Harry made a joke...

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Harry made a joke the other day about racing model trains, and I half remembered something from over 50 years ago. It wasn't Lionel or Atlas, or any of the other common named outfits, but someone like Western Auto, Gilbert, or Marx, a less popular maker, but I remember an ad at Christmastime for a train racing set. The illustration was of two tracks side by side with a fantasy red streamliner passenger train and an identical one in blue, and I remember thinking, " Who would want to ride on a racing train?" I was pretty young. Does anyone else remember those goofy things?

[4424ever]

I don’t remember those but I will never forget setting up a train set on the floor of the slot cave for my grandson, when he got to full speed on the rehostat he looked at me and said “ is that as fast as it goes ?” . My reply was “ yup that’s why Grandpa races cars” :lol:
Now days he’s not into cars or trains, dam video games :angry-tappingfoot:

[eightwheels]

In the late 50 or early 60s there was a program in So Cal on channel 11 or 13 with engineer Bill that had a drag race with 2 American flyer stem engines. A lot of wheel spin!!! They were stopped in to a pillow.

[HomeRacingWorld]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I remember that. But that was decades after the set I am trying to confirm. These looked like F units pulling a two or three car consist and the track was separated for each train. One fire engine red, one royal blue.

[noddaz]

[mattb]

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This is the above listed set. It is really unique and guys like us would sure have had fun with it. Probably your dad had to be a doctor to be able to afford it!!!

[chappyman66]

The was also a Sizzlers type train set....battery powered like Sizzlers but it had it's own black track with silver stripe "rails".....HotLine train maybe? I have one somewhere in the basement.....

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's definitely the right era, but I don't think that's the one I remember. But the blue top passenger train and red freight makes me wonder. Marx really was the king of tinplate.

[SuperSlab]

[mattb]

Such transit would make lots of people happy in the US. Me for one. I hate monotonous driving. I love riding a train and just looking at the scenery. Of course, we have no schedule or time limits when we travel. Also in America we have a fairly good highway system and everybody wants to go when and where they want.

Trains were a big factor in building and transporting America until the 50's. Especially Lionel in our house!!!