The Beginning- Part 1

The train in the photo is what started my lifelong love of trains. I have no recollection of when it was bought. I was probably only a year or two old. I just remember it being there as long as I can recall. It is an American Flyer O-27 guage set. The engine is a Chicago and North Western pacific style but the trailing truck is missing. The other cars are all still in great shape and could almost pass as being new. There are two other cars not in the photo that need some slight repairs. My Dad had it set up in our attic with the track spiked to the plywood flooring. There was no scenery or buildings that I can remember but I made up for it with imagination. One thing I really loved was that you could put light oil in the stack and it would chuff smoke like a real train. I had a little phonograph and a 45 rpm record of train sounds that I listened to over and over. Because of it being kept in the attic we could only play with it when it wasn't too hot or too cold. The loco stopped working by the time I was 8 or 9 years old and we never had it fixed and the whole set was put into storage. About 20 years ago or so I decided to get it from my parents house and put it on static display in my living room and that is where it has been ever since.