Model Train Subculture



 Tyco Train

Our two sons and I like trains. My interest goes way back to my childhood when my prized toy was a Tyco Spirit of 76 train set which I still have. It's the only thing that survived from my adolescence. Our son, Aidan, discovered the train in a box in the basement. Together we set it up, and to our dismay, we couldn't get it running. So we decided to have the gaudy, red, white and blue engine fixed. Our first stop was the local hobby shop.

Now, the first thing you have to know about model train shops is that no one there will actually speak to you. Most shops are affiliated with a model train club, and so they know all the regulars. At our local hobby shop, they didn't want to bother with a father and son likely looking for some Thomas and Friends. I did manage to show them my broken engine which they quickly wrote off as junk, not worth repairing. So we decided if it couldn't be fixed, then we would replace the old engine.

Thomas the Tank Engine

When it comes to model trains, the expense and sophistication can get well beyond the range of a mere toy. Today, model trains are operated with controllers that employ Digital Command and Control (DCC), a standardized protocol which allows the operation of multiple trains independently on the same track. Aidan researched the whole thing and was adamant that our replacement engine should be DCC enabled. Oh, and by the way, never call them "toy trains." Men who are serious about model railroading don't take kindly to the t-word.

Armed with marginal terminology, the two of us jumped back into the subculture of model trains and tried to hold our own in our local hobby shop. They ate us alive. We wanted a DCC compatible engine that looked like the one I had as a kid. They told us to come back when we knew what we were talking about. Now, I shouldn't be surprised because on the way into the shop I saw a sign in the window that read,

"If you don't like our sense of humor, let us know so we can laugh at you."

These guys meant business. So Aidan did some more studying, and we visited other shops in our quest to replace the engine. He got online and registered at a model train forum in order to ask questions. On the general thread, Aidan asked,

"How many trains can a typical DCC controller run?"

A simple questions requiring a whole number for an answer. He was lambasted for asking a DCC question on the wrong thread. One respondent said,

"If you don't know by now, you probably never will."

Not to be out done, Aidan found a thread about vintage Lionel train sets and posted this,

"I wonder if anyone can help me? My dad inherited my grandfather's Lionel 400e Presidential train set. We set it up at the beach. It ran for a while, but now it won't go. We checked the user's manual that we found in the original box. Any help will be greatly appreciated."

Some explanation is needed here for you non train heads. The 400e Presidential is arguably the rarest Lionel train. Almost no Lionel train boxes survive to today, and the manuals are mostly unheard of. In one day, there was at least 500 responses indicating what dumb asses we were for ruining such a rare train. My father's never had a Lionel train which we tried to operate at the sandy beach. Aidan just wanted to mess with these unsocial train nerds.

In the middle of winter, we attended the largest model train show on the east coast, the Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Twenty-five thousand people converge on the site for the two day event. We learned quite a bit while wandering around the extensive train layouts and retail booths. We actually found some people who would talk to us. My wife, Christine, even enjoyed it. She was the only woman in a two mile radius.

In the spring we were on vacation when we stumbled across a yard sale after breakfast. I never go to yard sales because I don't want to buy someone else's trinkets and baubles for 75 cents when I got plenty of my own. For some reason, I found myself pulling over to the side of the road, much to the dismay of the rest of my family. Christine made a beeline for the old, tattered, musty paperbacks. She often buys grocery bags full of used books. I watched her finish a novel one time, put it down, then reach randomly into the bag for another, then resume reading.

"Aren't you even gonna read the title?" I asked.

"I know I want to read it. It's in the bag," she responded.

I often wonder if she mixes together the plots of several books. Like if I ask her what's she reading, she would say, 

"A young woman, fresh out of college, meets a business magnate with a rabid dog who goes to a school for wizards."
 

William and Aidan
with the Rare Find

In and amongst all the assorted crap that people sell at yard sales, Aidan unearthed a small blue box embossed with train graphics. He made his way back to me in great excitement. I read the label in disbelief. Inside was a Spirit of 76 themed engine made by a company called Athearn. Not knowing if it runs, we bought it for the yard sale price of five dollars.

Aidan's research led him to believe with some conviction that older engines like this one could be retrofitted with a DCC card so it could operate independently on the track. We went back to the local hobby shop with our new, old engine. I warned Aidan that these dudes will likely laugh at us, then send us packing. We checked our pride at the door as we entered.

Aidan placed the blue box on the counter and asked for the modifications in what sounded to me to be perfectly delivered model train vernacular. The dude looked quizzically at the box, picked it up then carefully removed the contents. He inspected the engine, then the box, followed by the spec sheet which was still in the box.

"This is an early Athearn," he declared.

Customers in the shop began congregating around the counter, some marveling at the box as much as the engine itself. The guy yelled into the back room,

"Ted, you have to come see this."

U33B Seacoast GE Diesel

A bearded middle aged guy with magnifying goggles on his forehead made his way to the front counter. Ted inspected the engine closely. He placed it on a small section of powered track and drove it a short distance in both directions. He pulled his goggles down as he scrutinized the undercarriage. Ted looked at the spec sheet, then spent an unusual amount of time inspecting the box. When he was done, he lifted his goggles, then cradled the engine on his forearm as if it was a rare bottle of wine.

"This is a first generation Athearn, probably 1970 or 71. It's in remarkable condition. It's complete with the box and the instruction sheet. The box has a scallop insert typical of first generation models. Can I ask you where you got it?"

"Yard sale," Aidan answered.

Ted continued, "Do you mind if I ask what you paid for it?"

"Five dollars."

"Well, this engine is valued at..."

Ted looked to Aidan then to me, then lovingly to the engine resting on his arm.

"$150."

The customers began clapping. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to clap too. I swear I thought I heard someone gasp. It took some convincing before Ted agreed to install a DCC card into our rare find since he was reluctant to modify such a pristine relic. He kept the engine in the shop for an extra week after he completed the installation because people kept coming in to see it. He relayed an offer of $250 from a customer which we declined.

Now when Aidan and I go into the local hobby shop, they greet us by our names, always calling me "Bob." Ted even occasionally comes out from the back room to ask us if we discovered any more rare finds. That's how we broke into the inner circle of the model train subculture. Ironically, we replaced our engine with one that was slightly older, but better made. It pulls the train I played with as a kid, driven by the next generation of consummate railroad enthusiasts.

Editor's Note: Originally posted on November 3, 2016.