Lone Star Revisited

Quite some time ago I wrote about my small collection of Lone Star Locos, which were the first toy trains that I had, at about the age of two or three.  At the time I last wrote I couldn't find everything I had, but with the Trainbarn now usable (though not finished) I've had a chance to sort out a lot of boxes and now my Lone Star collection is all together.

 Just to recap, Lone Star Locos were made by a British company- DCMT- in the late 50's/early 60's and are push-along in 000 gauge.  Think a much smaller BRIO made of die-cast zinc and very detailed.  000 gauge subsequently became the very popular N gauge.

I've probably made a big mistake, but I decided to set up a bit of a display in the entry area of the 'barn, even though there's still a lot of work to do, as the Lone Star trains were where my hobby started, and now I've progressed from a 2' by 3' plywood board to my fantastic, spacious Trainbarn!

I quickly discovered that I need two of everything- one for display (preferably with box) and one to put on the layout.  It was also quickly obvious which of the models I don't have, or which are too playworn to display.  I have already addressed the missing model situation!  I can vividly remember being captivated by the display of Lone Star in Tim the Toyman's shop in Melbourne's Chadstone shopping centre, which was near where I grew up.  In those days you only received a gift for birthdays and Christmas, if you were lucky, never getting something for no reason on a routine shopping trip.  My childhood collection therefore was quite small, and so I find it absolutely incredible that sixty something years later one can still buy these things easily in mint-boxed condition, and now I virtually have them all!

It was absolutely super fun getting everything out of storage and creating this small display, something I expect to repeat many times over with my various other collections.  Was it worth the sixty year wait?  Something to think about...........

I also had great fun installing an old hutch that had belonged to my parents, and starting to fill it up with other bits of my collection.  Not everything that I've got will be able to be on display at the same time, but it is extremely satisfying getting things out of their storage boxes at long last and getting lots of enjoyment from them.

If you are reading this and you remember having Lone Star Locos as a child I'd be very pleased to hear from you.  Feel free to write a 'comment'.