I still remember mine like it was yesterday, it was a well-loved HO scale steam locomotive I found at a neighborhood garage sale when I was about 10 years old. It was dusty, missing a coupler, and the paint was chipped in places, but to me, it looked like it had a thousand stories to tell.
I begged my parents for the few dollars it cost, took it home, and spent hours trying to get it running again. (Spoiler: I didn’t have much luck at first!)
But that little loco kicked off a lifelong fascination with model trains, collecting, and restoring old pieces.
It’s still sitting proudly on a shelf in my train room today battle scars and all as a reminder of where it all started.
I’ll have to dig up a photo to share both the “then” and “now” shots!
Can’t wait to hear everyone else’s first-model stories.
We all have that one model that sparked the journey a vintage piece from a garage sale, a childhood gift, or a dusty find rediscovered years later.
What was your very first collectible train model?
Was it a prized tinplate steamer, an old wooden freight car, or a beautifully boxed postwar gem?
Tell us the story behind it where it came from, how it found its way into your collection, and why it still holds a special place today.
Bonus if you have a photo of it then vs. now!
