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 Bitten By The Train Bug . . .
It
all started back in the middle of the 1950s in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada.
My father bought my brother and I a Marx Train set
for Christmas. I don’t remember exactly what set it was, but it had the 1829
engine (no smoke) and all the deluxe cars. Just the fact that we got an
electric train for Christmas was amazing considering the financial state of
our family back then.
It's kind of hard to remember back 50 years but I do remember that we had the
5590 crane, the 4583 with the revolving light and the 51100 autoloader car.
We ran O34 track and had as I remember four switches along with a large box
of O34 track. I don’t think my Dad bought everything we had all at once. I
can remember my father taking my brother and I down
to a store in Hamilton called
Reilly’s Hobby Service and buying some new track. I’m not sure how my Dad did
it but he made sure we had lots of trains to play with. Since my childhood, I
have always been a Marx guy, but now I only collect Marx 6 inch tin.
Raised on Railroad . . .
I
guess my love of the railroad was influenced by the fact my father and one of
my uncles both worked for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. It seemed we always
lived close to the railway tracks and the sounds of the whistles from the
passing freight and passenger trains always sent a shiver of excitement down
my spine. The girl I married was also from a railroad family. Her
grandfather, father, two of her uncles and four of her cousins all worked for
the CPR at some time or another.
The Journey So Far . . .
I now live on the west coast of Canada,
just outside of Vancouver, BC,
the site of the 2010 Olympics. I am President of the Canadian Division of the
Toy Train Operating Society and a member of the TCA. You can access the TTOS
Canadian Divisions newsletter, which we call the TTOS Canadian Flyer, just by
clicking on the links below.
We meet on the last Sunday of every month except July and August at the Charles
Rummel Community
Center, 3630 Lozezells Ave, Burnaby,
BC. Contact me for more information. Guests are
welcome to all meetings.
Canadian Flyer
(Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)
Buy . . . Sell . . . Trade . . .
While I collect MARX Toy Trains, I
also buy and sell all types of trains and railroad related memorabilia. I
have lots of parts and really enjoy fixing up stuff when I have time. Look
for my auctions on eBay or contact me directly if you are looking to buy or
sell any railroad-related stuff.
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CANADIAN
MAILING ADDRESS
1016 STEWART AVE.
COQUITLAM, BC
V3K 2N6
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U.S.
MAILING ADDRESS
P.O. Box 2688
SUMAS, WASH.
98295-2688
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