Guest Column - December 2010
Christmas Memories
It was shortly before the Christmas of 1976 and I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. The year before I had my heart set on getting my first electric train. I remember Christmas morning of 1975 like it was yesterday. I had asked Santa for an electric train thinking it wouldn’t be too tall of an order since my Dad already had a basement full of trains and my older brother had received an HO layout and trains the year before. I must have made the Naughty List because when I rolled out of bed early Christmas morning it was apparent that Santa had other plans in store for me. I woke to discover Santa had left a wind-up Marx train set for me that wasn’t electric at all. Sadly, he didn’t have the wrong house and didn’t return with the correct gift.
The photo below shows the pure disappointment I had on my face. Wanting a Cadillac and getting a Pinto (sorry Al)! As the morning passed by I seemed to forget the disappointment because the home movies my Father shot that morning shows a little boy laughing and smiling as the train whirled around him even if it was only for a couple laps at a time.
My behavior must have improved in 1976 because Santa delivered a brand new complete set (or so I thought). The first electric train I received was a Lionel 8305 Milwaukee Road steam engine and tender complete with freight rolling stock. It was beautiful and included the “Mighty sound of steam and whistle” striped tender with a look that hadn’t been seen since the postwar era. I was very pleased with Santa, as the second photo will attest to. I set up an oval on the carpet and immediately began to play. This photo depicts a much bigger smile and a pure sense of joy.
Years later when I got back into the hobby, I began to search for this set. My original set was long gone after years of abuse that included seeing what I could melt in the smoke stack and running it with reckless abandon. I learned you could melt Styrofoam and plastics in it if you left it at full power in neutral and you could throw it off the curves at modest speeds. Sadly, this engine is sitting in a landfill in Northern Minnesota.
As I researched the original set, it seems Santa had pulled a fast one. The original Lionel set came with three Milwaukee Road illuminated coaches rather than the assorted freight cars that had been reconfigured into the original set box bottom. I did find it odd that it was conveniently missing the colorful set box top that would have pictured the passenger cars.
The 1973 set was numbered 6-1387 and was titled the Milwaukee Special Passenger Train. I also remember my father proudly displaying the 3 passenger cars shortly after Christmas that year. He indicated that he had been looking for a passenger set to pull behind his circus train for quite some time and had happened across these. I was only 6 at the time and had a new train so I never gave it another thought until many years later.
I imagine one day I will pick up the complete set and put it on a shelf with the rest of my trains. This set seems to be common and as I type there are three of them for sale on eBay. When the time is right, I will add it to my collection. All of us remember the first train we ever received. I guess that is another reason why trains have such a special place in our hearts.
I hope you all have a very Happy New Year, Stay warm and safe,
Mike Speltz
HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Lakes and Pines!
Christmas Memories
It was shortly before the Christmas of 1976 and I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. The year before I had my heart set on getting my first electric train. I remember Christmas morning of 1975 like it was yesterday. I had asked Santa for an electric train thinking it wouldn’t be too tall of an order since my Dad already had a basement full of trains and my older brother had received an HO layout and trains the year before. I must have made the Naughty List because when I rolled out of bed early Christmas morning it was apparent that Santa had other plans in store for me. I woke to discover Santa had left a wind-up Marx train set for me that wasn’t electric at all. Sadly, he didn’t have the wrong house and didn’t return with the correct gift.
The photo below shows the pure disappointment I had on my face. Wanting a Cadillac and getting a Pinto (sorry Al)! As the morning passed by I seemed to forget the disappointment because the home movies my Father shot that morning shows a little boy laughing and smiling as the train whirled around him even if it was only for a couple laps at a time.
My behavior must have improved in 1976 because Santa delivered a brand new complete set (or so I thought). The first electric train I received was a Lionel 8305 Milwaukee Road steam engine and tender complete with freight rolling stock. It was beautiful and included the “Mighty sound of steam and whistle” striped tender with a look that hadn’t been seen since the postwar era. I was very pleased with Santa, as the second photo will attest to. I set up an oval on the carpet and immediately began to play. This photo depicts a much bigger smile and a pure sense of joy.
Years later when I got back into the hobby, I began to search for this set. My original set was long gone after years of abuse that included seeing what I could melt in the smoke stack and running it with reckless abandon. I learned you could melt Styrofoam and plastics in it if you left it at full power in neutral and you could throw it off the curves at modest speeds. Sadly, this engine is sitting in a landfill in Northern Minnesota.
As I researched the original set, it seems Santa had pulled a fast one. The original Lionel set came with three Milwaukee Road illuminated coaches rather than the assorted freight cars that had been reconfigured into the original set box bottom. I did find it odd that it was conveniently missing the colorful set box top that would have pictured the passenger cars.
The 1973 set was numbered 6-1387 and was titled the Milwaukee Special Passenger Train. I also remember my father proudly displaying the 3 passenger cars shortly after Christmas that year. He indicated that he had been looking for a passenger set to pull behind his circus train for quite some time and had happened across these. I was only 6 at the time and had a new train so I never gave it another thought until many years later.
I imagine one day I will pick up the complete set and put it on a shelf with the rest of my trains. This set seems to be common and as I type there are three of them for sale on eBay. When the time is right, I will add it to my collection. All of us remember the first train we ever received. I guess that is another reason why trains have such a special place in our hearts.
I hope you all have a very Happy New Year, Stay warm and safe,
Mike Speltz
HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Lakes and Pines!
