For many, Father’s Day has powerful meaning for all the right reasons. To those in the hobby, it is a special day reserved to honor our fathers, men who acted as father-figures in our lives, or those who sponsored us in various ways to help us understand and appreciate the dynamics of railroading and model railroading. That spirit was the driving force behind the earliest promotions by many “toy train” manufacturers. While merchandising was keen, most of those early concerns got the message right: Model Railroading was—and remains—a worthwhile pursuit that bonds!
Those mentors guided us in product selection, construction, and operation of our initially modest model railroad systems. Most started with tinplate “large scale,” but many who stayed with the hobby naturally advanced to pursuing scale model railroading. Craftsmanship has always been an important element, from table construction to track building, wiring, and then building the locomotives, cars, and scenic details that brought the entire miniature railroad to life. True, the abilities of all involved, both teacher and student, varied household to household, but no matter the end result was normally very rewarding and memorable to the point that many carried on those traditions for generations.
The three images featured cover a span of 30 years, from the 1930s to 1960s. Much more than “old family photos,” they preserve the honest values of that special bond between men and boys during the formative years of the hobby. That spirit has changed, expanded, and covers new areas of discovery and technological frontiers. Model railroading can be the front door to other areas of specialization including art, construction, electrical design, engineering, geography, and of course, transportation. So let’s take time out to salute the men who helped us with that first layout, stayed up late Christmas Eve to make sure the trains ran, and finally – most importantly – spent time with us watching the trains in action.
At MTS, we embrace elements of that journey each day. Many of us lived – and continue to live – that journey and fully understand the challenge to keep that subject attractive, compelling, and up to date. More than a business, we are fully committed to making this an enjoyable and fulfilling hobby for our own family and friends, and more to the point, we want to make sure that we offer the products to you that make this wonderful experience attainable and affordable to you and all the individuals in your model railroad family.
A perfect way to remember those special individuals is the gift of a new locomotive, car, or accessory. Please take time out to review our most current offerings. More than anything else, we extend a big “Thank You!” to all the men who have helped us get this far with what is unquestionably The Greatest Hobby in the World.
Frank Wrabel
modeltrainstuff.com