 10. It was a Hornby Intercity 225, around 1995.

[darkdj]

My first train set was given to me at Christmas in, I think, 1997, and it was your bog standard Hornby "Flying Scotsman" trainset with LNER Coaches.

Lost it though, but made up for it when I got, almost 13 christmases later, a brand new "Flying Scotsman"...Limited Edition!

[whittaker]

Around 1973 age 5 i remember my dad bringing me a box of goodies which he bought from a bloke from work which contained 2 princess Elizabeths blood and custard coaches and a load of triang wagons ,or and one of those old hornby dublo controllers with the big red light for shorting out .

One of my best xmas memories is opening 47712 and 55022 and a full set of mk 2 s all wrapped separately ,i think this would have been 1982 when the hornby 47712 came out for the royal wedding .

joe

[Andrew Page]

Thanks to Andrews post about the Triang trainset I have managed to find out exactly what the set was that we had. It was the previous years set to Andrews Princess Victoria made in 1959. The set did indeed have a black Princess Elizabeth and was produced in 1958
Wonder if I can find one today anywhere

It's crossed my mind from time to time what it would cost today to acquire a good example of one of those early Triang sets. Some do come up from time to time on eBay, but, unsurprisingly, the condition is rarely of truly collectable quality. I suspect that any real 'mint' examples would find their way to specialist auctions and would sell for a price reflecting their rarity.

Thanks to all for posting their recollections.

Andrew

[markwhale]

My father-in-law, who sadly passed away 2 years ago, had a train set from when he was a youngster, so this set would have been around 60yrs old. Whilst on a trip down to Romney Marsh Museum, we came across a display cabinet with the same set as his. He remarked that he had several items that was being displayed, in mint condition and still wrapped in grease-proof paper and boxes. The chap sitting next to the display approached us and asked if this was true and enquired as to what he had. After sometime of discussion, he informed my father-in-law that it was worth a great deal of money and offered to purchase the entire set for the museum. Danny, my father-in-law refused, remarking that he wanted to give the set to his two grandsons after he had gone and refused his offer.
After his death, the grandsons, now 17 and 19 wanted their Nan to sell the set and put the proceeds to her new flat. It eventually went for around £600, this would have been a lot more had the engine to the set been of an original issue with this set. His brother had the engine but since lost with time. Who knows what it would have been worth. I only ever saw it once, but it went to a collector. Just never know what you may have that's worth a small fortune.
Mark.

[sundog]

The first train set I played with was all O Gauge Hornby tin plate, along with a few bits of Basset Lowke, which was all "borrowed" off my dad, however, my frst boxed train set was by Tri-ang, and it was a OO 0-4-0 tank loco which had a distinctly foreign look despite its British Railways emblem, a custard and cream coach, a circle of track - and it was clockwork!! As it was a Christmas pressy my mum and dad added to it the rocket firing wagon, and the exploding box car

But my heart was always with 0 Gauge, and it had to be live steam. The only thing I've got left is a Bowman which my dad converted to a totally freelance tank loco. I also have left a freelance live steam 0-4-0 saddle tank which my dad totally scratch built, but remains unfinished as sadly he died in 2004.

Ken

[prairie4566]

Ah yes, at the age of 3 or something, Hornby's GWR Mixed Traffic set was installed.

Then I progressed to the Trakmat. Many happy Christmases back then when Dad would add new loops/sidings to play with.

By 2005 ish, it was decided I was above the Trakmat stage, so our own larger, higher baseboard was made with the ambition to have a layout of dual levels, one line crossing the main line to end up in a yard, plus a shed yard on the lower level. Naturally this never materialised beyond two loops and sidings.

Five years later, I could see it was going nowhere fast, so tore the track up and attempted a compressed Corfe Castle track layout, which for a while I was happier with operationally, though put off by the inaccuracy of flat baseboard and scale.

As of 2011 all 00 layouts are to be replaced with an N Gauge representation of Swanage Station. Dapol M7, Farish 4MTT and Peco/Farish Mk1s and wagons laid aside.

My preferences have finally come to rest at a worthwhile, possible ambition.

[ashgray]

I had at seven years of age (or rather, Dad built) a superb H0/00 gauge layout with two stations, a tunnel, river bridge, sidings and engine shed. The locos were Princess Victoria and a Standard MT4. I had maroon coaches and one that picked up the little mail bags from the lineside hoist and deposited them in the mail car. As a youngster, i had no end of fun on it. I had a loading bay, assortment of lineside trees, houses, a pub, post office, and the station buildings that I have since discovered were modelled on the actual buildings at Dunster Station, on the WSR where I am now a member.

Unfortunately, as I got older but not wiser, I used the track as a testing ground for my toy soldiers, deliberately placing them on the tracks in front of oncoming trains, with the inevitable consequences! I failed to look after what would have been invaluable to me today had I but realised it at the time, but, of course, hindsight is 20-20!

Oh, how I wish I had that wonderful layout and accessories now...

Ash

[stephenholmes]

Good evening
I note Stephens comment about going from 00 to N scale
I have found that as I become older I would need to go up a scale rather than down
My eye sight is steadily becoming poorer with age.
Clambering under a base board is out of the question too
I still have my models though but not a model layout.
You certainly know you're getting older when your back goes out more often than you do.
Kind regards Stephen

[Leaf85]

If I recall correctly, my first set was an N-scale Bachmann kit with CPR rollingstock, lots of track and a clear plastic (red) rheostat type controller. I'd gone to an N-Scale exhibition in Ottawa with my Dad and was fascinated with the modelling aspects ( many years later used those skills to build scenery for Warhammer and Warhammer 40k miniature gaming). I joined the American headquarters for N-Scale to receive their journal and build a couple of sections of track to their specifications (hobbyists would then gather and plug into each others sections and supposedly make one giant layout...never saw that myself sadly). What I was really wanting was UK kit because my Dad had these ancient but awsome Hornby Duplo catalogs that I poured over almost nightly wishing that I might have that chance to collect all the incredibly neat looking items yet knowing my Mom would never let me mail order from overseas. Thats probably why I soooo like the UK locos, stock and routes in RW. I suppose that now with such internationalisation of the market place I should really start looking at getting back into the hobby I loved a young teen back in the '70's. Can I assume Hornby are still high quality? Good memories

Kind regards,
Dave

[LeeEAS]

The first model trains I remember playing with were ERTL Diecasts of Thomas The Tank Engine locos.

However my first train set (with track) was actually my Grandfather's collection of "Lone Star Locos" models from 1957!! Wonder how many of you have even heard of them!

After which I was introduced to Hornby.