Layouts

[healey36]

My first set was a second-hand Flyer Mountaineer set from the late 1950s. The Old Man got it for me one Christmas when I was about six or seven. He was disgusted with it because the locomotive had a plastic boiler (he was all about metal). No matter to me, I ran the bejeebers out of that set. Still have most of it (except the caboose...somehow managed to lose that by the time I got to high school). Here's the Flyer 283 that headed the set:



Flyer was always a bit quirky if you let it sit around for a long spell without running it. Wonder if this bad boy would turn over...

Now I've started messing around with Flyer prewar O...just as contrary as the postwar stuff.

Healey

[up148]

I have the same "283" that came with my passenger set. Has some damage to the steam chest mounting screw holes and I've got the side rods in a bag. I ran mine to death too. I know my dad and grandfather chose A/F because of two rails instead of three, but i was always way more impressed with Lionel trains my friends had. They could really take abuse and keep on running and so much more available.

[healey36]

I'm not sure why my father picked this set, but I doubt it was in deference to 2-rail. More likely the price was right. The "Joe the Motorist Friend" store in town carried a decent selection of electric train gear at Christmas time, including a few reconditioned or sets that had been returned. Not sure which this was, but it was definitely second-hand. It ran like a champ. When my kids were small we got it out and ran it...everything worked fine except the 283's smoke was just a faint wisp, not the copious smoker it had once been (my step-mother used to complain about the smell). I have repacked/rewound Flyer smokers a few times...not a simple exercise. Maybe yet another item to add to the project pile.

I'm looking forward to getting back to the layout in a few months. Gotta tie off a few loose ends in the meantime.