For those amongst us who remember:- "When I was a boy"!

[Jerry Howlett]

You mean this one Jerry?

That is scary !!!! to remember it so vividly...

[steve836]

Talking about records I had several Argo transacord ones including Trains in Trouble, This is York, Gresley Pacifics and N7 on the Jazz

[Kipper]

What I most remember of 50 years ago, was coming home from school and finding the toy cupboard had been emptied. Gone were my 3 rail Hornby Dublo, 2 rail Triang, Scalectrix, Dinky toys and some old fishing gear. All taken to the second hand shop for about £10. I was fuming, but could see their point , as rarely used as nowhere to set them up at that time, so gathering dust in the cupboard.

[Michael Shillabeer]

Hello

Here's my second N Gauge layout when I was a teenager in the late 70s early 80s.



All the buildings were scratch-built in plasticard. The only house at the front is my Nan and Grandad's house. I still have this, the controller (a Minitrol) and all the rolling stock.

The backscene is pasted onto my bedroom wall

Best regards
Michael

[steve836]

I remember Kiel Kraft kits.Days spent building a model aircraft which lasted an afternoon if lucky. Some powered with Jetex.

[port perran]

I well remember spending literally hours on end at what we called "Black Bridge" watching what seemed like an endless variety of late steam and early(ish) diesel types. 
And it always seemed to be hot and sunny !
Common were panniers, praries, Collett 0-6-0s, Halls, Castles, Counties, Manors, 43XX 2-6-0s, 28xx 2-8-0s, 72xx 2-8-0Ts on long coal trains, various standard types, the odd Black 5,  hymeks, warships and westerns (occasionally), Class 47s, 08s, various dmus and others.  Even a B1 one day !
Variety was the spice of life in those days.
Later, in 67/68 particularly we witnessed the sad sight of various steam classes (including SR pacifics and standards) hauling rows of (usually) 3 or  4 dead and decaying steam locos from the store locations at Salisbury, Weymouth and Westbury to their demise in the South wales Scrapyards.

[steve836]

Our house used to back onto the  railway between Brentwood and Shenfield. As a lad I and my pal who lived just up (or down railwaywise) the road used to run down the garden jump over the fence and look down into the cutting whenever we heard something. The number of times one of us said it's only a footballer! If only we knew then

[Oldman]

Scrumping apples from the orchard down the road, my Lone Star 000 trainset-my first , Family car was a Ford Popular sit up and beg and dads company car was a Ford Esquire or equivalent estate.
6d a week pocket money which was spent on BlackJacks and Fruit Salad at 4 for 1d.
Level crossings were either manual or big wheel  operated.

[Komata]

From the 'underside'...

For me 'trains' were things that were travelled-on during school holidays to visit a divorced parent, so there was little glamour attached to them, especially as they invariably had large, black and (very) scary locomotives on the front end.  To a small child they were very unfriendly, and to be avoided.  Planes (in all sizes, shapes and forms) were the thing...

However, when I  was about 8 years old, (and as a Christmas present), a train-mad step-uncle 'donated' a well-used Hornby clockwork set, a circle  of track, and a red 0-4-0T  to me.  This was later followed by some type-unrecalled tinplate carriages, a level crossing and a semaphore signal.  All very interesting, but as I could never get the loco to stay on the track, ultimately very frustrating and a bit pointless (I know, unintentional pun).  I eventually lost interest  (and, probably, the key) and have no idea where the trains eventually went to.

Curiously, I didn't see my first actual model railway layout  until I was about 12 years old, when a school  acquaintance took me to see one that his neighbour was constructing.  I don't recall much about it, except that it had lots of hills and was American-themed.  I had no idea that such things existed, but even after such 'exposure' to the hobby never had any interest in creating anything like it for myself.   Aircraft still ruled (and would continue to do so for quite a few years after).  There was absolutely no way that I was EVER going to 'PLAY with toy trains'....

Thanks to my good lady wife, my model railway 'conversion' came many years later...

It was all really rather a long time ago; thanks for asking.

[Jerry Howlett]

6d a week pocket money which was spent on BlackJacks and Fruit Salad at 4 for 1d.

Chewy filling removers !!!

[Oldman]

6d a week pocket money which was spent on BlackJacks and Fruit Salad at 4 for 1d.

Chewy filling removers !!!

Never had fillings then. Now only got 5 teeth of my own.

[Bealman]

I remember Kiel Kraft kits.Days spent building a model aircraft which lasted an afternoon if lucky. Some powered with Jetex.

Geez... I'd forgotten about them! I had a couple with Jetex motors with the fuel tablets and ignition fuses which lit up like fireworks. I believe Gerry Anderson bought like zillions of 'em for the machines in Thunderbirds.

[Komata]

Good grief, B'man now you've started something...

Kiel Kraft aircraft, along with Airsail and Modelair kits if you were an Australasian kid (and could afford them), and well as Merit , Revell and Airfix 'planes and Eagle warship kits.  For those who were so-inclined there were  'Eagle', 'Hotspur', 'Lion', 'Dandy', 'Beano' and all the rest of the 'comics' for all ages, comics which we all loved and 'devoured', every week.  Meccano (and Meccano Magazine), Airfix Magazine, and, of course 'War Comics' (which we all eagerly read as they reinforced our view of the 'Empire (dying though it was, although we didn't know it), 'Look and Learn' (must be educated) and, of course, the Annuals, which were always Christmas presents...

And these were only the mags' we got from 'Home'.  There were the American ones as well; especially the comics, with those adverts of impossibly shaped and oh so desirable bikes and accessories (to say nothing of 'Sea Monkees' and other 'odd' things), and even a mysterious sort of 'cake' called 'Hostess Twinkies' (how little we knew...).

All of the above definitely shaped our world view, with at times hilarious consequences when we ventured out into the 'real' world ('nuff said).

As I said, B-man, look what you've started...

Aint 'rose coloured glasses' wonderful...?

Next?

[Bealman]

I used to get most of those comics and still have most of the Meccano mags from 1959 up to it's demise in 1967.

[Malc]

Did anyone ever buy those "X-RaySpecs" that looked so good in the adverts in the back of those Superman comics?