Your first model train.

[sailormatlac]

In 1986 my father set up his HO Life-Like CN trainset on the dining room table. I was 3 year old and honestly, I probably never was more hyped in my life than that evening. In the following months, I bothered my parent to show me the train, which they refused out of concern I would break it. Then, they bought me a HO Bachmann CP Rail trainset in 1987 made of a F9, a 50ft boxcar, a hopper and a caboose. I remember they got it at Kmart. One or 2 years after, I two other railcars (a log flat car and a Shell tank car) with a freight station and a blinking oil tank; all Bachmann. My father set the tracks on a 4' x 4' sheet of plywood and we draw a layout with color pencils.

Honestly, as far as I can remember, I was totally obsessed by trains when I was 3 years old. It's quite funny when you think about it. You see it once as a toddler and you're totally infected for the rest of your life.

Of course, I still have my original trainset and related boxes. I remember the day I found out a club member gutted my original transformer to get some electric parts for a project... it was like if something had died in me!!!

Matt