[Chugman]

When you watch a train running on your layout what usually comes into your mind? It seems to me there are two main possibilities.

One might be it reminds you of the tinplate trains of your youth. It may bring back some of the excitement you felt when you received your first train? Of family Christmases and all the fun and excitement that created.

Or it might be you that envision a real train that you are watching at trackside? One that you control what it looks like, what sounds it makes, when it moves and etc. Either ones that you used to watch or wished that you could.

How you answer this question might determine what type of trains that you run? If it is the first option, you are probably into pre-war or post-war Lionel. You enjoy recreating what you had so much fun with when you were young. And it is really fun finding what you wanted but didn't have as a child. And collecting these trains can also be very enjoyable and a big part of the fun.

The second option most likely means that you want to have things as realistic as you can so you visualize you are watching real trains.

I like both options, but am most drawn to trying to make it as real looking as I can and recreating scenes that I remember watching. One of my favorites is watching a Milwaukee Road "meat train" switching reefer cars in my home town of Spencer, Iowa. That was what got me into trains in a big way and I can watch my models of it and it takes me back to those great memories of so many years ago.

Any ideas or memories that you would like to share?

Art

 

[Millstonemike]

I like to fix and restore older tinplate. I'm currently working on a decent layout to "show them off". Something about 100+ year-old "toys" running like new motivates me in this hobby. Family and friends will be "amused" as well.

 

[Toy train hobby]

Good question, Art. I simply enjoy watching the trains traveling around my (somewhat realistic) layout, while I activate the various animated accessories.

 

[MichaelE]

They remind me of when I lived in Germany.

 

[Spence]

I really just enjoy watching them run. The other day I was thinking that I have my Mom to thank for my interest in trains. She (Santa) bought me my first train in 1956 and I hope she’s looking down and smiling.

 

[Lehigh74]

I never really gave too much thought about what I think about when I run trains. Like a few others here, I just enjoy it. But your question made me wonder if there is more to it and I suppose there are aspects of both options that contribute to my enjoyment.

When I was a little kid, I grew up a few hundred feet from the Reading Plymouth Branch. Whenever I heard two longs, a short and a long, I would run down the street to see what was going by. They went over this bridge. A train rumbling by was pretty awesome for a little kid. Still pretty awesome!

Also, when I was a kid, I had my first WOW moment with electric trains. My uncle had trains in his attic. The layout was just track laid on the attic floor. Maybe 5 feet x 15 feet. He had a Lionel NYC passenger train. Seeing that train left a big impression and I still picture it in my mind from time to time.

 

[DennyM]

I can't say I'm thinking about much.

 

[Chugman]

When I am close to the tracks when a modern train comes by it is still very thrilling to me. The engines aren't as noisy as they used to be, but I love that mild roar of the diesels as they pass. And you can feel the ground shake too. It just plain thrilling to me to see and feel all the power as a 130 car train rolls by.

Then to go home and fire up one of my trains and watch it pass a grade crossing with the two longs, a short, and the long as it passes through the crossing. I got back into three-rail O gauge because of the realistic engine sounds and command control. Now with wi-fi I feel we have really reached the pinnacle with such precise control over the horns and sound effects. This is the best time to be in our hobby if you like that aspect of it in my view.

O gauge trains also have the size and bulk that is impressive too, unlike HO and N gauge. You get a different feeling watching them pass you at eye level, they make quite a statement I think.

Art

 

[highvoltage]

I grew up in a valley between two railroad tracks. The Akron, Canton, and Youngstown (AC&Y) tracks were to the west of us, and the B&O tracks were to the east. When the windows were open in the summertime we could hear the trains at night. We would also play on the tracks in the summer, but we knew it was dangerous. We made sure to get out of the way when a train was coming. Used to put pennies on the track and watch them get flattened.

 

[Bob Phillips]

My father had trains and my moms father took me to watch trains until he died. When I see an engine at a show or on line that I seen as a young boy I need to have it to look at. My fathers dad us an Engineer for the Reading out of Philly. We watched trains at Frankford Junction, lots of GG1's back then.

 

[beachhead2]

I think about how much I want to move to a different house so I can build the layout of my dreams! I'm in the camp that wants to imagine real trains.

Also, while I didn't have trains in my youth, I still love tinplate. The Christmas layout is all about imagination, nostalgia, and creating that part of my youth I never had.

 

[Chugman]

I used to think that anybody that likes model trains must also like watching real trains. But I have learned that is not always the case. One of my best train buddies, has no interest in watching real trains. He came close when the UP Big Boy was in town, but he didn't make it. He was fishing instead. I'm not knocking fishing, but you can do that just about any day that you want and the Big Boy is pretty special.

I have several model railroad friends that don't want to go real train watching, but I can't think of any real train friends that don't like models. It seems funny how that works to me as I love both.

I will concede that watching real trains may not be as exciting as it used to be. In these days of unit trains, it has gotten to where almost all unit coal trains look pretty much alike. And Intermodals are alike for the most part too. It's fun to watch for Z trains, but they aren't that much different either. We do get ethanol unit trains and sand trains of all covered hoppers and unit grain trains in the fall. Mixed manifest trains with all different cars come by at least once a day and we have the West Coast and local Amtrak trains too.

I have found your answers very interesting, thanks for sharing them.

Art

 

[beachhead2]

That's an interesting distinction. I never thought about that before.

Every day I cross both a BNSF (Frisco) and Union Pacific (MoPac) double-track line. They are both less than 2 miles from my house. I frequently have to wait at the crossings for them (or Amtrak). I do enjoy seeing the trains while I'm waiting.

I've never actively gone somewhere to see a train.

 

[lou1985]

I like both late steam and early diesels, so I model the AT&SF and SP from 1948-1951, 35+ years before I was born. So even though I never saw the trains I model in revenue service I like recreating photographs of the era using the equipment I own. My layout isn't set in a specific place, just generic Midwest/west plains.

As far as watching real trains I live not far from The Belt Railway of Chicago, The BNSF transcon (former AT&SF) mainline from Chicago to LA, and the BNSF (former Burlington) "Race Track" mainline. I rarely make a trip to watch trains, I just run into them during my normal day to day activities. I'll only make a trip for something special, like when 4014 came through town.

 

[Lee Willis]

I just like to watch it run. I think of it as a toy, never thinking of the real locos, and while I like detail and realism, I don't dwell on that, O mostly just like to watch the "miniature world" operating with locos, rolling stock, and cars and such . . .

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

If I'm watching one of my trains run, I'm thankful that it's still running and not broken.

 

[Lee Willis]

. . . I'm thankful that it's still running and not broken.

Tha was a problem I had alot when I was a kid!!

 

[Yellowstone Special]

interesting question. Because I grew up watching trains on the nearby Union Pacific main line through my home town, I've always enjoyed watching them and running them as well.

I'm lucky in that the two locomotives I remember the most were the Union Pacific F3s that pulled the Yellowstone Special and the GP7s and GP9s that pulled the freights at that time.

I now run both of them on my layout and they remind me of those days when I enjoyed watching their real counterparts growing up.

 

[SantaFeJim]

Good topic Chugman.

Put me in both camps. I just flat out enjoy watching trains run. Real trains or model trains makes no difference to me.

I will admit that I get just a bit of an extra thrill viewing model trains running on a Winter or Christmas themed layout. That always triggers childhood memories.

Thanks for the pictures Yellowstone. Got more you wanna share?

 

[Spence]

I’ve never been interested in real trains and yet I’ve loved model trains for over 60 years.